The world of software development is a competitive one, and landing your dream job often hinges on acing the dreaded coding interview. While countless resources offer guidance on tackling these challenges, understanding the thought process behind them can be equally valuable. Today we delve into two intriguing interview questions, analyzing their nuances and exploring the qualities interviewers seek in potential candidates.
1. The “Simple” One: Finding the Next Smallest Number
This deceptively straightforward question, posed by Wil Wen, a former Google engineer, asks you to write a function f(a, x) that returns the next smallest number in a sorted array a or -1 for errors The simplicity of the problem belies its depth, as it tests your understanding of algorithms, debugging, and test case development.
Key Takeaways:
- Simplicity is deceptive: Despite its apparent ease, this question requires a grasp of binary search algorithms and the ability to handle edge cases.
- Test cases are crucial: Identifying and addressing various test scenarios is essential for crafting a robust solution.
- Readability matters: Clear code with appropriate variable names and indentation demonstrates your coding proficiency.
- Debugging skills are vital: The ability to identify and fix errors during the interview process is highly valued.
Bonus Tip: Consider the “Omelet Test” analogy, where a chef’s knife skills and plating finesse reflect their experience. Similarly, your coding style and approach to problem-solving reveal your potential as a software engineer.
2. The “Favorite” One: Identifying Loyal Customers
As a former interviewer for tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, Carlos Arguelles shares his favorite question to ask candidates. The job is to find “loyal customers” who went to at least two different pages on two different days. This problem seems easy, but it needs careful thought about data structures, memory usage, and algorithm optimization.
Key Takeaways:
- Clarifying questions are essential: Don’t hesitate to ask questions to fully understand the problem’s scope and requirements.
- Algorithm efficiency matters: Strive for an O(n) solution while considering memory constraints and maintainability.
- Data structures are key: Choosing the right data structure, like a Map with a Set of pages as the value, can significantly impact efficiency.
- Attention to detail is crucial: Ensure your code accurately addresses the problem’s conditions and avoids logical errors.
- Optimization is a plus: Demonstrating your ability to optimize for speed or memory usage showcases your problem-solving skills.
Bonus Tip: Remember, there’s often more than one solution. Examining various options and talking about the pros and cons of each shows that you can think critically and communicate clearly, which are two skills that interviewers really value.
While these two interview questions offer valuable insights into the interviewer’s perspective, remember that the ultimate goal is to showcase your skills and potential as a software engineer. By demonstrating your problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and communication skills, you’ll be well on your way to cracking the code and landing your dream job.
Additional Resources:
- LeetCode: https://leetcode.com/
- Interview Cake: https://www.interviewcake.com/
- Cracking the Coding Interview: https://www.amazon.com/Cracking-Coding-Interview-Programming-Questions/dp/0984782850
Remember, practice makes perfect! The more you engage with different coding challenges, the more confident and prepared you’ll be for your next interview So, keep practicing, keep learning, and keep coding!
2 Answers 2 Sorted by:
You can try this using regex
Result:
You can read the important parts of the tag using a regex that includes the G (continue metacharacter) and then loop over the matches to make the 2D array.
When you call a custom function, you’ll need to parse the whole tag with preg_replace_callback() and split it up into its parts inside the callback. This will let you replace the tag placeholder with dynamic text. Ill demonstrate how to make the first key-value pair mandatory and the second key-value pair optional.
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FAQ
How do I prepare for a BBC interview?
What kind of coding questions are asked in an interview?
Is code interview hard?
Why should you use BBCode?
Headers and data BBcode even allows you to create complex structures like tables, without the need for additional code beyond a few tags. Example:
What questions should you ask in a coding interview?
This is one of the most fundamental questions you should expect to answer in any coding interview — and any interview at all, for that matter. The hiring manager will want to know about your experience and how well you can work in the company’s environment. This question is relatively open-ended, and having a good answer can feel overwhelming.
How hard is a coding interview?
Each company will have its own style of interviewing, and some will include more technical questions than others. However, if you believe you have the knowledge to do the job, you will have what it takes to pass the interview too, and it should not be too hard. How Should You Prepare for a Coding Interview?
How do you answer a question in a job interview?
It’s a tricky question, but the interviewer is often more interested in how you answer rather than the actual reason for the gaps. The key is to be confident, unapologetic, and clear in your answer while keeping it brief and to the point. The reason could be quite personal, but your answer shouldn’t be your life story.
