I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at DigitalOcean (New York, NY) in Mar 2018
Interview
It was a really long process for me because I interviewed with 3 different teams. Despite the waiting and multiple rounds, it was a positive indication of how much thought and care they put into hiring employees. I was referred by a DigitalOcean employee and then had the initial phone screen. This basically goes over your resume and interest in the company. Then I met with the Engineering manager of the first team I was interviewing for. Once I passed that screen, I was given a take home coding assignment which I found to be indicative of the work environment you would be working in at DigitalOcean. It was very practical and hands down my favorite type of coding test in comparison to other companies known for whiteboarding. Once that's done, I went onsite to meet the team. It went well, did some whiteboarding(my choice) mixed with explanation of experience, code assignment overview and how to design systems. A lot of video conferencing occurs throughout the interview process, which is another sign of the work environment at DigitalOcean since a lot of engineers work remote. Then the HR team decided that this engineering team was not the best fit for me, so I interviewed with a second team. Same situation, I started to get worried. But I was contacted by HR throughout the whole process with updates on status. Then in the last team interview I met with a engineering manager, a director and finally a hiring manager and discussed my interest in joining another team. Once that went well, I received a verbal offer the next day and an official offer to sign the day after that.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Can you explain why you designed your coding assignment solution the way you did?
I applied online for a remote role in the US. The process began with a recruiter call that was nothing short of unprofessional. Instead of sharing any background about the company or role, the recruiter focused only on my compensation expectations and made it clear they would proceed only if my range fit the hiring team.
They quickly scheduled technical rounds, I completed multiple standard SDE interviews with the hiring manager and team, and was later informed that I had cleared all rounds and that they were ready to extend an offer. Then complete silence for two weeks.
When the recruiter finally resurfaced to “discuss” the offer, no numbers were presented. Instead, I was again asked for my salary expectations (the same ones I had already shared in the first call). To make matters worse, the recruiter even asked if my expectations were in INR or USD, despite this being a US-based remote role. I was told an official offer would follow within two days, but they completely ghosted afterward.
This was by far one of the most unprofessional recruiting experiences I’ve ever had. A month-long process wasted, marked by poor communication, blatant disregard for the candidate’s time, and ultimately, zero follow-through. Based on this experience, I would strongly advise others to think twice before interviewing here.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at DigitalOcean
Interview
Basic Introduction, Projects you worked on (Discussion around the same), Technology you are passionate about, Lastly, problem solving for 45 minutes, walkthrough & discussion around the approach TC/SC you will be asked to use your own IDE or coderpad
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Question Similar to Cheapest Flights Within K Stops (Spin off)
I applied through other source. I interviewed at DigitalOcean (Lahore) in May 2022
Interview
Initial HR Call: During this call, you will engage in discussions mainly about the role, on high-level things. You'll cover your background, salary expectations, and cultural fit. Hiring Manager Call: In this call, you will interact with a tech lead or a senior team member who will ask you behavioral questions. Topics will include your career goals, conflict-resolution approach, personality traits, and other non-technical aspects. Development and System Design Interview: During this stage, you'll work with a senior engineer to collaboratively find a viable solution to a problem. It will involve a live coding session, testing your general problem-solving skills and algorithmic knowledge. (Best part is they might tell you about the problem before the interview via an email so you can prepare stuff before hand) Additionally, they might inquire about your system design capabilities, either related to the same coding problem or other scenarios. Debugging and Diagnostic Interview: This segment comprises a verbal conversation with a senior engineer or architect. They will ask you questions related to identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in web services. You'll also discuss your approach to debugging and how you handle production issues right from the initial stages. Team Collaboration Call: Although this call was scheduled, it didn't take place, got rejection before this.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
- Write an http service that shortens the big URLs. - System design related questions related to above service. - Race conditions related questions like types of locks and how to use them. - General questions to assess your debugging skills
