Media Net

Role: Software Development Engineer

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: August 2023

Interview Type: On-Campus, Full-Time

Result: Rejected

Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Rounds: 4 rounds

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms (Binary Search, Dynamic Programming, Bitmasks, Graph, Hash-table, Linked List), Code Readability, Naming Conventions, Project Discussion

Experience:

This candidate's interview experience for a Software Development Engineer role at Media.net was an on-campus placement in August 2023, detailed in a blog published in January 2024. The overall process was rigorous, with a strong emphasis on Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA). The candidate ultimately did not receive an offer.

Round 1: Online Assessment (1.5 hours)

The online assessment consisted of 3 questions of medium to hard difficulty.

• Question 1 ('Red Zone'): Based on binary search.
• Question 2 ('Omega Primes'): Based on dynamic programming and bitmasks, similar to a medium-level LeetCode problem. The iterative approach was required due to TLE/MLE with recursion + memoization.
• Question 3 ('Fractional Knapsack'): Based on bit manipulation and implementation.

The candidate advises checking LeetCode or Job Overflow for similar OA questions as they often recur.

Round 2: DSA Round 1

This round involved a direct DSA question.

• Question: Based on graphs. Given an undirected, unweighted, and connected graph (N, M) and K special nodes, find a pair of special nodes such that if connected, the distance between node 1 and N changes as little as possible.

The candidate initially struggled but eventually provided a BFS-based solution and was asked to code it on a shared Google Docs file. A key takeaway was to code even a less optimized solution first and then improve upon it.

Round 3: DSA Round 2

This round also began with a brief introduction, followed by another DSA question. The candidate notes that the interviewer was friendly but expected the candidate to come up with the solution without immediate hints.

Round 4: DSA/Project Round 3

Similar to the previous rounds, this started with an introduction.

• Question: A LeetCode hard problem based on hash-table and linked list (AllO'One question).

The candidate could not come up with the most optimized approach in time. The round concluded with a discussion of one of the candidate's projects. The candidate did not anticipate a DSA question in the final round, emphasizing the need to be prepared for anything.