META | E4 | INFRA

Hi Leetcode Community!

I wanted to take a moment to express my immense gratitude to this incredible community. Without your support, guidance, and the wealth of resources available here, I would have never imagined reaching this stage in my career. A big shoutout to everyone who contributes to making this community so valuable and inspiring.

**Rounds **

Phone Screen :

1 - https://leetcode.com/problems/simplify-path/description/ (variation and followups)
2 - https://leetcode.com/problems/lowest-common-ancestor-of-deepest-leaves/description/ (variation and followups)

Full Loop :

Coding Round 1 :

1 -https://leetcode.com/problems/closest-binary-search-tree-value/description (variation and followups)
2 - https://leetcode.com/problems/k-closest-points-to-origin/ (variation and followups)

Coding Round 2 :

1 - https://leetcode.com/problems/sum-root-to-leaf-numbers/description/ (variation and followups)
2 - https://leetcode.com/problems/shortest-path-in-binary-matrix/description/ (find the path as well and deep dive into space
complexity)

Note -- Communication and Letting the interviewer ask all his questions to get the signal was very important.

System Design :
Designing a Highly Scalable Search Cluster
I recently had an interview where I was tasked with designing a highly scalable search cluster, akin to Elasticsearch, which supports complex queries like "AND" and "OR." Although the specifics of the interview question were not disclosed initially, the interviewer was deeply invested in understanding the detailed signals throughout the session.

In my opinion, the key was to reach a point where the interviewer could ask all the questions they had in mind. Despite being a grilling session, it was ultimately a fruitful experience.

Note -- speed is really important and getting to topics which interviewer really wants to check is way more important than
any estimations or any standard approach.

Behavorial

Be honest and prepare good stories from your current organization.
Don't shy to sell yourself because ultimately they need to know that.

Concluding Notes

I know many of you are still preparing or are in the pipeline, and sometimes the posts shared can be quite negative, whether it's about fewer openings or unexpected rejections. It’s easy to start doubting ourselves, but I highly suggest moving past all of that. If you do the right things, prepare diligently, and maintain a positive attitude, things will work out.

Honestly, if I can do it, I believe anyone who invests their time religiously and has a positive outlook can achieve their goals.

All the very best to everyone!

I apologize if anything in this post is not in sync with anyone.

PS - If anyone is in the team matching phase and is ready to have a conversation, please reach out. I have many doubts and would appreciate any insights.

TimeLine
PhoneScreen Results - 4 days
Onsite results - 10 - 11 days (including weekends) : I received a direct call and told about the results.