Ask about input character set and case sensitivity. Usually the characters are limited to lowercase Latin characters, for example a to z.
When you need to compare strings where the order isn’t important (like anagram), you may consider using a HashMap as a counter. If your language has a built-in Counter class like Python, ask to use that instead.
When you need to compare strings where the order isn't important (like anagram), you may consider using a HashMap as a counter. If your language has a built-in Counter class like Python, ask to use that instead.
If you need to keep a counter of characters, a common mistake is to say that the space complexity required for the counter is O(n). The space required for a counter is O(1) not O(n). This is because the upper bound is the range of characters, which is usually a fixed constant of 26. The input set is just lowercase Latin characters.
Succeeding in an engineering career involves more than just technical skills. Behavioral interviews (aka people skills) become more important as an engineer becomes more senior. Senior engineers should have the ability to lead and influence, resolve conflicts, anticipate risks, plan the roadmap, and more.
Hiring a talented engineer that cannot work with others can ultimately be a net deficit for companies. Companies don’t want to hire [brilliant jerks](http://www.brendangregg.com/blog/2017-11-13/brilliant-jerks.html). The company is better off not hiring a very talented engineer who refuses to work with others or causes an entire team to be unproductive. Companies want to hire the right person that will work well with the existing employees and help the team and company achieve greater heights, and behavioral interviews are one way of determining if someone will be good to work with from a non-technical standpoint.
Hiring a talented engineer that cannot work with others can ultimately be a net deficit for companies. Companies don't want to hire [brilliant jerks](http://www.brendangregg.com/blog/2017-11-13/brilliant-jerks.html). The company is better off not hiring a very talented engineer who refuses to work with others or causes an entire team to be unproductive. Companies want to hire the right person that will work well with the existing employees and help the team and company achieve greater heights, and behavioral interviews are one way of determining if someone will be good to work with from a non-technical standpoint.
Congratulations, you are ready to put your skills into practice! In a real coding interview, you will be given a technical question by the interviewer, write code in a real-time collaborative editor (phone screen) or on a whiteboard (on-site) to solve the problem within 30–45 minutes. This is where the real fun begins!
Congratulations, you are ready to put your skills into practice! In a real coding interview, you will be given a technical question (or questions) by the interviewer, write code in a real-time collaborative editor (phone screen/virtual on-site) or on a whiteboard (on-site) to solve the problem within 30–45 minutes. This is where the real fun begins!
Your interviewer will be looking out for signals that you fit the requirements of the role and it is up to you to display those signals to them. Initially it may feel weird to be talking while you are coding as most programmers do not have the habit of explaining out loud as they are typing code. However, it is hard for the interviewer to know what you are thinking just by looking at the code that you type. If you communicate your approach to the interviewer before you start coding, you can validate your approach with them and the both of you can agree upon an acceptable approach.
Your interviewer will be looking out for signals that suggest you fit the requirements of the role and it is up to you to display those signals to them. Initially it may feel weird to be talking while you are coding as most programmers do not have the habit of explaining out loud as they are typing code. However, it is hard for the interviewer to know what you are thinking just by looking at the code that you type. If you communicate your approach to the interviewer before you start coding, you can validate your approach with them and the both of you can agree upon an acceptable approach.
## Before the interview (remote)
For phone screens/remote interviews, prepare paper and pen/pencil to jot down and visualize stuff. If you are given a question on trees and graphs, it usually helps if you draw out some examples of the data structure given in the question.
Use earphones and make sure you are in a quiet environment. You definitely do not want to be holding a phone in one hand and only be able to type with the other. Try avoiding using speakers because if the echo is bad, communication is harder and repeating of words will just result in loss of valuable time.
Use earphones and make sure you are in a quiet environment. You definitely do not want to be holding a phone in one hand and only having the other hand to type. Try avoiding using speakers because if the echo is bad, communication is harder and repeating of words will just result in loss of valuable time.
## Self introduction
@ -49,15 +49,15 @@ Getting stuck during coding interviews is extremely common. But do not worry, th
- A pattern may emerge
- Think about how you would solve it without a program
- You may spot a pattern and come up with a general algorithm for it
- Recall past questions related to the topic, what similar questions in the past have you encountered and what techniques did you use?
- Enumerate through the common data structures and whether they can be applied to the question
- Recall past questions related to the topic, what similar questions in the past have you encountered and what techniques did you use to solve them?
- Enumerate through the common data structures and whether they can be applied to the question. There really aren't that many - stack, queue, dictionary, heap, graph, etc.
- Dictionaries/maps are extremely common in making algorithms more efficient
- Look out for repeated work and determine if you can cache those computations
- Trade off memory for speed
## While coding
Write your code with good coding style. Reading code written by others is usually not an enjoyable task. Reading horribly-formatted code by others makes it worse. Your goal is to make your interviewer understand the code you have written so that they can quickly evaluate if your code does what you say it does and whether it solves the given problem. Use clear variable names, avoid single letter names unless they are for iteration. However, if you are coding on a whiteboard, you might not want to use extremely verbose variable names for the sake of reducing the amount you have to write. Abbreviations are usually fine if you explain what it means beforehand.
Write your code with a neat coding style (consistent indentation, spacing around your operators). Reading code written by others is usually not an enjoyable task. Reading horribly-formatted code by others makes it worse. Your goal is to make your interviewer understand the code you have written so that they can quickly evaluate if your code does what you say it does and whether it solves the given problem. Use clear variable names, avoid single letter names unless they are for iteration. However, if you are coding on a whiteboard, you might not want to use extremely verbose variable names for the sake of reducing the amount you have to write. Abbreviations are usually fine if you explain what it means beforehand.
Always be explaining what you are currently writing/typing to the interviewer. This is not about literally reading out what you are typing to the interviewer. Talk about the section of the code you are currently implementing at a higher level, explain why it is written as such and what it is trying to achieve.
@ -69,10 +69,10 @@ After you have finished coding, do not immediately announce to the interviewer t
Firstly, look through your code from start to finish as if it is the first time you are seeing it, as if it was written by someone else and you are trying to spot bugs in it. That's exactly what your interviewer will be doing. Look through and fix any minor issues you may find.
Next, come up with small test cases and step through the code (not your algorithm!) with those sample input. What interviewers usually do after you have finished coding would be to get you to write tests. It is a huge plus if you write tests for your code even before they prompt you to do so. You should be emulating a debugger when stepping through and jot down or say out the values of the important variables as you step through the lines of code.
Next, take the initiative to come up with small test cases and step through the code (not your algorithm!) with those sample input. What interviewers usually do after you have finished coding would be to get you to write tests. It is a huge plus if you write tests for your code even **before** they prompt you to do so. You should be emulating a debugger when stepping through and jot down or say out the values of the important variables as you step through the lines of code.
If there are huge duplicated chunks of code in your solution, it would be a good chance to refactor it and demonstrate to the interviewer that you are one who values code quality. Also look out for places where you can do [short-circuit evaluation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-circuit_evaluation).
Lastly, give the time/space complexity of your code and explain why it is such. You can even annotate certain chunks of your code with the various time/space complexities to demonstrate your understanding of your code and the APIs of your chosen programming language. Explain any trade-offs in your current approach vs alternative approaches, possibly in terms of time/space.
If your interviewer is happy with the solution, the interview usually ends here. It is also not uncommon that the interviewer asks you extension questions, such as how you would handle the problem if the whole input is too large to fit into memory, or if the input arrives as a stream. This is a common follow-up question at Google where they care a lot about scale. The answer is usually a divide-and-conquer approach—perform distributed processing of the data and only read certain chunks of the input from disk into memory, write the output back to disk, and combine them later on.
If your interviewer is happy with the solution, the interview usually ends here. It is also not uncommon that the interviewer asks you extension questions, such as how you would handle the problem if the whole input is too large to fit into memory, or if the input arrives as a stream. This is a common follow-up question at Google where they care a lot about scale. The answer is usually a divide-and-conquer approach—perform distributed processing of the data and only read certain chunks of the input from disk into memory, write the output back to disk, and combine them later on. Being able to solve these extension questions will indicate that you are a strong candidate which will likely lead to a better offer.
@ -7,29 +7,34 @@ Interviews are a multi-stage process and each stage can consist of vastly differ
## Various formats
### Pop quiz
### Quiz
Pop quizzes are meant to be a quick and dirty way of weeding out extremely weak (or even non-technical) candidates. They are structured questions and have clear-cut answers which makes them possible to be administered by recruiters/non-technical folks. It is not a very common interview format these days.
Quizzes are meant to be a first-pass filter as a quick and dirty way of weeding out extremely weak (or even non-technical) candidates. They are structured questions and have clear-cut answers which makes them possible to be administered by recruiters/non-technical folks or automated graders. They are typically done early in the process.
Examples:
- What is 4 & 5 (in binary)? Answer: 4
- What is the time complexity of bubble sort? Answer: O(n^2)
- What is the time complexity of bubble sort? Answer: O(n<sup>2</sup>)
### Online coding assessment
Like quizzes, online coding assessments are usually given early in the process. An algorithm problem is given with well-formed input and output and candidates are expected to write code in an online coding interface to solve the problem. [Hackerrank](https://www.hackerrank.com) is a very common platform for conducting online coding assessments. LeetCode would be a good way to practice for the problem solving aspects of online coding assessments. However, in Hackerrank you are typically expected to write code to read from stdin and also print to stdout, which can trip candidates up if they aren't familiar with the APIs.
### Take home assignment
There has been numerous debates on whether asking algorithm questions are a good way of assessing individual abilities as they aren't exactly the most relevant skills needed for a job. Take home assignment is a format designed to address the shortcomings of the algorithm interview by getting candidates to work on larger projects which allow them to demonstrate software design skills.
There has been numerous debates on whether asking algorithm questions are a good way of assessing individual abilities as they aren't exactly the most relevant skills needed on a day-to-day basis at a job. Take home assignment is a format designed to address the shortcomings of the algorithm interview by getting candidates to work on larger projects which allow them to demonstrate software design skills.
However, this interview format takes up more time from both the candidates and the company and hence it is not as commonly seen in large companies where they have a high volume of candidates. This format is more common among startups and small companies.
Examples
- Build a flights listing app
- Build a kanban app
- Build a snake game
### Phone interview
Phone interviews are the most common format and every candidate will face this at least once while interviewing. You will be asked to speak with an interviewer either over a phone call or VoIP (Skype/Hangout). A question will be given to you and you will work on that question using an online collaborative editor (CoderPad/CodePen/Google Docs).
Phone interviews are the most common format and every candidate will face this at least once while interviewing. You will be asked to speak with an interviewer either over a phone call or VoIP (BlueJeans/Skype/Google Hangout). A question will be given to you and you will work on that question using an online collaborative editor (CoderPad/CodePen/Google Docs).
You are usually not allowed to execute the code even if the editor supports execution. So don't rely on that for verifying the correctness of your solution. Formats would differ slightly depending on the roles you are applying to. Many companies like to use [CoderPad](https://coderpad.io/) for collaborative code editing. CoderPad supports running of the program, so it is possible that you will be asked to fix your code such that it can be run. For front end interviews, many companies like to use [CodePen](https://codepen.io/), and it will be worth your time to familiarize yourself with the user interfaces of such web-based coding environments.
@ -37,7 +42,7 @@ You are usually not allowed to execute the code even if the editor supports exec
If you have made it to this stage, congratulations! This is usually the final stage before an offer decision. Candidates who made it to the onsite stage will be required to have an in-person interview at the office. If you are an overseas candidate, companies might even fly you in and pay for your accommodations!
The onsite stage usually consists of multiple rounds (coding, system design, behavioral) and is expected to last for a few hours. Since you are onsite, it is possible that you will be asked to do a whiteboard exercise with an interviewer, usually either solving an algorithm question or doing a system design question. It is also possible that you have to bring your own laptops and work on a project/solve a coding problem on the spot.
The onsite stage usually consists of multiple rounds (coding, system design, behavioral) and is expected to last for a few hours. Since you are onsite, it is possible that you will be asked to do a whiteboard exercise with an interviewer, usually either solving an algorithm question or a system design question. It is also possible that you have to bring your own laptop and work on a project/solve a coding problem on the spot.
For onsite interviews at smaller (non-public) companies, most will allow (and prefer) that you use your own laptop. Hence it is important that you prepare your development environment in advance.
The **Tech Interview Handbook** contains carefully curated content to help you ace your next technical interview with a focus on algorithms. While there are a ton of interview resources on the internet, the best ones are either not free, or they do not cover the complete interview process, usually only focusing on algorithms.
The **Tech Interview Handbook** contains carefully curated content to help you ace your next technical interview with a focus on algorithms. While there are a ton of interview resources on the internet, the best ones are either not free, or they do not cover the complete interview process, usually only focusing on algorithms. Tech Interview Handbook goes straight to the point and tells you the minimum you need to know to pass your technical interviews.
## Why do I want this?
@ -14,3 +14,5 @@ This repository has **practical** content that covers all phases of a technical
## Who is this for?
Whether you are a beginner to technical interviews or a seasoned engineer who have not been on the other side of the interviewing table in a while and want to get back into the game, the Tech Interview Handbook has got you covered.
If you are a busy engineer like most people are, this resource is for you. Nobody has time to do hundreds of LeetCode questions, and the good news is that you don't need to do that many to actually get the job at FAANG! We have hundreds of LeetCode questions and distilled the best questions to practice.
@ -52,16 +52,20 @@ Companies have different focuses depending on the stage they are at and the type
| | Early-stage Startup | Late-stage Startup | Large Company |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Company Size | <100|100-1000|>1000 |
| Compensation | Base salary is a bit higher than big companies. Higher equity amount but its value is hard to judge as the company's valuation is unclear and stocks are not worth money yet. | Base salary is a bit higher than big companies. Company valuation is clearer and stocks have higher chance of being worth money. | Depends on the prestige of the company. Compensation is usually market standard or better. Stocks are worth money if company has gone public. |
| Types of Work | Mainly product development. Engineers have to wear multiple hats - Front End, Back End, DevOps, Design, etc. | Product development and some infra. | Diverse roles and specialized work; dedicated people for each role. Infra work is more common. Also more opportunities for internal transfers. |
| Career Ladders | Unstructured. No (or very vague) career levels. No formal mentorship nor training. | Somewhat structured. | Very structured. Well-defined career levels. |
| Iteration Speed | Extremely fast. Struggling to find product market fit. | Moderate. Has found product market fit, trying to grow user base. | Stable product with wide user base. Have to roll out changes incrementally and run experiments. |
| Compensation | Base salary is a bit higher than big companies. Higher equity amount but its value is hard to judge as the company's valuation is unclear and stocks are not worth money yet. High risk, high return. | Base salary is a bit higher than big companies. Company valuation is clearer and stocks have higher chance of being worth money. | Depends on the prestige of the company. Compensation is usually market standard or better. Stocks are worth money if company has gone public. |
| Types of Work | Mainly product development. Engineers have to wear multiple hats - Front End, Back End, DevOps, Design, etc. | Product development and some infra. | Diverse roles and specialized work; dedicated people for each role. Infra and prod infra work is more common. More opportunities for internal transfers, sometimes even across the globe. |
| Career Ladders | Unstructured. No (or very vague) career levels. Not much formal mentorship nor training. | Somewhat structured. | Very structured. Well-defined career levels. |
| Iteration Speed | Extremely fast. Struggling to find product market fit. | Moderate. Has found product market fit, trying to grow user base. | Stable product with wide user base. Incrementally roll out changes and do lots of experimentation. |
_It's important to note that the above are just general trends and exceptions can apply._
| Talent Access | Global talent, diverse nationalities and backgrounds | Usually regional, mostly Asians |
| Types of Companies | HQ of large companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc), Startups | Branch offices of large companies, Startups |
| Types of Engineering Work | Depends on size of office/company | Both product and infra (building new programming languages, frameworks, and tools) |
_Singapore salary data taken from [NUS GES 2020](https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/post-secondary/ges-2020/web-publication-nus-ges-2020.pdf)._
@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ Before anything else, you need to pick a programming language to do your intervi
There are some languages which are more suitable than others for coding interviews and some languages you absolutely want to avoid. From my experience as an interviewer, most candidates pick Python or Java. Other commonly seen languages include JavaScript, Ruby and C++. I would absolutely avoid lower level languages like C or Go, simply because they lack many standard library functions and data structures and some may require manual memory management.
Personally, Python is my de facto choice for algorithm coding interviews because it is succinct and has a pretty huge library of functions and data structures available. One of my top reasons for recommending Python is that it uses consistent APIs that operate on different data structures, such as `len()`, `for ... in ...` and slicing notation on sequences (strings/lists/tuples). Getting the last element in a sequence is `arr[-1]` and reversing it is simply `arr[::-1]`. You can achieve a lot with minimal syntax in Python.
Personally, Python is my de facto choice for algorithm coding interviews because it is succinct and has a huge library of functions and data structures available. One of my top reasons for recommending Python is that it uses consistent APIs that operate on different data structures, such as `len()`, `for ... in ...` and slicing notation on sequences (strings/lists/tuples). Getting the last element in a sequence is `arr[-1]` and reversing it is simply `arr[::-1]`. You can achieve a lot with minimal syntax in Python.
Java is a decent choice too but having to constantly declare types in your code means extra keystrokes which results in slower coding/typing speed. This issue will be more apparent when you have to write on a whiteboard during on-site interviews. The reasons for choosing/not choosing C++ are similar to Java. Ultimately, Python, Java and C++ are decent choices of languages.
Interviewers want to work with candidates they like. Leave a good/deep impression and it will increase your chances of success. Most of us are not strangers to self introductions as we meet new people now and then and have to introduce ourselves every once in a while. However, self introductions in interviews are slightly different from real life - you need to tweak it to your advantage - tailor the self introduction to the role and company you are applying for! Your self introduction evolves as you grow and are at a different stage of your life.
Interviewers want to work with candidates they like. Leave a good/deep impression and it will increase your chances of success. Most of us are not strangers to self introductions as we meet new people now and then and have to introduce ourselves every once in a while. However, self introductions in interviews are slightly different from real life - you need to tweak it to your advantage - tailor the self introduction to the role and company you are applying for! Your self introduction evolves as you grow and are at a different stage of your career.
You can rephrase the question like this:
When being asked to introduce yourself, you can rephrase the question into:
> "Tell me about your journey into tech. How did you get interested in coding, and why was web development (or replace with other job-specific skills) a good fit for you? How is that applicable to our role or company goals?"
It is probably not a good idea to spend valuable time talking about things which aren't relevant to the job!
## The elevator pitch
An "elevator pitch" originates from a journalist trying to pitch an idea to an editor. The only time to catch the editor was in the elevator and she had only around 30 seconds to do so. The key elements of elevator pitches include:
- Short - You have limited time!
- Direct - As you only have limited time, you should get to the point
- Attention-grabbing - Present your most attractive ideas
- **Short** - You have limited time!
- **Direct** - As you only have limited time, you should get to the point
- **Attention-grabbing** - Present your most attractive ideas
Whether you're at a job fair with hundreds of other candidates and you have limited time or you are simply explaining who you are to a potential connection or client, it is important to be able to clearly and accurately describe your knowledge and skillset quickly and succinctly. Your self introduction is an elevator pitch for yourself!
Whether you're at a job fair with hundreds of other candidates and you have limited time or you are simply explaining who you are to a potential connection or client, it is important to be able to clearly and accurately describe your knowledge and skills quickly and succinctly. Your self introduction is an elevator pitch for yourself!
Here are some tips to develop a good elevator pitch for yourself:
@ -25,14 +27,14 @@ Here are some tips to develop a good elevator pitch for yourself:
Include who you are, who you work for (or school and major), and what you do.
- For internships, you should mention the following: name, school and major, focus areas, past internships and/or noteworthy projects.
- For full-time roles, you should mention the following: name, past companies, noteworthy projects (best if it's a public consumer product that they might have heard of).
- For internships, you should mention the following: name, school and major, focus areas, past internships and/or noteworthy projects
- For full-time roles, you should mention the following: name, past companies, noteworthy projects (best if it's a public consumer product that they might have heard of)
Does this look familiar? It is similar to your resume! Your resume is a condensed version of your knowledge and experiences and your self introduction is essentially a condensed version of your resume. As you grow older, professional experience becomes more important and school background becomes less important. Hence your self introduction changes as you become more senior.
Does this look familiar? It should be, because it is similar to your resume! Your resume is a condensed version of your knowledge and experiences and your self introduction is essentially a condensed version of your resume. As you grow older, professional experience becomes more important and school background becomes less important. Hence your self introduction changes as you become more senior.
### KISS (Keep It Simple and Sweet)
Tell them some highlights from your favorite/most impressive projects and including some numbers if they're impressive or challenges that you've overcome. Do not delve into the depths of how you reverse engineered a game and decrypted a packet to predict when to use your DKP on a drop. Tell them the executive summary: "I reverse engineered X game by decrypting Y packet to predict Z." If this catches their interest, they _will_ ask further questions on their own.
Tell them some highlights from your favorite/most impressive projects and including some numbers if they're impressive or challenges that you've overcome. Do not delve into the depths of how you reverse engineered a game and decrypted a packet to predict when to use your DKP on a drop. Tell them the executive summary: "I reverse engineered X game by decrypting Y packet to predict Z." If this catches their interest, they _might_ ask further questions on their own.
### Why do _they_ want _you_?
@ -42,9 +44,9 @@ Tell the interviewer why you would make a good hire. Is your experience relevant
Lastly, you must practice your pitch! Having a great, succinct summary of your skills only helps if you can actually deliver it rapidly! You should practice keeping a quick but easy-to-follow pace that won't overwhelm them but won't bore them. It's a precarious balance, but can be ironed out with practice.
After coming up with your self introduction, keep it somewhere where you can refer/tweak in future Memorize them and in future you can just use it when you need to But don’t sound like you’re recalling it from your memory when you’re actually saying it out. Sound natural!
After coming up with your self introduction, keep it somewhere where you can refer/tweak in future. Memorize them and in future you can just use it when you need to But don't sound like you're recalling it from your memory when you're actually saying it out. Sound natural!
Having an elevator pitch on hand is a great way to create a network and happen upon new job opportunities. There will often be times when you can't prepare for an interview or meeting, and it is incredibly handy to have a practiced pitch.
Having an elevator pitch on hand is a great way to create a network and chance upon new job opportunities. There will often be times when you can't prepare for an interview or meeting and it is incredibly handy to have a practiced pitch.
## Format
@ -61,7 +63,7 @@ Prepare a self introduction that follows the following outline (inspired by "Cra
#### Self introduction
> "Hi I’m Yangshun and I graduated from National University of Singapore in 2015 with a degree in Computer Science. My interests are in Front End Engineering and I love to create beautiful performant products with delightful user experiences.
> "Hi I'm Yangshun and I graduated from National University of Singapore in 2015 with a degree in Computer Science. My interests are in Front End Engineering and I love to create beautiful and performant products with delightful user experiences.
>
> Back in school, I designed and built a web application, NUSMods which solves a huge problem of class and timetable planning every semester. It receives over a million pageviews a month and is used by over 40,000 NUS students and even some professors. It is built using a modern web technology stack - React, Redux, Jest, Babel, Flow, webpack and is mobile-responsive."
>
@ -69,28 +71,28 @@ Prepare a self introduction that follows the following outline (inspired by "Cra
#### Breakdown
- "I love to create beautiful performant products with delightful user experiences."
- "I love to create beautiful and performant products with delightful user experiences."
- Qualities that a Front End engineer should possess
- "It receives over a million pageviews a month and is used by over 30,000 NUS undergraduates and even some professors."
- Mention something about the project which stands out
- "It is built using a modern web technology stack - React, Redux, Jest, Babel, Flow, webpack and is mobile-responsive."
- Facebook tech stack! Also hints that you are familiar with modern web technologies
- Facebook tech stack! Also hints that you keep yourself updated with modern web technologies
### Example 2: Front End Engineer at Lyft
#### Self introduction
> "Hi I’m Yangshun and I graduated from National University of Singapore in 2015 with a degree in Computer Science. My interests are in Front End Engineering and I love to create beautiful performant products with delightful user experiences.
> "Hi I'm Yangshun and I graduated from National University of Singapore in 2015 with a degree in Computer Science. My interests are in Front End Engineering and I love to create beautiful performant products with delightful user experiences.
>
> I previously worked at Grab where I led the Grab for Work project. Grab for Work was a service for companies to make corporate transportation expenses convenient. Companies can create employee groups, set ride policies and share corporate payment methods with their employees. I built the project with another engineer over the period of 3 months on a React/Redux and Golang stack."
>
> I'm interested in the Front End Engineer role at Lyft because I like working in this ridesharing space and creating products for users to improve their life.
> I'm interested in the Front End Engineer role at Lyft because I like working in this ridesharing space and creating products to improve the lives of users.
#### Breakdown
- "I love to create beautiful performant products with delightful user experiences."
- "I love to create beautiful and performant products with delightful user experiences."
- Same as above, qualities that a Front End engineer should possess.
- "I previously worked at Grab where I led the Grab for Work project."
- Lyft is Grab's sister company! In fact they even had a partnership in the past. Most Lyft engineers would have heard of Grab before and mentioning this catches their attention.
- Lyft was Grab's sister company! In fact they even had a partnership in the past. Most Lyft engineers would have heard of Grab before and mentioning this catches their attention.
- "I built the project with another engineer over the period of 4 months on a React/Redux and Golang stack."
- Acknowledge that you work with others. Building a non-trivial system with just 2 people in 3 months is quite good for a non-trivial system. Lyft also uses Golang for their high performance systems.
@ -35,6 +35,6 @@ Find out and be familiar with the common pitfalls and caveats of the language. I
### Broaden exposure
Gain a broad exposure to questions from various topics. In the second half of the article I mention algorithm topics and practice questions for each topic. Do around 100–200 LeetCode questions and you should be good.
Gain a broad exposure to questions from various topics. In the second half of the article I mention algorithm topics and practice questions for each topic. If you can spare the time, do around 100–200 LeetCode questions of varying topics and you should be good.
@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ There can be conditions attached to signing bonuses, such as having to return a
While these perks are not exactly cash, they can help you save money which is almost equivalent to getting compensated more. Do find out more about these from your recruiters if you get the chance.
- Free meals - Food is not exactly cheap in the Bay Area and having some meals provided on weekdays can result in saving few thousand dollars a year
- Relocation bonus - Helpful if you are moving from abroad, and this can partially offset costs due to relocating
- Health and dental insurance/plans - Companies often partner with insurance companies to provide employees with health and dental plans. These can amount to a few thousand dollars worth annually and is especially useful in locations where healthcare is expensive
- Shuttle service - Public transportation in the Bay Area is not that great and the most common form of commute is driving. Being able to take a shuttle service helps in saving money on gas, transport, and freeing up your mind to do other things during the commute
- **Free meals** - Food is not exactly cheap in the Bay Area and having some meals provided on weekdays can result in saving few thousand dollars a year and hours spent on travelling out to get food
- **Relocation bonus** - Helpful if you are moving from abroad. This can partially offset costs incurred during relocation
- **Health and dental insurance/plans** - Companies often partner with insurance companies to provide employees with health and dental plans. These can amount to a few thousand dollars worth annually and is especially useful in locations where healthcare is expensive
- **Shuttle service** - Public transportation in the Bay Area is not that great and the most common form of commute is driving. Being able to take a shuttle service helps in saving money on gas, transport, and freeing up your mind to do other things during the commute
@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Sum Root to Leaf Numbers is an [interesting problem from LeetCode](https://leetc
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I assume that you’re familiar with Python and the concept of binary trees. If you’re not, you can read [this article](https://www.tutorialspoint.com/python_data_structure/python_binary_tree.htm) to get started.
I assume that you're familiar with Python and the concept of binary trees. If you're not, you can read [this article](https://www.tutorialspoint.com/python_data_structure/python_binary_tree.htm) to get started.
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@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ I assume that you’re familiar with Python and the concept of binary trees. If
## The Problem
Given a binary tree whose nodes contain values `0-9`, we have to find the sum of all numbers formed by root-to-leaf paths. A leaf is a node that doesn’t have any child nodes. **In a binary tree, a root-to-leaf path is always unique**. Here below is the expected behavior of the solution required:
Given a binary tree whose nodes contain values `0-9`, we have to find the sum of all numbers formed by root-to-leaf paths. A leaf is a node that doesn't have any child nodes. **In a binary tree, a root-to-leaf path is always unique**. Here below is the expected behavior of the solution required:
@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ In the tree on the left, the output is `25`. `25` is the sum of `12` and `13`, w
## The Solution
We can do a `pre-order` traversal of the tree where we incrementally construct a number and exploit the fact that numbers formed by nodes in the same sub-tree have common digits. When we’re done forming numbers in a sub-tree, we can backtrack and go to another sub-tree.
We can do a `pre-order` traversal of the tree where we incrementally construct a number and exploit the fact that numbers formed by nodes in the same sub-tree have common digits. When we're done forming numbers in a sub-tree, we can backtrack and go to another sub-tree.
Let’s create a `Solution` class to encompass our solution.
Let's create a `Solution` class to encompass our solution.
Yangshun
3 years ago