My Razorpay Interview Experience [November 2024]: A Deep Dive into Frontend Engineering

Overview

In November 2024, a candidate interviewed for a Senior Frontend Engineer position at Razorpay, one of India's leading fintech companies. The interview process was comprehensive, spanning multiple technical rounds that assessed deep technical expertise, system design capabilities, and practical implementation skills. This experience offers valuable insights for frontend engineers preparing for interviews at product-based companies.

Razorpay's interview process is known for its rigour and focus on real-world problem-solving. The candidate underwent two primary technical rounds: a Technical Deep Dive and a Machine Coding Challenge. Each round was designed to evaluate different aspects of frontend engineering competency, from architectural thinking to hands-on component development.

Interview Process

The interview process comprised two distinct technical rounds, each serving a specific purpose in evaluating the candidate's suitability for the Senior Frontend Engineer role.

Round Structure

• Round 1: Technical Deep Dive — Focused on technical expertise, decision-making processes, and problem-solving approaches. This round lasted approximately 60-90 minutes.
• Round 2: Machine Coding Challenge — A practical implementation test assessing the candidate's ability to build production-ready React components.

The process began with an initial screening, followed by these two intensive technical rounds. The interviewers were experienced engineers who emphasised understanding the 'why' behind technical decisions rather than just the 'how'.

Technical Rounds

Round 1: Technical Deep Dive

The first round commenced with a discussion about the candidate's current projects, responsibilities, and notable achievements. The interviewer showed particular interest in side projects and open-source contributions, allowing the candidate to demonstrate their passion for technology and continuous learning.

Project Discussion

The candidate was asked to walk through their most challenging project. Specific questions included:

• "Describe a complex technical problem you solved recently. What was your approach?"
• "What trade-offs did you make in your architectural decisions?"
• "How did you handle scalability concerns in your current codebase?"

Core Web Vitals and Performance Optimisation

A significant portion of the discussion centred on web performance optimisation. The interviewer probed deeply into Core Web Vitals, asking:

• "Explain the difference between FCP (First Contentful Paint) and LCP (Largest Contentful Paint). When would optimising one take priority over the other?"