🚀 My Quince Frontend Interview Experience | 45 LPA | SDE-3 Frontend

Overview

This case study examines a frontend engineer's interview process at Quince for a Software Development Engineer (SDE-3) role. The candidate progressed through the initial technical screening but was ultimately rejected despite a strong performance. This analysis aims to shed light on the challenges and potential pitfalls in the tech hiring landscape.

Interview Rounds

The Quince interview process consisted of the following rounds:

Round 1: Bar Raiser Round

• Mode: Bar Raiser Platform
• Focus Areas: Performance, Optimization, Problem Solving, and JavaScript Internals

This round emphasized the candidate's proficiency in JavaScript and problem-solving skills. The candidate was assessed on the following:

1. Union & Intersection of Two Sorted Arrays: The candidate provided JavaScript code to determine the union and intersection of two sorted arrays. The solution utilized Set and filter methods for efficiency.

   const a = [1, 3, 4, 6, 7];
   const b = [2, 3, 4, 5];
   
   const union = [...new Set([...a, ...b])].sort((x, y) => x - y); 
   // [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
   const intersection = a.filter(val => b.includes(val)); 
   // [3, 4]
   

2. Return the Candidate with Max Votes: The candidate developed a solution to identify the candidate with the most votes, resolving ties by selecting the first occurring candidate.

   const votes = ['a','a','b','b','a','b','c'];
   const map = new Map();
   let maxVotes = 0;
   let winner = '';
   for (let vote of votes) {
     map.set(vote, (map.get(vote) || 0) + 1);
     if (map.get(vote) > maxVotes) {
       maxVotes = map.get(vote);
       winner = vote;
     }
   }
   console.log(winner); // 'a'
   

3. Object Comparison: The candidate demonstrated an understanding of object comparison in JavaScript, noting that objects are compared by reference, not by value.

   let obj1 = {};
   let obj2 = {};
   console.log(obj1 == obj2);  // false ❌
   console.log(obj1 === obj2); // false ❌
   // ⚠️ JavaScript compares objects by reference, not by value.
   

Round 2: Machine Coding Challenge

• Task: Fetch data from an API and handle edge cases like null/empty responses, loading state, and errors.

The candidate successfully completed the machine coding challenge, producing clean, testable, and well-explained code. The implementation was designed to be scalable and production-ready.

Rejection

Despite performing well in both rounds, the candidate received a generic rejection email without specific feedback. Attempts to obtain clarification from HR were unsuccessful.

Key Takeaways

• Interview Performance vs. Outcome: Strong interview performance does not guarantee a job offer, as subjective factors can influence the decision-making process.
• Interviewer Accountability: The interview process should be conducted with respect and accountability, providing candidates with constructive feedback.
• Red Flags: Disrespectful or disinterested interviewer behavior during the interview process may indicate potential issues with the company culture.
• Two-Way Feedback: Candidates invest significant time preparing for interviews and deserve thoughtful, personalized feedback.
• Bias Reduction: Implementing measures such as screen recording during interviews could potentially reduce bias and improve fairness.