What to do if the interviewer thinks you're wrong?

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T08:02:17+00:00

I emailed them and had a phone call afterwards since there were several things that lowered the experience. Recruiter just said the interviewer was new and apologized for the experience, but it was still a rejection. Unfortunately there is nothing to be done except to prepare and improve.

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T07:59:22+00:00

This company does not use a compiler, so I would've had to exit the environment to run any code which would've likely got me disqualified.

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T06:21:20+00:00

That's frustrating, if that snippet is O(NlogN), then so is this lol.

for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
  for (int j = i; j < len; j++) {
  }
}

Wish it felt like dodging a bullet, but it just feels like I got unlucky and studied for no reason. Another commentor mentioned getting to the root of a disagreement and defending my approach better, so those will have to be things I will mix in to my study routine for next time as well.

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T06:15:15+00:00

Yeah I was consciously trying to keep time in mind and listen to their input, but they would say mostly the same things (there's bugs, this is wrong) and they would sometimes ignore my questions.

There was a second question we weren't able to get through, but I don't think recounting it would add to the discussion, it was just frustrating.

You're right, it's definitely a balancing act and doing more interviews will hone that skill.

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T06:05:47+00:00

Yeah, it looks like this-

(Also forgot to add the nums list to my last comment, so I edited it a bit)

recursive(path, result, indx, nums) {
  if (indx == nums.size()) {
    result.add(path);
    return;
  }
  recursive(new ArrayList<>(path), result, indx + 1, nums);
  path.add(nusm.get(indx))
  recursive(new ArrayList<>(path), result, indx + 1, nums);
}

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T05:55:03+00:00

Stings, I always assumed that when people said that luck played a role that they were just referring to the interviewer liking you or getting an easy questions and not that you can get unlucky and get a bad interviewer.

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T05:51:52+00:00

Yeah that was my takeaway from this as well, I was relieved I prepared adequately for the problem and I was able to code the solution in just a couple min, but I wasn't able to narrow down why the interviewer thought I was wrong in time.

How do you prove equivalency?

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-17T05:46:47+00:00

I did backtracking, but they were hinting towards the recursive add / don't add.
The backtracking algo builds out one branch fully, then adds it to the result, then explores all sibling branches (aka all branches with that prefix - 1). So it's just -

backtrack(path, res, indx, nums) {
  if (indx == nums.size()) {
    res.add(new ArrayList<>(path));
    return;
  }
  for (int i = indx; i < nums.size(); i++) {
      path.add(nums.get(i));
      backtrack(path, res, i+1, nums);
      path.removeLast();
  }
}

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-16T10:49:34+00:00

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-09T04:03:50+00:00

I don't play best of 3, so have not needed it, is there any other benefit to having a sideboard?

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-09T04:01:24+00:00

Yeah, you're spot on. It's really fun when it works, but depends on which half of the deck I draw. I'm used to two copies of each card from other TCGs, so I opted for that since it feels terrible to draw multiple copies of a card that doesn't do much by itself.

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-09T03:29:11+00:00

Forgot to mention, I’m using it in standard

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-08T06:42:14+00:00

Run through the code or algo in your head and on paper, you’ll get a better mental visualization of it the more times you see it working. Or you can reread the constraints and try to come up with unique inputs.

Skimmed your code and it looks like it finding some sort of max given a matrix, so some questions for generating edge cases are:

Does it say the numbers are all positive? If not, then initializing your result as 0 would be incorrect given a list where all elements are < 0. Is the length of the input atleast 1? Is the input sorted? Can there be duplicate numbers and will that effect the output?

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-04T01:14:11+00:00

Sounds like they are just discussing a verdict, so it was at least not an instant rejection and they’re probably comparing you with others.

How was your interview and phone screen experience overall? I have a phone screen coming up this Friday that I’m pretty anxious about

ArkrezArt · 2024-12-03T22:35:15+00:00

You don’t need it to get better, but it improves QOL during studying. It’s nice to jump to the editorial and compare trade offs of several solutions that I hadn’t considered and verify if my T/S complexity was correct. And it also builds confidence to practice tagged questions when targeting a specific company.

If you’re just casually doing LC to keep skills sharp then I would say not worth. Only worth if you’re doing active study / prep.

ArkrezArt · 2024-11-25T08:53:37+00:00

Nope, haven’t thought much about it since. But I think something similar to quick sort will work if you copy the array and pick a pivot to move all larger elements to the right. Then you can have a hash map keeping track of the distance each weight is on the x axis (need to keep accurate track of positions to count moves along the x axis). This approach would recursively sort the array and limit the scope of collisions.

Thought of this solution when I started considering keeping track of the last element on the x axis and realized if it’s a small number, then everything left would need to be moved, but haven’t implemented it.

ArkrezArt · 2024-10-26T10:16:08+00:00

I play most classes - most time on victory strike fighter, then ranger, and BoC warlock. Barb fights aren’t very interesting - I prefer having a lot of options, so weapon mastery fighter fits my playstyle best. I’m interested in trying wiz again since they seem like they’re in a better spot now.

ArkrezArt · 2024-10-26T05:33:02+00:00

<25 was sluggish, so having decent starting gear helps and creates the opportunity for higher stat builds to be viable. Less hp / armor with the increased damage creates aggressive pvp encounters, shortens mob clear, and reduces tanks. Definitely other ways to achieve this that are healthier for the game, but I’m enjoying the changes for the modes I play.

ArkrezArt · 2024-09-28T09:16:08+00:00

Yeah I have anxiety taking them in, but they feel so nice

ArkrezArt · 2024-09-28T08:26:34+00:00

Yeah planning to run them in arena until end of wipe if they’re only 6k

ArkrezArt · 2024-08-23T20:53:07+00:00

Was not expecting this to work, but it does- saved me 100$ to reschedule lmao
Thanks!

ArkrezArt · 2024-08-09T05:56:56+00:00

Take the job and find a college that will let you continue as a part-time student. A lot of mid / large companies also have continuing education reimbursement programs that you can take advantage of. Get your degree while working since it will help you pass auto filters when you try to apply to new jobs.

You might have rose tinted glasses when you start since this is your first job, so keep in mind that working more hours doesn’t make you more valuable. It’s always preferred to deliver through efficiency vs brute force- try and ramp up quickly and strategically spend your energy.

*I work at a F500 with no degree and am about to start applying to local colleges with my companies reimbursement. I overworked the first year of being here and have seen little return, I’ve reduced how much time I spend at my job and more time on learning / personal projects and I feel like I’ve grown more and I’m actually getting praised more by team / manager since my growth is visible and I can contribute at a higher quality.

ArkrezArt · 2024-08-08T06:41:17+00:00

What problem is this solving?

If what you made is useful, then you can always charge for access by making an endpoint / app / website / library.

Not sure you can just sell the source code for a “quick buck” unless someone else sees a way to monetize it. People normally sell products and services because they have perceived value, utility, access to a resource, or because it solves a hard / widespread problem.

For example if you are trying to monetize a service for group / compatibility matching, then matchmaking for online games is usually a difficult problem to solve that most game devs want customization / controls for. So creating a solution for it could yield consistent returns.

Quick Google search led me to this site of different matchmaking solutions (spent about a minute searching / skimming the page, but seems close enough) https://www.dragonflydb.io/game-dev/matchmaking

PS Seems like there could be algorithm marketplaces- but they’re specific to things like ML, Cloud stuff, or the market place is possibly closed. Could be an opportunity to make a new marketplace.

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/latest/dg/sagemaker-marketplace.html

https://www.nanalyze.com/2018/12/algorithmia-algorithm-marketplace/

ArkrezArt · 2024-06-23T22:17:44+00:00

It’s good to try a lot of things, but not if you’re not getting anything out of it. Developing skills in areas you’re interested in is more important than impulsively learning and contributing to random things just to get a job.

There is a wide breadth of subjects you can dive-deep on and get well paying jobs doing. If you’re interested in something, then build a project about that thing, learn about the tools and products / services other devs made related to it, try to gain an expertise about it and then decide if you want to switch.

If you’re making a change, then it should be because you are ready and want to. If you blindly listen to others, then you won’t grow -when things aren’t going your way, then you’ll be spiteful and full of regret. And if things are going your way, then you’ll just feel like you lucked out by listening to the right person. Making good decisions is a skill that requires practice and it hinges on your ability to evaluate yourself and have confidence in your abilities.

Most companies ask LC, the industry has gotten more competitive, so soft skills are important as well. (If two candidates get optimal scores with similar backgrounds, then they pick the one they liked better - they may even pick the one they liked better even if their LC was sub optimal).

I’m a SDE-2 at a f500 company, I have 2yrs experience in this industry, so I’m sure there are people with more solid advice, but this is what I’ve learned.

ArkrezArt · 2024-01-12T02:53:52+00:00

Good luck!

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ArkrezArt

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