The hardest part of my interview was actually the technical round with the architect. It was done online and felt pretty rushed, with the interviewer seeming a bit uninterested, which made the whole thing less comfortable than I expected. Before that, the process had been fairly straightforward: I had a total of three rounds for a Java developer role, and overall it didn’t feel especially deep on algorithms. The questions stayed pretty close to the basics, with DSA fundamentals and Java-related topics coming up early, so I wouldn’t call it a heavy coding interview. In my case, they also asked about my current role, which felt more like an HR screening question than a technical one. The most specific technical discussion came around a take-home assignment, where they asked about caching and then followed up on Java concepts tied to that work. One question that stood out was the difference between hash and encryption methods, which was more conceptual than code-heavy. The process itself felt a little last-minute and not very polished on the coordination side, but the interviewers were generally okay and the role seemed decent for someone looking for a new opportunity. I didn’t get an offer, and the main takeaway for me was that it’s worth being ready for Java basics, simple DSA, and practical system concepts like caching rather than expecting a very hard algorithm round.
Prep tip from this candidate
Be ready to explain your current role clearly, then review Java basics, simple DSA, and practical concepts around caching and the difference between hashing and encryption. If you have a take-home assignment, expect follow-up questions that dig into the choices you made there.
