Glean Search

Role: Lead/Senior Software Engineer

College: Tier-1 Indian college CS grad

Interview Date: August 12, 2025 (post date)

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium-Hard

Rounds: 5 rounds (Hiring Manager + 4 technical rounds)

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, System Design, Low-Level Design, Behavioral, Past Work Experience

Experience:

The candidate was preparing for Lead/Senior roles and was contacted by a Glean recruiter.

• Hiring Manager (HM) Round (30 mins): A brief introductory round focused on past work, not considered a hire/no-hire decision round.
• DSA 1 & 2: Both Data Structures and Algorithms rounds involved LeetCode medium-hard questions with hard follow-ups. The discussions were good, and interviewers were receptive to the candidate's ideas.
• System Design: The question involved designing a stockbroker for crypto. The candidate felt this round went well, despite some minor issues when suggesting using Redis sorted sets for a specific part.
• Tech Execution (Low-Level Design): This was an LLD round where the candidate struggled due to a lack of speed in using Java collections. The problem itself was not overly difficult but required very quick implementations for its multiple parts.
• Past Work/HM: This round primarily focused on complex projects the candidate had worked on, with the interviewer asking questions about design decisions and alternatives. This round went quite well.

The candidate received an offer from Glean, which they accepted, making it their first preference. They emphasized the importance of quick implementation in LLD rounds and showcasing technical prowess and design decisions in past projects for HM discussions.