PayPal SDE-1 Interview Experience (on campus )

I interviewed for a Software Engineer position at PayPal on campus in . The interview process consisted of four rounds.

The first round was a Hackerrank online assessment with two questions. The first question was an easy dynamic programming problem, and the second was a SQL question that I solved using joins. I solved both questions and received an interview invitation after a month.

The second round was a technical interview that lasted for 45 minutes. The interviewer asked me a coding question from Leetcode that was at an easy level. I explained my solution using a tabulation approach and then discussed the recursive approach. The interviewer also asked about time and space complexity. After the interview, I received an invitation for the next round, which was held on the same day.

The third round was another technical interview, but this time, I was asked a system design question. I was surprised because I had heard from connections that freshers would not be tested on system design. I informed the interviewer that I had very little knowledge about system design. The interviewer asked me to design a notification system. I was able to build the database design and explain the protocols used for communication. The interviewer then added complexity to the requirements, and I managed to adapt and connect the dots. I was also asked about real-life scenarios where object-oriented programming is used. The round ended with me asking some questions about the company. I received an invitation for the final round, which was also held on the same day.

The fourth round was a technical and HR discussion that lasted for an hour. The interviewer asked me a coding question that was at a medium-hard level. I tried to solve the problem using a brute force approach, but the interviewer was expecting an optimal solution. I think this was the point where I messed up. I was already exhausted by that time and could not think of any better solution. We then moved on to discussing my internship experience, leadership principles, and object-oriented programming again. The interview ended on a good note. I felt the interviewer was satisfied with my performance as he shared some personal details and we had a good discussion.

After a week, I received a rejection email.

My key takeaways from this experience are:

• Always be prepared to face any round, and try to strengthen your computer fundamentals.
• Expect the unexpected. Even if you read hundreds of interview experiences, you should be prepared for anything because you never know what will happen next.
• Do not relax after your technical rounds and assume that you will not be asked to code in HR rounds.
• If the interviewer is too friendly or gives hints that you are a fit for their team, do not jump to the conclusion that you are already a selected candidate.

I am currently holding an offer that is not an SDE role. I was not eligible for any good companies on my campus due to the high CTC. Only PayPal had broken the difference for me to be eligible to appear. I had prepared for this opportunity for two months, but I guess life has planned something else for me. Although I felt bad, life goes on. I will be trying other off-campus opportunities. I hope to succeed in the future.

Cheers and all the best to others who are giving their interviews.