I applied through university. I interviewed at Pinterest in Feb 2018
Interview
Coding challenge for round 1 (12hr time limit, expected 3hr) using Lytmus. Followed by 1hr live coding challenge - TBD on difficulty. Able to install any 3rd party libraries during coding round 1 coding test which simplifies all the problems. Also able to use outside resources such as StackOverflow if needed.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
1. Object recognition problem 2. SQL inner join problem 3. managing API calls within time limit per IP
The phone screen was a mix of behavioral questions and some basic technical concepts, which was a bit different from what I anticipated. After that, I faced a technical round that focused on implementing sparse matrix operations. To my surprise, the coding question was nearly identical to what I'd practiced in the algorithm section on PracHub just days before. The onsite interview included some more DSA challenges and a discussion on machine learning concepts, which helped me feel well-prepared. Overall, the experience was smooth, and I accepted the offer afterward.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Implement sparse matrix storage, addition, and multiplication
The assessment time was very short and harsh. There were lots of questions with a very limited time. I liked the other big companies' assessments better. For example, Meta and Google assessments are through talking to a person while coding.
I applied for the new grad MLE position. The process included an online assessment, a 20-minute HR call, and four onsite interviews (two coding and two machine learning system design).