I have 3 years of iOS development experience, I switched into a backend role 3 months ago, just for exploring backend side.
Recently google contacted me for L4 iOS developer role, I agreed to interview.
I want you guy's suggestions is it possible I will get any offer from google? because HR is ghosting my emails from 2+ weeks now.
Round 1:
A DSA based problem using monotonic stack, reached optimal approach coded it and had one follow up and just had verbal discussion.
Feedback from HR:
Feedback was positive as I solved optimally and follow-up question discussion was good, there was just one case when i did one syntax mistake in my C++ code in one line only this was the negative. Overall feedback was positive.
Round 2:
It was a different round not standard DSA round, interviewer told me we will have discussion not focus on coding.
He presented a diagram with some platforms in XY plane and a man, did not gave any text for problem statement, he asked me what I think could be question, I stated some things, he agreed with some of my statements and corrected some to some other things, then I stated some more things, he corrected me again, that's how the discussion went on and at the end a question was formed.
For this question we had discussion for N^3 approach using graphs, then we tried to optimise it to N^2 logN using graph + sorting based on x and y axis
but at the end the complete working approach wasn't fully formed by me as time got over, because some time got used in forming the question as well
We coded nothing in this round just had verbal discussion whole 45 minutes.
Feedback:
HR Contacted me after 2+ weeks (wasn't even replying on emails) that feedback was "I didn't ask clarifying questions" and will discuss feedback for this round in detail later after the 3rd interview round.
Now the thing is we were forming the question, we were DISCUSSING, then why did the interviewer told that I didn't ask clarifying questions. If the feedback would have been I couldn't form complete optimal approach I would have accepted it. But DIDN'T ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, doesn't make sense to me, if I did not ask questions then how come the problem statemnt got formed and if wrong problem statemnt might have formed because I didn't clarify everything according to him then how come you agreed with the first sub-optimal approach.
Round 3:
HR told me this was going to be iOS domain / design round, but instead I had DSA round but in Swift language, I solved problem optimally in this round, first gave sub-optimal approach then after some time optimised it using binary search and coded that apporach in SWIFT.
But as I was working as Java dev from past 3 months, i mixed up Java syntax at 3 places
- one in checking if a key exist in map
- second, getting character of string at index i
- third, at intialisation of a variable
Interviewer gave me chance to correct my code for syntax, but i totally skipped the map and string one, he only corrected me this is the correct syntax.
I did tell him I was working in Java so I messed up, he told me that no issue for me.
I could have got STRONG HIRE in this round but messed up with Swift syntax.