WhiteHat Jr Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

First, there's a virtual Communication module to check your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Then, for selected students, we move to Technical, Coding, and Cognitive & Adept rounds. These can be in-person or virtual. The Technical round covers data structures, algorithms, databases, cloud, and networking. In the Coding round, you'll solve problems in C, C++, Java, or .Net. The Cognitive Assessment uses games to test thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. Adept Essentials checks your key traits. If you pass all these, you'll get a final technical interview.

The first two interviews were really good. I felt a good connection with the interviewers and the company culture seemed positive. However, the final round with the CTO was problematic. He initially missed the scheduled interview time, requiring me to contact HR. It was rescheduled for the next day, with the CTO citing a production issue. On the rescheduled day, he joined 15 minutes late and seemed disengaged. He asked a single, basic design question and appeared preoccupied. There was no in-depth discussion, follow-up questions, or probing beyond confirming I had completed the query. After a week of no feedback, I received a rejection. I had higher expectations for professionalism from a CTO. My recommendation would be to reschedule interviews if unavoidable issues arise rather than proceeding with a disengaged interviewer.

My interview process started with a DS Algo round where the interviewer was patient and seemed interested in my knowledge. They skipped my second round because I was an immediate joinee and went straight to the third round. This third round was with the CTO, Pranab Dash, and was quite a negative experience. He seemed arrogant and uninterested in getting to know me, even though my experience was less than 3 years. He asked me to design the IRCTC system and its database schema for train routes in MySQL without explaining the question first, jumping straight to requirements. He ended the online interview in 31 minutes instead of the scheduled hour, which made me wonder if he had already made a decision before the call, especially since I had to reschedule the previous day. His behavior felt dismissive, like he had no time for anything he considered 'dumbness'. It's ironic that the CTO of a company focused on teaching coding to young children acts this way. If the CTO is interviewing someone with less than 3 years of experience, they should at least be respectful enough to get to know the candidate first. I'm looking for a job due to COVID-19's impact, which is why I proceeded with the interview despite my reservations about the company's concept.