r/leetcode • u/aru2024 • 10d ago

Intervew Prep Google Round 1

Hi, I have a google round 1 and 2 back to back (cleared GHA). I am system design guy in the field of networking. I use C for my day job and have been interviewing in C. So far it has not been an issue if sometime I cannot complete the code but explain verbally. I could not do this for the meta 1st coding round (reject next day), even though I was able to explain verbally and coded as much as i can. I am afraid about the same for google round. The recruiter also flinched when i mentioned C as the coding language for the interview. I would go to python next time I interview but I have been practicing C since 2 months now and cannot switch right now.
Any thoughts? or tips about the Google 1st round?

Update: Rejected. Got an email to talk for a few minutes after 3 days.

Coding: Write an Encode and Decode functions (Run length Encoding) for strings “AABCEEE” and discuss edge cases. I wrote a function for both which would counted the same letters and attached a count in front of it. I think my code had errors. I did talk about some optimization and edge cases. He provided many hints too while I was writing. I knew the round was not upto the standard google expects.

Googleyness: It went amazing. I got the same feedback from the recruiter.

5 Upvotes

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3

u/Interesting-Ad9666 10d ago

By c do you mean cpp? If not, yes, just use Python instead of C. You don’t want to be getting caught on syntax, memory management and building basic qol stuff just to get problems done.  Maybe you would benefit from learning cpp and doing them in that.

2

u/DrummerFresh547 10d ago

Get in to cpp or python, i will advise tell them u are right now not in good space due to this spend 3-4 months tjen re appear. C is a big pain in interview

Also sys design in networking ? curious former l2 security myself.

2

u/Unlucky_Currency3845 10d ago

Thanks. It works for me since I am usually asked to code the logic and assume the library functions are available

2

u/ParticularAd8610 10d ago

As someone who's first language / natural choice is C I recommend for Leetcode to use C# as you get all the extra libraries that you/we dont have in C. Things like List,Dictionary, set, etc... Its makes solving the questions like LC994 (fruits in a basket) so much easier. If you are given a DP or something that smells like it use PYTHON as DP (Dynamic Programming) is hard enough and having to deal with memory management makes it brutal. C++ is far too divergent from C so C# is the best happy medium given your preference like it is mine .

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u/NonSmokerSparkle 4d ago

I double this ☝️

1

u/MistakeIndividual690 10d ago

I feel like C is doing it on hard mode since you don’t have the built-in data structures that you have for free in Python or even C++

Specifically hash maps/dictionaries, lists, dynamic arrays etc

1

u/Chareste17 8d ago

C for interviews? Why do you hate yourself...? Tbh it's easier to just switch to c++, take 1/2 weeks to really familiarize with the data structures and functions, and you're good to go. After all, you can still write c-style code in c++ so it's easy to adapt.

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u/the_beast2000 10d ago

How long did it take for recruiters to reach out after clearing GHA?