Verizon

Role: SDE (Software Development Engineer)

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: Not Specified

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium

Rounds: 3 rounds

Topics Asked: Essay Writing ("Talent versus Hard Work"), Coding (Heaps, Greedy Algorithm, Array Pair Sum Divisible by 9), Gaming, Vocabulary, Antonyms, Synonyms, Word Meanings, Sorting Algorithms (Merge Sort, Quick Sort, Time Complexities), Storage Classes, Transaction Isolation Level, Foreign Keys, Referential Integrity Constraints, Normalization (3NF, BCNF), Scheduling Algorithms, Convoy Effect, Live Lock, Zombie Process, Referenced Key, HR Questions (introduction, positive impact on society, native place)

Experience:

The selection process for the SDE role at Verizon involved an online test followed by two interview rounds.

Online Test (2 hours)
The test had multiple sections with specific time limits. It started with a 30-minute essay on "Talent versus Hard Work." This was followed by 20 minutes for two coding questions: one involving heaps and another requiring a greedy algorithm. A 30-minute gaming round followed, where the score was based on correct answers. Subsequent sections included finding correct spellings, identifying antonyms, synonyms, and word meanings, each with a 10-minute limit. The candidate qualified for the interview rounds.

Round 1: Technical Interview
The interviewer began by asking for an introduction. Questions covered various topics including sorting algorithms like merge sort and quick sort, along with their time complexities and derivations. Other technical concepts discussed were storage classes, transaction isolation level, foreign keys, referential integrity constraints, normalization (3NF, BCNF), scheduling algorithms, Convoy effect, Live lock, Zombie process, and Referenced key. A coding question was also presented: "find a pair in an array whose sum was divisible by 9." The candidate solved this using both brute force and optimized approaches.

Round 2: HR Round
The HR representative asked for an introduction and inquired about the positive impact the candidate would like to bring to society. Questions about the candidate's native place were also asked.

Result: The candidate was selected for the Software Development Engineer (SDE) role.