I applied online. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Pinterest in Mar 2018
Interview
Send out online coding link from Lytmus. I solved all 3 questions and take care of the code readability, class definition, etc. But I was surprised that I did not even have a chance to proceed.
Maybe they care a lot more about coding time, I took more hours to finish the questions than their reported average time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
One image processing coding question, one SQL questions, and one HTTP request processing question.
The phone screen was a mix of behavioral questions and some basic technical concepts, which was a bit different from what I anticipated. After that, I faced a technical round that focused on implementing sparse matrix operations. To my surprise, the coding question was nearly identical to what I'd practiced in the algorithm section on PracHub just days before. The onsite interview included some more DSA challenges and a discussion on machine learning concepts, which helped me feel well-prepared. Overall, the experience was smooth, and I accepted the offer afterward.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Implement sparse matrix storage, addition, and multiplication
The assessment time was very short and harsh. There were lots of questions with a very limited time. I liked the other big companies' assessments better. For example, Meta and Google assessments are through talking to a person while coding.
I applied for the new grad MLE position. The process included an online assessment, a 20-minute HR call, and four onsite interviews (two coding and two machine learning system design).