PepsiCo

Role: Lead Software Engineer (Frontend)

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: 2023-01-27

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Selected (Received offer)

Difficulty: Not Specified

Rounds: 4 rounds (Online Assessment + 3 Interview Rounds + HR Discussion)

Topics Asked: Frontend, Problem Solving, Tree BFS traversal, Substring problem (DP+Backtracking), System Design (Whatsapp-like communication system), APIs, interface, UI components, Real-time communication, failure, media, Resume-based, Scenario-based questions, Expectations, PepsiCo new plans.

Experience:

The candidate went through an online assessment followed by three interview rounds and a final HR discussion for a Lead Software Engineer (Frontend) role at PepsiCo in 2023.

The **Online Assessment** involved a Mettle test on Frontend skills and problem-solving.

Round 1 - Problem Solving (60 mins): Two questions were asked. The first was related to tree BFS traversal, which the candidate successfully completed. The second was a substring problem (DP+backtracking) that was initially perceived as basic but turned out to be complex. The candidate completed it using an iterative approach with some hints from the interviewer.

Round 2 - System Design (60 mins): The interviewer, experienced in backend systems, asked to design a communication system similar to Whatsapp. Discussions covered APIs, interfaces, UI components, real-time communication, failure handling, and media.

Round 3 - Hiring Manager (HM) Round (1 hour): This round focused on the candidate's resume and normal scenario-based questions.

Final Interviews - HR Discussion: This round involved discussions with HR about expectations and PepsiCo's new plans, along with general Q&A related to work. The candidate received an offer the next week after submitting documents.