I applied through college or university. I interviewed at Arista Networks (Los Angeles, CA) in Feb 2021
Interview
Interview was scheduled after I met an engineer at a college career fair. Had to pass a HackerRank after meeting him and then was extended an invitation to the interview. During the interview, didn't really go into past experiences, went straight into the technical questions. Interviewer seemed tired and not excited but it was a holiday so it was understandable.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Some basic data type size questions and pointer questions in C, and a graph traversal problem in Python.
It was average. They asked me to code 2 questions and perform a more efficient approach for both. However, for some reason, they rejected me 30 mins after the interview was done.
I applied through college or university. I interviewed at Arista Networks (Bengaluru) in Aug 2025
Interview
1. Data Structures (Tree Traversals)
Asked to explain and write the algorithms for Inorder, Preorder, and Postorder traversal of a binary tree.
Follow-up: difference between DFS and BFS traversals.
2. C/C++ Programming Concepts
Questions around:
Memory & Pointers → how pointers work, pointer arithmetic, dangling pointers.
Pass by value vs pass by reference in C/C++.
A question on JWT (JSON Web Token) – concept, usage in authentication, and security aspects.
3. Tree Coding Question
Problem: Check if a target value exists along any root-to-leaf path.
Required to construct the full binary tree and then write the function for path-sum/target check.
Expected to implement full code (not just pseudo code).
4. Bit Manipulation Problem
A logic-based coding problem using bitwise operators.
Example (not exact wording): Given a number, perform certain bit manipulations (like checking set bits, or toggling).
5. Next Greater Element (Variation)
Classic stack-based problem: find the next greater element for each element in an array.
Variation was asked (could be circular array or next greater frequency element).
Needed optimized solution (O(n) with stack).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions on pointers and memory (pointer arithmetic, dangling pointers).
Difference between pass by value and pass by reference, with code examples.
Some discussion around dynamic memory allocation and how it’s managed in C++.
Emphasis on understanding how things work at a low-level in memory, not just syntax.
The interview consists of one round, which includes solving a Leetcode Medium-level coding problem and a comprehensive review of your resume, covering projects, experience, and technical skills in detail. Full time roles can have more interviews
