Interview Experience - 51 - Disney+ Hotstar | SDE-1
Summary
📌 Job Role: Software Development Engineer
🔢 Number of Rounds: 5
📜 Offer Status: Offer
📍 Location: Not Disclosed
👤 Candidate Name: Not disclosing due to signed NDA
Interview Process
I applied to Disney+ Hotstar through an employee referral and received a coding test link within two days.
The complete interview process consisted of 5 rounds:
Hackerrank Coding Test
Technical Interview - Coding and Project Discussion
Technical Interview - OS, CN, and Coding
Hiring Manager Round
HR Round
After completing the HR round, I received a call informing me about my selection after three days.
Preparation Guide
There was no dedicated preparation course or resource that I followed. However, regular practice on LeetCode, revisiting OS, CN, and DBMS concepts, and thoroughly preparing project details helped me during the interviews.
From my experience, it is crucial to have:
Strong fundamentals in Data Structures and Algorithms.
Good understanding of core CS subjects like OS, Computer Networks, and DBMS.
Hands-on familiarity with your own projects and internship experience, along with the ability to explain them well.
Clear articulation during coding rounds, with a focus on writing complete, production-quality code.
Interview Rounds
Round 1: Hackerrank Coding Test
Duration: 90 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
The first round was a Hackerrank coding test consisting of 2 questions that needed to be solved within 90 minutes. Both questions were based on dynamic programming and were around the medium level if compared to LeetCode standards.
Although I do not remember the exact problems, they required a solid understanding of DP patterns and the ability to come up with optimized solutions.
I was able to attempt both problems, although with minor edge case misses that I later reviewed and corrected in the post-test analysis phase.
Key Learnings
Practice a wide variety of dynamic programming problems.
Focus on writing clean code that handles edge cases properly.
Time management is crucial when only two problems are given in a relatively limited time.
Round 2: Coding and Project Discussion
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
This round was a video interview. The interviewer started by discussing my internship experience and a few projects that I had worked on. The discussion mainly revolved around the challenges faced during the projects and my approach to solving them.
Post project discussion, we moved to coding problems:
Reverse a linked list using both recursive and iterative methods.
Reverse the linked list in parts.
Find the Intersection and Union of two arrays.
The interviewer emphasized that writing just the function would not be sufficient. I was required to:
Write the complete code including the main and helper functions.
Handle and define all possible edge cases.
Optimize the solutions as much as possible.
The interviewer was quite focused on code quality and the approach towards problem-solving rather than just getting to the answer.
Key Learnings
Be ready to explain and code your solutions completely, including all supporting functions.
Always address and cover edge cases.
Optimization and clean code structure are highly valued.
Round 3: OS, CN, and Coding
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
This round followed a similar format to the previous technical round but with a deeper focus on core Computer Science subjects.
The interviewer asked questions on Operating Systems (OS) and Computer Networks (CN) such as:
Paging and Memory Management concepts.
Function and working of DNS servers.
After the theoretical questions, we moved to coding problems:
Given an array of integers, create the largest number possible by concatenating them.
Find the maximum path sum in a tree.
For the tree problem, I was required to create the struct and helper classes myself, clearly showcasing object-oriented design.
The round tested both the theoretical CS knowledge and the ability to implement optimized solutions in a structured manner.
Key Learnings
Solid understanding of OS and CN basics is a must.
While solving tree-based problems, being able to design supporting data structures is essential.
Clear articulation of thought process during coding helps a lot.
Round 4: Hiring Manager Round
Duration: 45-50 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
This was the Hiring Manager round where the focus was more on overall technical breadth and project experiences.
Questions included:
Basic concepts of Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs).
Operating System and Computer Networks concepts.
DBMS-related questions like SQL vs NoSQL and indexing.
The discussion was informal but quite detailed. The manager spent considerable time discussing my internship projects — specifically challenges faced, design decisions made, and results achieved.
The round concluded with the manager explaining about the kind of work at Disney+ Hotstar and what to expect in terms of team culture and projects.
Key Learnings
Be thorough with basic concepts across different domains — OOPs, OS, CN, DBMS.
Be prepared to go in-depth into your past project experiences.
Communicate clearly, logically, and honestly.
Round 5: HR Round
Duration: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Experience
The final round was the HR discussion. The conversation covered:
Preferred technology stack.
Location preference.
Reasons for wanting to join Disney+ Hotstar.
Any other offers in hand.
The HR was friendly and mostly tried to gauge cultural fit and alignment with the company's goals.
Key Learnings
Be genuine about your preferences and motivations.
Make sure to research about the company beforehand to tailor your answers accordingly.
Maintain a positive, confident demeanor during HR discussions.
Final Thoughts
The overall process at Disney+ Hotstar was quite structured and smooth.
Here are some key takeaways:
Strong grasp on fundamentals of CS subjects (OS, CN, DBMS) can significantly boost your confidence during interviews.
Regular DSA practice, especially on platforms like LeetCode, is essential.
Coding during interviews should not just aim for the correct solution but should also focus on readability, completeness, and optimization.
Knowing your own projects inside-out is crucial, especially when facing Hiring Managers.
Stay calm and composed during all rounds, and be honest when you do not know something.
If you are preparing for SDE-1 roles, especially as a fresher, focusing equally on both coding and system fundamentals will make a big difference.