Dealer.com by Cox Automotive Java Developer Interview Questions
& Process

I applied with my resume and then got a week to complete a HackerRank test. My code passed all the HackerRank unit tests, but I didn't even get an interview. They didn't give any feedback or a chance to fix anything. What was funny is that I also applied for a JavaScript developer position and it was the exact same test as the Java one. I'm rating this negative because I feel if you give someone a test and they pass, they should at least get an interview. This wouldn't have been the last test either, there was supposed to be another test after this one.

I applied on LinkedIn and heard back from the recruiter in a few days to set up a chat. This first call was a casual chat about my interests and what I've done. Right after that, I got a take-home test with two coding problems: summing counts from a file and checking for palindromes. I had a week to do it, and then I had to write unit tests for my solutions. A week later, I had a video call with a Sr. Developer and an Architect. They started by asking for my elevator pitch, then delved into my background and experience. The main part was a coding challenge involving an n-ary tree, where I had to print its contents in a readable format, like a directory structure. I worked on it with some guidance and then had to format the output nicely with tabs. They cut it short though. I got to ask them some questions. The next day, they let me know I didn't do well enough on the coding part and wouldn't be moving forward. The recruiter was super helpful throughout, even giving me some prep tips beforehand.

They first give you a phone screen. Then, they send you an email with a programming homework assignment. The homework had two parts in Java: first, to detect palindromes, and second, to read a file with key-value pairs on each line, sum the values for identical keys, and then output them. After submitting the homework, you get a "first" on-site interview. During the on-site, there was some casual talk, and then they asked me to complete a coding problem on a provided laptop (a Mac). I'm not used to Macs, the keyboard, or the editor. My advice is to do these types of problems on a whiteboard if you encounter similar ones. They preferred Java, but pseudocode was acceptable. The task was to traverse an n-ary tree and print it out. I should have probably suggested building an HTML or tree-like widget with plus signs for expanding and minus signs for collapsing to make the structure clearer for the user.