Hey everyone! 👋
I recently had the opportunity to interview with Vance for a Backend Intern position, and I’m excited to share my experience with you.If I had to sum it up in two words, they would be Insightful and Enriching. But, of course, two words don’t do justice to the depth of the experience, so let’s dive into the details!
This is the Resume that got me shortlisted.
Introduction Round: People Success Team
The journey started with an introductory conversation with Shubham Joshi from People Success Team. from the People Success Team. This initial discussion focused on understanding my motivation for joining Vance, exploring the experiences and projects I’ve worked on, and outlining the role along with the next steps in the interview process. It was a relaxed yet insightful chat that effectively set the stage for the rest of my interview journey.
The Assignment: A 1.5-Day Challenge
Following the introduction, I moved on to the assignment round, where I was allotted 1.5 days to complete a given task. Although I had the option to extend the deadline, I decided to challenge myself and completed it within the given time frame. Not only did I finish the task ahead of schedule, but I also enhanced it with custom functionalities like a Logger System and a CLI logs reader to further demonstrate my skills and creativity.
Github: https://github.com/starvader13/Forex-Historical-Data-REST-API
Technical Deep-Dive: Backend Interview
After submitting the assignment, the weekend passed, and on Monday, I got an interview scheduled with Rishi Dubey from the backend team.
This round was particularly intense, as the focus was on evaluating my deep understanding of the technologies, tools, and frameworks I’ve worked with. The emphasis wasn’t just on how I implemented these in code or what functionalities they provide, but on grasping the underlying mechanisms that enable these functionalities.
Although I applied for a backend role, my resume also highlighted my frontend experience and DSA skills, so I faced some frontend-related questions as well. The objective here remained consistent: to assess my comprehension of the internal workings and potential optimizations of the technologies I’ve used. The round concluded with a DSA problem focused on binary search.
Final Round: In-Depth with the Head of Engineering
The final interview was with Deep Diwakar, this was arguably the most challenging round, with a strong emphasis on backend concepts and my ability to solve logical and mathematical problems. Deep and I covered a broad range of topics, from encryption and hashing to DoS, DDoS, rate-limiting, debounce, throttling and many more.
For example, during our discussion on encryption and hashing, we explored the differences between the two, how bcrypt functions internally, what hash table collisions are, and strategies to minimize them. We also examined the role of salt in bcrypt and hashing, making the conversation both challenging and enlightening.
Similarly, we delved into other complex topics, but my key advice for this round would be to focus on what you genuinely know and to ensure you have a deep understanding of it. It’s essential to discuss only what you’re confident about and avoid using buzzwords without a solid grasp of their meaning.
My Advice
For anyone preparing for a similar interview, my advice is to deeply understand the technologies you’ve worked with—not just what they do, but how and why they work. Also, ensure you have a strong introduction of yourself that highlights your growth as an engineer from college to now, as this sets a great tone for the interview.
I’m happy to share that I’ve been selected for the role at Vance! The interview process was a truly enriching experience that challenged me to articulate my technical knowledge like never before. I’m excited for what’s ahead!
Cheers! 🚀