I am just expressing what happened to me during the LinkedIn interview process in the email below, which I sent to HR.

I hope you are doing well. As we discussed during our call, I would like to share my experience during the 2nd round of the coding interview and highlight a few concerns:

Approach to Problem-Solving: Initially, when I attempted to solve the problem in O(N) time, the interviewer scolded me, stating, "Can't you read the question properly?" While I understand the importance of reading questions carefully, I followed a standard approach to solving the problem using brute force, which is often recommended. I received a similar suggestion from LinkedIn during a prior interaction. Despite this, I was able to optimize my solution and solve the problem in O(1) time.

Explaining the Approach: While coding in CoderPad, I was attempting to explain my approach and thought process. However, the interviewer interrupted me and said, "No need to explain; I can see what you are writing." This left me unsure about how much context I should provide during the session.

Feedback on Using Data Structures: As per the interviewer’s suggestion to solve the problem in O(1) time, I used a Set data structure. However, I was again scolded in a high tone and questioned about my choice of using a Set.

Despite these challenges, I successfully solved both problems with optimal time and space complexity. I am confident that my performance was aligned with the expectations for this round.

Given the above and LinkedIn's reputation for its culture and fairness, I humbly request you to review the recording and code from the interview. I believe this will provide clarity on the basis for my rejection in the 2nd round, especially after I performed well.

As a candidate, I understand how much effort it takes to secure an interview opportunity, and it was disheartening to face rejection despite my hard work and performance.