No way to talk with someone about what the interview will be about. Just collecting information via email with the remote recruiter.
The interview was 40 minutes long google meet - without any talk about previous positions etc - just a leetcode question
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
A classic leetcode question about a knight which needs to get from point A to point B (a DFS \ BFS search). I managed to describe the solution verbally, but the interviewers wanted a working code implementation without any option to google for syntax etc or using IDE. Just write code on notepad. I am still not sure whether he really expected it to work.
It was good Focus on arrays, strings, hash maps, trees/graphs, recursion, dynamic programming. Many candidate guides mention these are common. Practice writing correct, efficient code with good time/space complexity; not just “it works” but “it works well”.
3 interview rounds. first one was system design, which was quite creative and fun to work through. supportive and positive interviewers, I managed to clear this round
Round 2 was poorly organised. I was expecting a theoretical ML round but instead I had to face a live coding interview which threw me off. The question was a Leetcode Hard level involving dynamic programming, I reached a brute force solution but there wasnt enough time to refine it, leading to rejection.
I applied regularly through google careers and my resume was shortlisted even though the role way suitable for holders of Masters degree or PhD ( I had only a bachelor degree and research experience at the time )
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
System design: Design an app that helps blind people navigate an indoor space.