SDE-2 Frontend Interview Experience in Zepto

Overview

This document details the interview process for a Frontend SDE-2 position at Zepto. The evaluation included technical rounds, a machine coding challenge, and a hiring manager discussion. The assessment focused on core JavaScript knowledge, practical problem-solving skills, and the candidate's understanding of frontend development principles, including scalability and maintainability.

Interview Rounds

The interview process consisted of three primary rounds:

1. JavaScript Round

   This round assessed the candidate's understanding of fundamental JavaScript concepts. Key topics included:

   • Event Loop: Evaluation of the candidate's grasp of asynchronous task execution order.
   • Promises and Async/Await: Assessment of proficiency in handling asynchronous operations and understanding the distinctions between Promises and Async/Await.
   • Hoisting: Examination of the candidate's knowledge of variable and function hoisting in JavaScript.
   • Closures: Exploration of practical applications and the inner workings of closures.
   • Prototypes: Evaluation of understanding regarding inheritance, prototype chains, and the usage of Object.create().
   • this Keyword: Assessment of scoping and the correct usage of the this keyword.
   • Flattening Objects: The candidate was asked to describe techniques for flattening nested objects.

   The round also included general JavaScript questions to ensure a solid foundation in the language.

2. Machine Coding Round

   The machine coding round began with fundamental JavaScript questions pertaining to prototypes and the event loop. Subsequently, the candidate was presented with a UI design challenge using React.js in CodeSandbox.

   The task involved creating a form with three tabs: Profile, Interest, and Settings. Each tab contained various fields with specific requirements, including:

   • Age Field: Restriction to numeric values only.
   • Email Field: Validation for correct email format.

   The fields incorporated different input types, such as dropdowns, radio buttons, and checkboxes. The main requirements were:

   • Implementation of validation for mandatory fields.
   • Ensuring data persistence across tabs during switching.
   • Inclusion of a Submit button on the final tab to submit the entire form.

   Following the initial solution, the discussion centered on improving the form's scalability and maintainability. The interviewer emphasized the use of a form configuration object to dynamically generate the form based on the provided configuration. The discussion covered:

   • Scalability: How to extend or modify the form by updating the configuration without significant code rewriting.
   • Maintainability: Emphasis on writing modular, clean, and easily understandable code.

3. Hiring Manager (HM) Round

   This round concentrated on the candidate's past projects and practical experience. The discussion points included:

   • Project Walkthrough: A review of live projects, focusing on the tech stack and the candidate's role.
   • Challenges and Solutions: The candidate shared examples of performance challenges encountered in frontend applications and the strategies used to overcome them.
   • Design Patterns: A discussion of design patterns utilized in frontend projects and their real-world applications.
   • Code Organization: Best practices for organizing code within large-scale frontend applications.
   • Collaboration: The candidate's approach to collaborating with backend developers and designers.
   • Challenging Projects: A detailed discussion of a particularly challenging project and the methods used to overcome obstacles.
   • Performance Optimization: Techniques and strategies employed for optimizing frontend performance.
   • Development Process: A detailed explanation of the development process, from Product Requirement Documents (PRD) to deployment.

Key Takeaways

The interview process at Zepto for a Frontend SDE-2 role emphasizes a strong foundation in JavaScript, practical problem-solving skills demonstrated through machine coding, and a deep understanding of frontend architecture principles. Scalability, maintainability, and effective collaboration are crucial aspects evaluated during the interview. The candidate's ability to articulate their experience and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the frontend development lifecycle are key factors in the overall assessment.