Interview Question for Google » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

You are given a String number containing the digits of a
phone number (the number of digits, n, can be any positive integer) . To help you memorize
the number, you want to divide it into groups of contiguous digits. Each group must contain
exactly 2 or 3 digits. There are three kinds of groups:
• Excellent: A group that contains only the same digits. For example, 000 or 77.
• Good: A group of 3 digits, 2 of which are the same. For example, 030, 229 or 166.
• Usual: A group in which all the digits are distinct. For example, 123 or 90.
The quality of a group assignment is defined as
2 × (number of excellent groups) + (number of good groups)
Divide the number into groups such that the quality is maximized. Design an efficient
algorithm to return the solution that maximizes the quality.

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Posted by ANon on March 10, 2010

Interview Question for Google » Data Structures » Software Engineer / Developer

How would you store pictures from Google's street view? (assume massive amounts of high quality pictures)

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Posted by Anonymous on March 10, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon » Coding » Software Engineer / Developer

Multiply two numbers without using multiply(obviously),division,bitwise operators and no loops.
For example: 3*2=6 without *,/,bitwise operators and no for,while loops.

Hint: Answer using recursion..

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Posted by Anonymous on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Microsoft » Software Engineer / Developer

Find the Max. sum of two elements in a Matrix.

Find the Max. sum of three elements in a matrix.

Find the max. sum of K elements, where k < n, in a given matrix.

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Posted by chandrasekhar borra on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Microsoft » Software Engineer / Developer

In 2d array declaration or defintion of a function the first dimension argument is optional, why ?
and how it will works?

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Posted by chandrasekhar borra on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Google » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Describe and algorithm and implement UNIX tail command

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Posted by spsneo on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for A Small Gaming Company » Java » Software Engineer / Developer

Explain what is a weak reference. How do you declare a weak reference? Why would you implement a weak reference - versus a strong reference?

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Posted by biggied88 on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Microsoft » Coding » Software Engineer / Developer

Write a function to compare two xml files

bool CompareXMLFiles(string fileName, string fileName);

Scenario
1. Path to files are given
2. We have to compare the content of xml files.
3. Xml with different element position would be same i.e.
<Tests>
<Test>UI<Test>
<Test>Functional<Test>
</Tests>

is same as
<Tests>
<Test>Functional<Test>
<Test>UI<Test>
</Tests>

4. Different position of attributes can be there e.g.
<Test Id="4" No="50">Functional<Test>
is same as
<Test No="50" Id="4">Functional<Test>

5. One Xml file can contain comments and other can/cannot but this is same

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Posted by Anonymous on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Microsoft » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Within a 2D space, there is a batch of points(no duplicate) in the region (0,0),(0,1),(1,0),(1,1), try to find a line which can divide the region to parts with half points in each .the input will be an array of points and the length of the array.

struct point{
int x;
int y;
};
input : struct point * points, int length

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Posted by Vincent.Y.Guo on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Microsoft » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Within a 2D space, there is a batch of points(no duplicate) in the region (0,0),(0,1),(1,0),(1,1), try to find a line which can divide the region to 2 parts with half points in each .the input will be an array of points and the length of the array.

struct point{
int x;
int y;
};
input : struct point * points, int length

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Posted by Vincent.Y.Guo on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon » C » Software Engineer in Test

Given a string which may contain one or multiple spaces in between the word characters. If there are multiple whitespaces, replace all with single whitespace.

Constraint -
1. Do not use any extra char string or array

e.g.
char *string = "Test-String----to-be--displayed-";

The string should be replaced like
'Test-String-to-be-displayed-'

Consider '-' as whitespace.

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Posted by Roshan on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon » Data Structures » Software Engineer in Test

Given a Queue Perform following operations -
1. Enqueue
2. Dequeue
3. Max

Constraints -
Max has to be implemented in such a way that complexity should be O(1)

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Posted by Roshan on March 09, 2010

Interview Question for A Small Gaming Company » Java » Software Engineer / Developer

What is the purpose of the session() in a servlet?

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Posted by biggied88 on March 08, 2010

Interview Question for A Small Gaming Company » Software Engineer / Developer

How does hiberante handle atttached objects?

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Posted by biggied88 on March 08, 2010

Interview Question for A Small Gaming Company » Java » Software Engineer / Developer

Can you have mutliple instances of a database running in hibernate?

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Posted by biggied88 on March 08, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon

Create a balanced binary tree from a given link list

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Posted by Anonymous on March 08, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon » Algorithm

Given an array of integers where some numbers repeat 1 time, some numbers repeat 2 times and only one number repeats 3 times, how do you find the number that repeat 3 times. Using hash was not allowed

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Posted by Anonymous on March 08, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon » Algorithm

Given a n*m matrix having numbers such that each row and each column sorted. Now print the numbers in present in the matrix in sorted order... I tried to explain k way merge sort but he didnt wanted that. He was loking for better sol.

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Posted by Anonymous on March 08, 2010

Interview Question for Amazon » Algorithm

Write a code to calculate kth power of a matrix of size nxn. You can assume that matrix multiplication is O(n^3).

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Posted by Anonymous on March 08, 2010

Daily Question: Microsoft » Coding » Software Engineer / Developer

write code to implement itoa()

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Posted by Chandan on March 17, 2009

Daily Question: Adobe » Coding Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Write a function to add two numbers, without using any arithmetic operator. Even the ++ in for statement is not allowed

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Posted by Anonymous on March 15, 2009

Daily Question: IBM » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Write a Java program to check whether any two elements in an array add to a constant C or not. Implement the program with least complexity O(n).

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Posted by rajtaresh on March 14, 2009

Daily Question: Citrix Online » General Questions and Comments » Software Engineer / Developer

When contacted the 2nd recruiter, she told me the position might be filled but I can still interview in a week. A little akward.

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Posted by Jack on March 12, 2009

Daily Question: Microsoft » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Which (one or more) of the following numbers can't be represented accurately in binary?

0.1, 319, 63.5, 1/16, 1.32, 5.390625

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Posted by AlgoFreak on February 17, 2009

Daily Question: Microsoft » Algorithm » Software Engineer / Developer

Which (one or more) of the following numbers can't be represented accurately in binary?

0.1, 319, 63.5, 1/16, 1.32, 5.390625

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Posted by AlgoFreak on February 16, 2009

Daily Question: Microsoft » Software Engineer / Developer

There are two linked lists which converge at one point. Return the 1st node at which they converge

{{{[__]-->[__]-->[__]-->
[__]-->[__]
[__]-->
}}}
Hope my diagram is understandable

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Posted by Anonymous on February 11, 2009

Daily Question: MarketRX » Database » Software Engineer / Developer

Interviewer> If we have a table containing Emp_ID,Emp_Name and Dept_ID(Primary key) and another table having Emp_Name and Dept_ID (foreign key), how would u find the number of employees in each dept?

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Posted by Karthik Srinivasan on January 27, 2009

Daily Question: Amazon » Arrays

Given 1) an int[] array and 2) an int value, how do i find out which two elements in the array add up to the value given? What is the speed of your algorithm? Can it be done faster?

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Posted by Zefram Cochrane on January 16, 2009

Daily Question: Bloomberg LP » C » Financial Software Developer

int x;
function()=x;

Is it legal or illegal code?Why?

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Posted by Anonymous on January 15, 2009

Picking the Right Companies

I've been working (working: v. to write one or two sentences with the intention of finishing it up later that day, or the next day, or...) for a while on a post about how to pick which companies to apply to. Jon Pincus, my former manager from Microsoft, has done a better job that I would have, so I'll just let him take it from here...

Jon Pincus: "You probably won’t be able to get your dream job in your next job; what you want is something that’s noticeably closer than where you are now, and makes it a lot more likely that the following job has even more of the dream job characteristics."

Or, if you're one of those people who want to go to a big company and are just trying to come up with names, Google Sets can actually be useful here. If you put in Google, Microsoft and Apple, it'll return related terms such as Intel, Sun, Yahoo and Blackberry. It's not a perfect list, but it's a start!

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Posted by Gayle Laakmann on June 19, 2008

Preparing Effective Resumes

When I was in high school, a teacher returned an essay of mine with the following written on the top of the paper: "Know your audience." The task was to write a persuasive essay on any topic of our choosing. I just so happened to pick a topic on which the teacher had extensive knowledge and strong feelings. I hadn't been thinking about this at the time I chose the topic, but he was right - I should have known this wasn't a good topic. Lesson learned.

Writing a resume is no different. Tailor what you're writing to the specific company and position.

Resume Cosmetics

• Avoid the Text Blob: Employers don't read your resume - they glance at it for, oh, 10 - 15 seconds. You can't absorb key points from a large blob of text, so bullet your accomplishments instead. Write short, concise sentences. Craft your resume such that a quick glance is enough to say "wow".
• Use a Template: Do *not* just type everything into Microsoft Word - format your resume nicely by using a template. Microsoft Word has lots of built in resume tables - use one, or make your resume.
• Pages: if you're a recent college graduate (last few years), your resume should probably be one page. Can't get it all in one page? Trim it down to the most important stuff. This is actually a *good* thing to do, because the best stuff will stand out more.
• Formatting Tip: Electronic copies: if you create a good format in Micosoft Word, your resume probably uses tables. You may have noticed that table borders show up when you view them in Word but not when you print them out. And guess how many people will view your resume? That's right - on Word. So, you'll want to *really* hide your table borders. Here's how: instead of setting the borders to invisible (invisible on paper, but visible electronic), set them to visible but white. They'll be truly invisible then.
  
• Filename: A lot of people send me resumes named liked "Resume.doc", and they get lost. If you don't want your resume to be lost, put your name in the filename (eg, "John Smith Resume - April 2006.doc"). I *highly* recommend that you save it on your computer with such a filename this way you won't forget to send it with the proper name.

Resume Content:

• Accomplishments, not Responsibilities: Employers want to know not just what you were assigned to do, but what you actually accomplished. For example, saying something like "Reduced time to perform X by 75% by optimizing Y" looks much more impressive than "Responsible for optimizing X." List your accomplishments over your responsibilities, and be specific.
• Projects: Employers want to see practical experience - that means internships and projects (this is especially true for Software Engineering positions). Yes, have a specific section on your resume for projects - 3 to 4 projects is ideal, whether they're class project or personal projects. If they're personal projects, say so! It shows passion and motivation.
• Kill the Fluff: I have never once said "oooh... this person claims to have great team working skills. Let's hire them!" Maybe I'm wrong here, but I don't think employers believe fluff stuff just because it's on a resume.
  
• For US Positions: Please don't list your age, marital status, gender, etc. I see this a lot with international applicants. In the US, it is illegal to use those as factors in a hiring decision. We don't want those on your resume.

Resume Wording & Proofing

• Bullets: Bullet each item for a job - you don't need to write complete sentences. Use action words.
• Spelling & Grammar: Once you've done all this, make sure to check for spelling mistakes, grammatical mistakes and typos. Get as many people as possible to read over your resume and tell them to be picky. This is especially important for non-Native English speakers. Many companies will, unfortunately, toss your resume for a simple spelling mistake.
• Personal Information: This should be obvious, but double check that your phone number, address and email address are correct. Don't list your cell phone unless you are ok with receiving calls on it.

Resume Customization:
I've said that you need to customize your resume based on the position, so I'll explain a little bit about what I'd do for each company. But first, a short summary of the various things I could include:

• Microsoft Software Engineering Internships: 2001, 2002, 2003
• Apple Software Engineering Internship: 2004
• Google Software Engineering: 2005 - Present
  
• TAing in College, including being Head TA
• Webdesign / webprogramming for a small company in Philadelphia before going to Google
  
• Creating a course in college and teaching it
• Teaching at University of Washington while working at Google
• Planning a lot of large social events with 200+ people (see http://www.theseattleantifreeze.com)
  
• 3 or 4 "meaty" projects in college
• CareerCup (a website for technical job applications)

Software Engineer (anywhere): I'd want to show off the technical problems I've done, as well as show myself to have good initiative. So, I would emphasize the technical work I've done at Google, Microsoft and Apple (big names = prestige). I'd drop the webdesign work - doesn't add much given the other jobs. I'd talk a bit about CareerCup, since that shows independent work. I wouldn't talk much about teaching or event planning, but I'd given them a brief mention.

Program Manager: I'd want to show off some technical stuff, but I also need to show good planning skills, design work, initiative. Google/Microsoft/Apple would have some stuff, but I wouldn't go into as much technical detail. I'd talk more about CareerCup (initiative, ability to drive a project). Planning large social events would be somewhat important too (shows leadership). Teaching at UW and Penn would be good to talk about as well because it shows communication skills and leadership.

Board Position for Theater: I recently applied for a board position for the young professionals group of a Seattle theater. I talked a bit about Google, Microsoft and Apple, but dropped a lot of the technical details. I talked a bunch about event planning, because they would want me to help plan events. I talked more about the various websites I maintain, because, who knows, maybe they would want me to help out with their website. I talked about creating a course at Penn and UW (initiative, communication skills, etc).

I never once exaggerated what I did - I simply cut details or elaborate depending on how important something is.

Resumes for Software Engineers:
I'll talk specifically about this since I see tons of Software Engineering resumes.

• A company like Google or Amazon, which does a lot of server / web work, will be most interested in projects you've done relating to the web or to scalable systems. Microsoft, however, might be more interested in client-side work. Again - customize!
• Languages (Foreign & Programming): Many employers will expect you to actually be able to *use* the languages you list on your resume - that means if you list French, you should be able to speak french. If you list C++, you should be able to write in C++ - and they might just test you on it. A good thing to do is to list your languages like this:

  Proficient with: Java, C++
       Previously worked with: C, C#, Javascript, HTML
  Oh, and this is just a pet peeve of mine that has to be said: if you've worked with C++ and C#, don't list them as "C++/C#". Yes, their names sound similar but the languages aren't. The same goes for Java/JavaScript

• GPA: If your GPA isn't on your resume, the assumption is that it's below a 3.0. So, if you have a 3.2, list it! You can list either your in-major GPA or your total GPA, or both. Feel free to list which ever one's higher. Also, many universities have a policy that you can round your GPA to the nearest tenth. Check with your school, but if so, you should round that 3.67 to a 3.7. Every little bit helps, right?
  

------------------
As a point of reference, here's my resume: Gayle Laakmann - Resume 2004. Give yourself 15 seconds to look and the resume and then put it away. What was your impression of it? Did you get a good feel for my past experience? My resume is certainly not perfect (for one, it's too crowded, and quite out of date). I could probably trim it down a bit. That should give you a good start though.

The most important thing to remember is that all you get to show off your years and years of experience is about 15 seconds. Can you tell the employer enough in 15 seconds to make them pick up the phone and call?

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Posted by Gayle Laakmann on June 19, 2008

Building Up Your Raw Skills

Technology is a somewhat unique field - in my completely biased opinion - in that your raw skills are tangible and testable. That is to say, in an interview, there's typically less emphasis on "fluff" and more emphasis on what you can actually do.

So, how do you build these raw skills?

Regardless of what position you're looking for, if you want to know how to get there, you should ask someone in the field. Think about where you want to be in the next few years. Find a person who is right now where you want to be and ask them (ask them what?) If you don't know anyone offhand, well, that's what Google is for. Find someone and email them. People are pretty willing to help - if you only ask!

That brings me to the specifics. I've been a software engineer at Google for the last two years, so people ask me pretty frequently how they can get a job at Google. The number one thing that I think is missing from applicants is real project experience.

If you're in school, you should study hard and all that good stuff. But, that's not enough. You need project experience - companies want to see what you can actually code. By the time you've graduated, aim to get at least three major software development projects under your belt. Here are a few ideas as to how to get those projects:

• Many schools offer the ability to do an independent study. Think of an application that you want to build, pitch it to a professor, and maybe you can get credit for it by doing as an independent study.


• Talk to professors that you know - or even ones that you don't - and ask them if you can help them out with research. If you want to be a software engineer, focus specifically on the projects where you'll be writing code in a language like C++ or Java (as opposed to, say, MatLab).


• Check out the code to an open source project and build it. Take some time to learn the project architecture, then start coding. Start with fixing a few bugs, and then move into real feature work.


• Enroll in courses which have large projects. Yeah, they're hard, but no pain no gain, right?

If you're not in school right now, you might be able to enroll in courses at a local university. But if not, you can still do projects on your own. Start with something small - like a Google Maps mashup listing your favorite restaurants - and go from there.

You'll learn a lot from coding on your own, but the benefits go beyond that - simply the fact that you did coding on your own rather than for work / school shows the passion and dedication that every company wants to see.

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Posted by Gayle Laakmann on June 19, 2008

How to Get Your Dream Job

Every few weeks, I get an email from someone asking if I can get them a job at their favorite tech company. Sometimes I can get this process started for them, sometimes I can’t, but either way, the process of getting a job is about far more than just submitting your resume.

So, here it is: getting a job in ten not-always-easy steps. Over the next few weeks or so, I’m going to write about each one of these in more detail.

(1) Build Raw Skills

Think a few years out about what position you’d like. What do you need to do to get there?

(2) Prepare a *good* resume

Great experience isn’t enough. You need to show this in your resume. Remember – a resume is not a timeline of everything you’ve done; it’s a proof of your skills.

(3) Picking the right companies

To list just a few things to think about: company size, company culture, the role of someone in your position, how long the company has been around, what the company actually does, growth of the company, location, etc.

(4) Prepare a cover letter

This is a company’s first introduction to you, so make it perfect.

(5) Apply!

Getting your foot in the door at a company isn’t always easy, but there are a few tricks I’ve learned...

(6) Preparing for the interview

Know what to expect and prepare accordingly. If you’re reading CareerCup, you’re probably off to a great start.

(7) Interview

This is what it all comes down, and there’s a lot you can do to shape the outcome.

(8) Negotiate

You can negotiate (almost) any offer – even if they say it’s "non-negotiable"

(9) Make a decision

If you have several offers, you’re in a great spot. How do you pick the one that’s right for you?

(10) Accepting & Denying

Accepting an offer is easy, but don’t forget – it’s important that you decline the offer the right way too.

Stay tuned – I’ll elaborate on each one of these in the upcoming weeks.

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Posted by Gayle Laakmann on June 19, 2008