Tesco - SDE 3 - Bangalore - Offer (From 5 LPA to 66LPA in 6 years)

As the title goes, it was hard time once, but not forever!

I used to think my dreams were stalled after my graduation since I wasn't able to score 9+ CGPA like other students or wasn't able to crack interviews of some of my dream companies. After 11 years, now I see that none of those matters : where you studied, your marks, that bad boss who bothered you much, or the FAANG status.

What really matters is whether you are constantly motivated, consistent in working hard (and smart), or willing to settle down early by giving up on your goals. In no way am I claiming that I am at the top of the mountain, but this is something I always want to keep even at the age of 60.

You see people with multi-crore salaries; the truth is, they are true tech-savvy individuals who are passionate about what they want to pursue in life. Money follows automatically! So, it's not only about the money. It is not a rat race for money!

Tesco is one of the several companies that rejected me in the past. Recently, they reached out to see if I was open to exploring an opportunity. I thought, why not? At the very least, I will gain valuable interview experience, even if I am rejected again. I have had interview experience with Google, Microsft & Amazon in the past, so that will sooth the preparation stage as well.

Here are the rounds.

Recruiter screen Just another recruiter screening, asking clarifications on your resume, tech skills etc.

Problem Solving / DSA round It was LC medium (a variation of merge intervals problem), but interviewer wanted optimal solution along with other potential solutions. Also, interviewer wanted to come up with "production quality" code, which means you also need to write/identify all test cases on the problem.

System Design (HLD + LLD in single round) with Hiring manager. A variation of top k hitter problem, but goes way deeper than the solution that you see in internet. So, this was difficult than expected. There were also scenario based questions and asked