Facing an Amazon technical interview is a significant challenge for any job seeker. With CSOAHelp's guidance, candidates can tackle even the most complex problems with confidence. In this article, we recount a candidate’s experience during a recent Amazon interview, highlighting how CSOAHelp provided critical support every step of the way.
Interview Question: Finding the Closest Shared Manager
There is a company which has a CEO and a hierarchy of employees. All employees have a unique ID, name, and a pointer to their manager and their reports. Please implement the
whoIsOurBoss()method to find the closest manager for two given employees (i.e., the manager farthest from the CEO that both employees report up to).
Stage 1: Clarifying the Problem
The candidate began the interview by asking clarifying questions, a crucial step to ensure complete understanding of the problem:
Candidate:
“May I confirm a few details about the problem to ensure I understand it correctly?
- Are employee IDs guaranteed to be unique?
- Can an employee report to more than one manager, or is the hierarchy strictly a tree structure?
- Should the CEO be considered as a valid result if it happens to be the closest shared manager?”
Interviewer:
“Yes, IDs are unique, the hierarchy is strictly a tree, and the CEO can indeed be the answer if applicable.”
How CSOAHelp Helped:
CSOAHelp prepared the candidate with a tailored list of clarifying questions. This ensured they addressed potential ambiguities early, setting a strong foundation for the rest of the interview. The guidance also emphasized confirming edge cases, such as whether the CEO could be the answer, demonstrating thoroughness and attention to detail.
Stage 2: Communicating the Solution Approach
With the problem clarified, the candidate outlined their high-level approach:
Candidate:
“To solve this problem, I plan to:
- Build a path from each employee to the CEO.
- Compare the two paths to find the deepest common node, which represents the closest shared manager.
- Use optimizations such as storing visited nodes in a set to reduce time complexity when comparing paths.
Does this approach align with what you’re looking for?”
Interviewer:
“That sounds like a reasonable approach. How would you handle edge cases, such as when one employee is the manager of the other?”
How CSOAHelp Helped:
CSOAHelp trained the candidate to present a structured solution and preemptively address potential concerns like edge cases. Real-time assistance during the interview ensured that the candidate clearly articulated their logic and adapted to feedback seamlessly.
Stage 3: Addressing Follow-Up Questions
As the discussion deepened, the interviewer asked additional questions to test the candidate’s adaptability:
Interviewer:
“What would you do if the input employees are the same or if one of them is not found in the hierarchy?”
Candidate:
“If the two employees are the same, the function should return that employee directly as the answer. For the second scenario, I would validate the inputs before starting the main logic to ensure both employees exist in the hierarchy.”
How CSOAHelp Helped:
CSOAHelp's real-time support helped the candidate remain composed and provide concise, well-reasoned answers. By preparing the candidate to handle such edge cases efficiently, CSOAHelp ensured they impressed the interviewer with their problem-solving skills.
Stage 4: Time and Space Complexity Analysis
The next step was to analyze the solution’s performance:
Interviewer:
“Can you explain the time and space complexity of your solution?”
Candidate:
“Sure. The time complexity is O(N), where N is the total number of employees, as we may need to traverse from the two given employees to the CEO in the worst case. The space complexity is O(D), where D is the depth of the tree, as we store paths from each employee to the CEO.”
How CSOAHelp Helped:
CSOAHelp’s pre-interview coaching provided the candidate with templates to structure their complexity analysis clearly. The candidate was able to confidently explain the trade-offs, demonstrating both technical expertise and efficiency.
Stage 5: Behavioral Question (BQ)
In the final stage, the interviewer moved on to a behavioral question:
Interviewer:
“Can you describe a time when you worked with a team to solve a difficult problem?”
Candidate (with CSOAHelp’s coaching):
“In one of my previous projects, we encountered a major bottleneck in our data pipeline under high load. My role was to identify the root cause and propose a solution. After investigating, I suggested introducing a caching mechanism to optimize performance, which reduced processing time by 40%. I regularly communicated updates during team meetings to ensure alignment and collaboration. The solution not only solved the issue but also enhanced the overall system’s scalability.”
How CSOAHelp Helped:
Behavioral questions can be challenging, but CSOAHelp provided the candidate with tailored examples and a STAR-based template (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to craft impactful responses. This ensured the candidate showcased their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills effectively.
The Role of CSOAHelp: Key Takeaways
This Amazon technical interview was a success, thanks to CSOAHelp’s comprehensive support. From pre-interview preparation to real-time assistance during the interview, CSOAHelp played a pivotal role in the candidate’s performance:
- Clarifying Questions: CSOAHelp helped the candidate identify key ambiguities and formulate precise questions.
- Structured Problem-Solving: Real-time coaching enabled the candidate to articulate a clear, organized approach.
- Edge Case Handling: The candidate was prepared to address edge cases and follow-up questions confidently.
- Behavioral Questions: With CSOAHelp’s templates, the candidate delivered polished and impactful answers.
Why CSOAHelp?
Amazon interviews are challenging, but with CSOAHelp by your side, you’ll be equipped to handle them confidently. From clarifying complex problems to acing behavioral questions, CSOAHelp ensures you’re always prepared.
Are you ready to ace your next interview? Let CSOAHelp guide you to success.
如果您也想在面试中脱颖而出，欢迎联系我们。CSOAHelp 提供全面的面试辅导与代面服务，帮助您成功拿到梦寐以求的 Offer！
If you need more interview support or interview proxy practice, feel free to contact us. We offer comprehensive interview support services to help you successfully land a job at your dream company.
