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My interview experience

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2025-03-11 ByteDance Test Development Intern

I reviewed testing and development topics intensively before the interview. Total duration: 30 minutes.
  1. They drilled into my data visualization project, especially the difficult parts.
  2. They asked about database table design, such as classroom tables and student course-selection tables.
  3. They gave me an SQL problem: find the top 20 students by course score. I could not write it because I had forgotten too much MySQL.
  4. There was a logic puzzle: among 27 balls, one is fake and has a different weight. How would you use a balance scale to find it, and how many weighings would it take? I vaguely remembered a similar 8-ball problem, but I still could not work it out.
  5. There was also an algorithm problem about merging two sorted arrays. I panicked and almost wanted to use sort + set, which reminded me that I still need much more algorithm practice.
  6. After the algorithm question, another interviewer returned to the ball puzzle and asked how the solution would change if the fake ball were known to be heavier. I still could not come up with a good approach.
  7. In the Q&A round, I asked what languages and frameworks ByteDance test development usually uses, and whether they build internal testing platforms. The answer was that there is no mandatory language and the platform work depends on actual needs.
The result was as bad as I expected. I answered poorly, and a one-hour interview ended after only 30 minutes. Still, it was my first interview, so it was a useful wake-up call. There is a lot to improve.

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2025-04-17 Shanghai Yonyou Government Software Co. Implementation Consultant Intern

This interview also lasted about 30 minutes, and the whole experience felt a bit unexpected.
  1. I gave a short self-introduction and then they asked about my project. At that point I realized the meeting recording was not turned on.
  2. They asked what I had learned from data mining, deep learning, and management-related courses. Most of my answer was basic concepts, and it felt like the interviewer was not very familiar with the subject either.
  3. They asked about the visualization project and even asked me what Vue was.
  4. They asked which Python libraries I knew. I mentioned libraries I had studied on my own, such as httpx, selenium, and other common tools.
  5. They asked about modeling competitions and their real-world applications. I answered honestly that they mostly solve specific problems and are not always directly applied in production.
  6. They asked about Office skills—Word, PowerPoint, Excel—which made the interview feel much less technical.
  7. They also asked about my class schedule and how long I would be available for an internship, mentioning the graduation certificate requirement for full-time conversion.
  8. In the Q&A round, they asked how enterprise projects are typically implemented. I guessed they might be referring to project management rather than SQL.
Overall, the interview felt strange. The interviewer gave me the impression of a very conservative programmer, almost like someone from a traditional state-owned enterprise environment. I also felt that my skill set did not match the role very well. My weak point was still SQL syntax, which I clearly need to review. On the positive side, I felt no pressure at all this time. Since it was my second interview, I was not nervous anymore. It almost felt like an HR screening round.
Last modified on April 17, 2026