Interview Process   |   Interview Puzzles / Aptitude
Organization : Yelp
Position : Software Engineer

Yelp Interview Process


I applied at Yelp for the post of Software Engineer through an online application. My interview process at Yelp had six rounds in total - one telephonic screening, one telephonic interview and four face to face interviews. The entire process took more than four weeks.

Round 1 - Telephonic Screening
After applying, I was called by the HR for the basic screening. All questions were pretty basic and for most of the time, I was simply telling her about myself and my education. After this screening, she informed me about a telephonic interview with an engineer.

Round 2 - Telephonic Interview
After the initial screening, it was now time for an interview over phone with an engineer. Many questions were asked. Though most of them were basics, some very really good questions. My interviewer was quite friendly and I never felt any pressure over my shoulders during that interview. Some of the questions that were asked:
Q1. If in Java, two objects reference each other, will they be garbage collected?
Q2. How will you improve the performance of a website?
Q3. Questions of Pascal triangle.
Q4. Anagram sort for a huge list of words that don't fit in memory.

Round 3 - First On-Site Interview
After I got through the Telephonic Interview, I was called for my first on-site interview. This first round began with questions about myself and then picked up a bit asking java based basic questions.
Q1. If we add more indexes to a database, will it improve the performance?
Q2. Given a string, find the longest string with unique characters.

Round 4 - Second On-Site Interview
This technical interview was pretty much similar to the previous one except for the fact that some other official was sitting in front of me.
Q1. Why do you want to join Yelp?
Q2. If you are given a list of urls, how will you find the top five most visited urls?

Round 5 - Third On-Site Interview
This technical round was a bit difficult than all the previous rounds. The technical questions now became complex as the interview progressed. This round will very much decide your fate as only the serious candidates who have prepared well will be able to get through with it.
Q1. Implement the 'cd' command i.e. given a function cd('a/b','c/../d/e/../f'), where 1st param is current directory and 2nd param is the sequence of operations, find the final directory that the user will be in when the cd command is executed
Q2. Questions on anagram sort.
Q3. Database structures related questions.

Round 6 - Fourth On-Site Interview
This interview was more focused on behavior related questions and HR based questions. However still there were some technical questions asked to me.
Q1. Why do you chose Yelp over other companies?
Q2. How will you help in the growth of Yelp?
Q3. Implement Regex.

How to crack (get into) Yelp Interview


The interview process at Yelp is comparatively longer and difficult than other competing companies. This is what I felt during my interview. After the initial screening, the level of difficulty started increasing and the on-site interviews were something that you can't crack without giving hard efforts. Even the telephonic interview was pretty good.

I have explained and even given out the topics or questions that were asked to me in my interviews which you can consider as pointers towards what you should expect from your interview at Yelp.

They require smart and professional people and they will judge you on the same terms. Knowledge can be possessed by many but not all people are quite smart to impress them. The key is your confidence level and the approach that pushes you towards your goal. Just try to solve any code or any problem given by them and give your best shot. If they feel that you don't give up easily, they will admire you for sure. But of course, you should work really hard to make your first impression as someone who is thoroughly clear with all the basic terms and fundamentals.

With that, I would say that my best wishes are with you all. The company is great and you w ill love working here.


Thanks Anmol for sharing the details of your interview.
Send more details and your personal experiences [email protected]
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