Don’t be a stubborn interviewer!

During a recent interview at a Pune-based startup, I encountered a problem statement that involved a rather uncommon custom data structure.

The problem, summarized on one page with about 150 words, took me around 10 minutes to fully comprehend.

I discussed my approach with the interviewer, proposing the use of a specific data structure tailored to the problem's requirements:

Element = pair<pair<int,int>, vector<int>>;

vector<Element> vp;

However, despite my clarity, the interviewer insisted on using a HashMap. With just 20 minutes left, he abruptly requested a switch to HashMap and solving the problem. This change, coupled with the lengthy problem statement, led me to overlook two important edge cases, ultimately costing me the opportunity.

“After checking his LinkedIn profile, I found that the interviewer was a 5-star coder on CodeChef. This suggests he was so confident in his approach that he was not ready to accept an alternative approach. His stubbornness and his ultimate preference for the HashMap cost me an opportunity.”

PS: I am myself a competitive programmer with a rank under 100 in CodeChef long challenges.