Facebook | Sr Dev | NYC | Apr-May'21 | two phone screen | Reject
Anonymous User
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First Phone screen
Q1. Minor variation of Verify a binary tree is BST. Variation --> It allowed nodes with equals values as well in left and right tree.

Explained approach and coded optimal solution
Worst mistake - told the incorrect time complexity. May be in interview nervousness or anxiety.
Though this was easy question for me, I unnecessarily wasted extra time here and didn’t pay attention to clock.

Q2. Write to method to move words in place in char array in java (my coding language). e.g. “Dog bites man”. —> “Man bites dog”.

After some struggle early and interviewer hint (how about reverse the entire array first)
I explained reverse array first and then two pointer approach by swap word encoutering space etc..
15 min left. Asked me could you code it quickly. In next 10 min, I could complete almost 80% with a minor bug with quick dry on the way before he stopped for follow up question.

Outcome second phone screen.
I was expecting rejecting but they asked me one of follow up screen as recruiter said interviewer couldn’t get enough signal for virtual onsite round
Scheduled second one in 2 weeks.
In the meantime I revised questions and doing some FB top questions and questions from recent FB interview exp. post.
Based on people feedback I didn’t pay much focus on FB tagged hard question.

Second Phone screen
Interviewer asked me to tell if I have seen the question in the very beginning of the interview.

Q1. Minor variation of Verifying an alien dictionary to find if words are sorted based on pattern (Pattern was char array not string. That’s only variation)
I know and told her this looks like that. Asked approach, explained. Moved to next question in next min.

Q2. Flipped the first question into Alien Dictionary (LC Hard) to find the pattern if given words are sorted
I realized the end here. I have seen it once and wasn’t expecting a LC hard.
After discussing test data and cases, I explained the approach a bit. Use map, built edges and then BFS/DFS and find the order etc.
Asked to code.
I could complete around 70% code a minor bug by the time she asked me stop. no hint from interviewer this time.

Outcome - rejection

FB Recruiter was amazing nice person I have seen.
Sent me do’s and don’t instructions, sending good luck email on the interview day and motivating for apply again saying a lots of engineers are selected in 2nd or 3 rd attempt.

FB coding questions seems very much predictable about the FB tagged questions and you should do all recent FB tagged hard question as well (at least from FB top 50).
Some hard question are almost impossible to in real interview if you hadn’t seen them.

I hope my experience help other.

Thanks

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