Docusign

Role: SDE 2

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: Not Specified (likely late 2024/early 2025, article posted Jan 25, 2025)

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Not Specified

Difficulty: Challenging

Rounds: 3 rounds (2 Technical, 1 Managerial)

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, Problem-solving, Code Quality, Modularity, System Design, Object-Oriented Programming (Java), Behavioral

Experience:

The candidate applied for an SDE 2 position through DocuSign's Careers portal. After 15 days, they received a call, and both technical rounds were scheduled back-to-back on the same day with a 15-minute gap.

Technical Round 1
After introductions, the interviewer asked the candidate to explain their approach to solving problems before coding. The focus was on problem-solving, code quality, and modularity. The questions asked were:
1. Sort Colors (LeetCode problem)
2. Minimum Cost to Make at Least One Valid Path in a Grid (LeetCode problem)
The interviewer ran various test cases to verify the outputs, emphasizing the need for fully functional, working code.

Technical Round 2
This round also started with introductions, followed by a DSA question. The interviewer expected a fully working code and tested it against various edge cases and scenarios. The question asked was:
1. Serialize and Deserialize Binary Tree (LeetCode problem)

Managerial Round
This round began with a self-introduction. Following questions included:
- Explain a challenging project worked on, with follow-up questions.
- Describe how HTTPS works.
- Discuss different types of locking mechanisms in databases.
- Differentiate between strong references and weak references in Java.
- Given a scenario where a database acquires a write lock every 15 minutes and is read-heavy, acquiring a read lock every 30 seconds, how would you optimize the locking mechanism?
The manager also inquired about the candidate's interest in working on AI and ML-related projects. The overall experience was described as challenging yet rewarding, with a focus on technical proficiency and problem-solving.