Interview Experience – ProcDNA | Systems Engineer 🚀

College: SCTRS PUNE INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY Batch: 2027 | Branch: IT | Total Rounds: 1

Process Snapshot 📸

• Eligibility & Shortlisting:

  • CGPA cutoff: 6.74

  • 1-hour Online Assessment: Covered English, Logic, and Quantitative Ability.

  • Case Study Round: Involved solving 5 SQL queries.

• Application Route: On-campus

Round-by-Round Breakdown 🎯

Round 1: Technical + HR Interview (Approx. 45 minutes) This was the sole interview round and covered a broad range of topics:

• Short Introduction: A quick self-introduction from the candidate.

• Project Discussion: Deep dive into the candidate's projects.

• System Design: Focused on an LLM-based project.

• SQL Questions: Covering various SQL concepts.

• Puzzles: Problem-solving puzzles.

• HR Questions: Behavioral and confidence-checking questions.

Difficulty, Topics, and Interview Focus 🤔

• Difficulty Across Rounds: Medium

• Most Asked Topics:

  • DBMS (Database Management Systems)

  • OOP (Object-Oriented Programming)

  • Real-time solutions for LLM-based applications

• What Interviewers Focused On: Problem-solving, fundamental concepts, projects, communication skills, LLM (Large Language Models), and puzzles.

Coding and Project Discussion 💻

• Coding Question Patterns / Expected Approach:

  • SQL was a major focus, including window functions, joins, PL/SQL, and triggers.

  • Candidates were expected to demonstrate problem-solving by starting with a brute-force approach and then optimizing it to an optimal solution.

• Project Deep-Dive (architecture, trade-offs, scaling, debugging):

  • Adhyana: An AI-powered skill intelligence and personalized learning platform designed to identify skill gaps and provide personalized learning paths.

  • AYDF: A digital platform for NGOs, aimed at streamlining operations, managing activities and initiatives, and improving coordination among organizations and stakeholders.

HR and Behavioral 🗣️

• HR/Behavioral Questions: Primarily focused on assessing the candidate's confidence.

• Unexpected/Tricky Moments + Handling:

  • The Challenge: A live feature was proposed for one of the candidate's projects: adding a YouTube video "best track system" (likely "best transcript system" or "best tracking system") for videos without existing transcripts, and then adding multilingual functionality to it.

  • Candidate's Approach:

    1. Convert video into chunks.

    2. Convert chunks into audio segments.

    3. Use Python language modules to detect the original language of the audio.

    4. Translate the detected language into English.

    5. Convert the English text into embeddings for an LLM-based approach.

Final Outcome 🎉

• Verdict: Selected

Mistakes to Avoid 🚫

• Puzzles: Be thoroughly prepared for puzzles.

• SQL: Don't miss out on SQL-related questions; practice going from brute-force solutions to optimal ones.

• Communication: Remember that interviewers are often willing to help you approach an optimal solution, so communicate your thought process clearly.

Preparation Strategy 📚

• What Helped Most (resources/mocks/plan):

  • Puzzles: YouTube and GeeksforGeeks.

  • SQL: SQL50.

  • Projects & Tech Stack: Entirely YouTube.

  • Problem Solving: Striver's A2Z DSA Sheet.

• 7-Day Priority Plan for Juniors:

  • SQL

  • Resume preparation

  • System Design

  • Quantitative and Logical Ability

  • Core CS subjects

Optional Offer Details 💼

• Role Type: Technology Analyst

• Location: Kharadi

• Package: 16.4 LPA

Quick Checklist for Students ✅

• Master SQL (window functions, joins, PL/SQL, triggers).

• Prepare for system design, especially LLM-based applications.

• Practice problem-solving puzzles.

• Be ready for deep dives into your projects.

• Brush up on core CS fundamentals (DBMS, OOP).

• Work on communication skills; explain your thought process.

• Prepare for behavioral questions assessing confidence.