How did she crack Meta Software Engineer Role | London🇦🇺 | Garima Rajput

Summary

In this insightful video, software engineer Gima Rajput shares her journey of securing a position at Meta. She discusses her preparation strategy for technical interviews, emphasizing the importance of discipline and consistent practice, even while working full-time. Gima also provides a detailed account of her experience with Meta's interview process, including the pre-screening, loop interviews, and the significance of the behavioral round. She offers valuable advice for those aiming for roles at big tech companies, highlighting the differences in interviewing for Google versus Meta and the importance of understanding scalable system design.

Takeaways

• 🗓️ The interview process at Meta includes a pre-screening round, followed by 'loop' interviews consisting of two DSA rounds, one system design round, and a behavioral round.
• ⏰ Interviewers at Meta reserve the last 5 minutes of the interview for candidates to ask questions, often stopping the interview around the 35th to 40th minute.
• 🔍 The difficulty level of coding questions in Meta's pre-screening round is typically medium, with a focus on problem-solving and coding skills.
• 📈 The level of the role offered by Meta is determined post-interviews based on the candidate's performance, rather than being applied for directly.
• 🤝 A referral is a common and effective way to initiate the application process at Meta, as it can lead to a quicker response from recruiters.
• 💼 The behavioral round is crucial for determining the candidate's fit within the company culture and can significantly influence the level at which they are hired.
• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the importance of discipline and consistent practice for DSA preparation, dedicating several hours daily, including weekends, to problem-solving.
• 🛠️ The system design round requires candidates to demonstrate their ability to design scalable systems within a 45-minute timeframe, which is a new challenge for many.
• 📈 The speaker found the interview process at Meta to be comparatively easier than at Google, suggesting that success at Google could make Meta interviews less daunting.
• 🌐 The interview experience can vary, with some candidates facing more cross-questions while others lead the conversation and drive their design discussions.
• 📝 The speaker prepared for system design interviews by reading 'Grooving System Design', following YouTube tutorials, and setting a timer to practice within the allotted time.

Q & A

What was the duration of the interview process for the meta position?

The interview process for the meta position involved a pre-screening round followed by loop interviews, which were scheduled about a month later after the initial contact with the recruiter.

How did the interviewee manage to secure the interview opportunity at meta?

The interviewee secured the interview opportunity at meta through a referral from friends who were working at the company.

What is the difference between software engineering infrastructure and software engineering product roles at meta?

The difference lies in the system design interview; for infrastructure, candidates face a high-level system design interview, while for product, it's a low-level system design interview.

How long did the interviewee request for preparation before the loop interviews at meta?

The interviewee requested about a month of preparation time before the loop interviews at meta.

What does the term 'Loop interviews' refer to at meta?

At meta, 'Loop interviews' refer to the on-site interview process which consists of four rounds: two DSA rounds, one system design round, and one behavioral round.

Why was the behavioral round important in the interview process at meta?

The behavioral round was important because it helped determine if the candidate was a good culture fit for the company and could influence the level at which the candidate was considered.

How did the interviewee manage to balance preparation for the new job while working full-time?

The interviewee managed by being disciplined, allocating specific hours each day for preparation, and giving up social activities during the preparation period.

What resources did the interviewee use for system design preparation?

The interviewee used resources such as Grokking System Design, YouTube videos, and Medium articles for system design preparation.

How did the interviewee approach the system design interview at meta?

The interviewee followed a structured approach, starting with functional and non-functional requirements, capacity estimation, and then moving on to the actual system design, discussing services, databases, and tradeoffs.

What was the interviewee's experience with the system design interview at meta?

The interviewee felt that they were able to drive the conversation during the system design interview, discussing their plans and tradeoffs, but did not face many cross-questions from the interviewer.

What advice does the interviewee have for someone preparing for tech interviews at Google and meta?

The interviewee suggests that cracking Google is more challenging than meta, and having experience with Google's interview process can make preparing for meta easier.