Hackerrank

Role: SDE Intern

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: Applied late September 2023; HR call October 22, 2023; interviews followed; offer 1-2 days after final interviews.

Interview Type: Internship

Result: Declined Offer

Difficulty: OA: Easy (basic DSA and optimization). Interviews: Varied (conceptual, resume-based, tech stack)

Rounds: 4 rounds (Coding Test, HR Call, CTO Interview, Director of Engineering Interview)

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, Optimization, Programming Language Differences (C vs Golang, C++ vs Golang), Tech Stack (Backend/Frontend), Projects, HackerRank Platform Features

Experience:

This candidate detailed their HackerRank SDE Intern 2024 interview journey.

1. Applying and Coding Test Invitation

In late September 2023, the candidate applied for the 2024 Software Development Engineer Intern position. A prompt notification for a coding test was received. The test comprised a single DSA question, which was manageable with basic data structures and some optimization knowledge. HackerRank focused on coding ability rather than just DSA skills.

2. HR Call and Interview with CTO Hari

On October 22, an HR call initiated a conversation about the candidate's background, education, and experiences. Following this, an email for a first-round interview with CTO Harishankaran Karunanidhi was received. The 20-minute interview involved reviewing the resume, discussing education and experiences, and an introduction to the tech stack worked on. Questions included differences observed between C and Golang or C++ and Golang. The CTO also checked the candidate's LinkedIn, GitHub, and Medium profiles. The candidate advised asking questions about the company's product.

3. Interview with Director of Engineering Akshay Gupta

This interview was scheduled for October 27 with the Director of Engineering, Akshay Gupta. The candidate found this interview very enjoyable, discussing HackerRank's tech stack, personal experiences, programming languages, tools, and frameworks. Questions were also asked about projects and awareness/experience in both backend and frontend. Discussions included new features HackerRank was considering to scale its platform.

4. The Offer and a Tough Decision

After 1-2 days, the candidate received a call stating that the team was pleased with their experiences and wanted them to join. The candidate was asked if they were interested in working in the frontend team during the internship, despite having backend experience. The candidate agreed, and a 15-minute meeting was scheduled to officially extend the offer letter, discussing stipend, onsite location in Bangalore, and other perks. Due to personal reasons, the candidate regrettably declined the offer.