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Student 10

Software Engineer at Trimble

Information Technology

SelectedBatch: 2021-2025
DifficultyMedium

Interview Experience

Technical Interview

Project deep dive with diagrams, SQL optimization, and space-optimized coding problems

Questions Asked:

  • Project Explanation: Draw its diagram (architecture, class diagram, ER diagram, or whatever you are comfortable with)
  • Backend: List the tables used in your project
  • Write a join query involving minimum 3 tables from your project
  • What do you mean by query optimization?
  • Optimize some queries and explain its workflow
  • Coding: Reverse every string in the sentence but not to reverse the sentence (Constraint: Space complexity O(1)). Example: Input: 'Hello World', Output: 'olleH dlroW'. What are its edge cases?
  • Coding: Clone a tree - Given input tree, create a new tree as exact copy (Constraint: Space complexity). Solution: Using DFS recursively (Recursion uses program stack memory, if we take iteration approach we need to create a stack which violates space constraint)

Tips for Juniors

  • Be ready to draw project diagrams on the spot - practice architecture, class, and ER diagrams
  • Know all database tables in your project and their relationships
  • Practice complex SQL joins with 3+ tables from your actual projects
  • Understand query optimization techniques: indexing, avoiding SELECT *, using EXPLAIN, query rewriting
  • Be able to explain query execution workflow and optimization strategies
  • For string reversal with space constraint: Use two-pointer algorithm for O(1) space
  • Consider edge cases: empty strings, single word, multiple spaces, special characters
  • For tree cloning with space constraint: Use DFS recursion (program stack doesn't count as extra space)
  • Understand why recursion is better than iteration for space-constrained tree problems
  • Always discuss space and time complexity trade-offs
  • Be prepared to justify your algorithmic choices based on constraints

Disclaimer: This interview experience is a personal account shared by the student. It represents their individual experience and may not reflect the standard recruitment process of the company. Student names have been changed to protect their privacy. The information provided is for educational and preparation purposes only and should not be considered as official company documentation.