Harness

Role: SDE - 1

College: Graduated from Tier 1 College

Interview Date: June - July 2023 (Round 1: June 23, 2023; Round 2: June 29, 2023; Round 3: July 4, 2023)

Interview Type: Off-Campus

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium

Rounds: 3

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, Behavioral, Work Experience, Projects

Experience:

The candidate, with less than 1 year of experience, was laid off from a product-based company. They secured a referral through a Senior Employee at Harness via LinkedIn. The HR process was smooth and cooperative, with the entire interview process taking approximately two weeks.

Round 1 (June 23, 2023) || Tech || 1 Hour: This was a coding round (DSA). It began with quick introductions, followed by a couple of questions about the candidate's previous work experience. The interviewer then presented three coding questions. The candidate was expected to provide pseudo-code, a detailed explanation of the approach, and a proper discussion of time and space complexity for all questions.

• Q.1: 3Sum Closest (LeetCode problem). The candidate first presented a brute-force solution (O(n^3)) and then optimized it using sorting and a two-pointer technique (O(n^2)), which satisfied the interviewer.
• Q.2: Related to finding anagrams from a List of Strings (exact question not remembered). The candidate provided a straightforward solution, and the interviewer was convinced.
• Q.3: Sliding Window Maximum (LeetCode problem). The candidate initially presented a brute-force solution (O(n*k)) and then optimized it using a priority queue. They discussed the time (O(n log k)) and space (O(k)) complexity, which satisfied the interviewer.

The candidate felt confident after this round and received positive feedback from HR.

Round 2 (June 29, 2023) || Engineering Manager (Tech + Behavioral) || 1 hour: This round was a mix of coding and behavioral questions. It started with introductions, followed by two easy coding questions (one involving decreasing frequency of characters). The candidate answered all questions.

Round 3 (July 4, 2023) || Tech || 1 Hour: This round began with introductions, and then the interviewer asked about projects the candidate had worked on.

Overall Experience: The candidate felt Round 2 didn't go very well, as they "messed up at the last part." However, the next day, HR called to inform them they had cleared all rounds and an offer would be extended. The candidate praised the process for its short duration and timely feedback, contrasting it with other experiences involving long waits and ghosting.