Meta E5 | US | Offer

Years of Experience: 6

Onsite interviews were conducted last week.

Phone interview:

Onsite included four rounds:

1. Coding 1: * A question similar to "Longest Univalue Path" from Leetcode was asked; it required returning the nodes in the path. I struggled with this question, taking 30 minutes to find and implement a solution. I discovered a couple of bugs after the interview. The interviewer remained silent throughout. * Lowest Common Ancestor (LCA) of a binary tree with parent pointers: I knew the solution beforehand and provided the non-intuitive O(1) solution. The interviewer also asked me to code the Set approach because I did not sufficiently explain why the O(1) solution works.
2. Coding 2: * "Random Pick with Weight" from Leetcode: I used binary search but introduced a bug that the interviewer pointed out. * A simplified variation of "Permutations II" from Leetcode (only two distinct values) with a contextual story was presented. I coded a brute-force solution and suggested memoization for optimization. The interviewer pointed out that memoization was not useful in this case. I also incorrectly stated the time complexity, which the interviewer did not correct.
3. System Design: * Design a search feature (details omitted to protect privacy). The design should be similar to indexers in web crawlers, finding URLs containing specific terms. I clarified requirements and discussed tradeoffs for database choices but rushed at the end due to time constraints. I did not list the APIs due to time limitations. I am unsure how this round went, but the interviewer was friendly.
4. Behavioral: * Standard questions about projects, conflicts, and failures. I felt this round went well.

I received a verbal offer a few days after the interview and am currently in the team-matching process.

Preparation Plan: One month before the phone screen and 1.5 months before the onsite interviews.

Coding Preparation: I followed suggestions from others.

Behavioral Preparation: Meta's preparation materials are helpful and include example questions. I spent time reflecting on past work and identifying projects to discuss.

System Design Preparation: I was most apprehensive about this section. I prepared using YouTube and conducted five mock interviews with friends. I primarily used the "System Design Fight Club" YouTube channel for system design preparation. I also used the "jordanhasnolife5163" YouTube channel to learn about specific technologies.

I spread the interviews over two days to feel more relaxed between rounds.

My interview was not perfect. It's crucial to clear your mind after a challenging round and perform well in subsequent rounds. There's an element of luck in all interviews, so don't be too hard on yourself if you receive a rejection.