ZipRecruiter OA Interview Record｜Process + Questions and Answers

In the process of preparing for the job search, many students will ignore the importance of OA. In fact, for most Internet companies, OA is the real first pass after screening resumes. If you don't pass the OA, it's hard to enter the interview process even if your resume is brilliant. Recently, I have compiled a ZipRecruiter OA interview experience, which not only covers the process introduction, but also contains specific questions and problem solving, to give you a more intuitive reference.

Compared to some traditional OAZipRecruiter The examination point is more inclined to practical application scenarios, both algorithmic programming questions, but also involves SQL, data processing and logical thinking class examination. The overall difficulty is medium, but the time limit is relatively tight, and the requirements for clarity of thought and proficiency are high.

Overview of OA processes

ZipRecruiter's OA is typically sent from a third-party platform and consists of the following:

1. Coding Challenge
   • 2 programming questions of about 45 minutes duration
   • Topic types favor basic data structures and algorithms, involving string, array, and hashmap operations.
2. Logic / Numerical Reasoning
   • Approx. 8-10 questions, 20 minutes in length
   • Content includes tabular data reasoning, numerical laws, and logical judgment
3. Work Simulation
   • Given a business scenario for a recruitment/recommendation system, examine how to handle user requirements and data metrics
   • Belongs to the situational judgment test

The overall length is 70-90 minutes, and the system automatically monitors the number of tab switches, so we recommend that you sit down and finish it all at once.

OA Question Recall

The following is a recollection of the questions, with the question and answer parts all presented in English for your visual understanding:

Question 1: String Transformation

Problem.
Given a string s, return the minimum number of character deletions required so that no two adjacent characters are the same.

Example.

• Input. "aab"
• Output. 1 (delete one 'a')

Solution.
We can iterate through the string and count how many times consecutive characters are the same.

def minDeletions(s: str) -> int.
    deletions = 0
    
        if s[i] == s[i-1].
            deletions += 1
    return deletions

Question 2: Job Application Counter

Problem.
You are given a list of job applications in the form of (user_id, job_id). Return the number of unique jobs each user has applied to.

Example.

• Input. [(1, 101), (1, 102), (2, 101), (1, 101)]
• Output. {1: 2, 2: 1}

Solution.
We can use a dictionary with sets to track unique job applications per user.

from collections import defaultdict

def countApplications(applications): user_jobs = defaultdict(set)
    user_jobs = defaultdict(set)
    for user, job in applications: user_jobs[user].add(job)
        user_jobs[user].add(job)
    return {user: len(jobs) for user, jobs in user_jobs.items()}

Question 3: Numerical reasoning

Problem.
If 5 recruiters can review 200 resumes in 4 hours, how many recruiters are needed to review 500 resumes in 5 hours?

Solution.

• Rate: 200 resumes / (5 recruiters * 4 hours) = 10 resumes per recruiter per hour
• Requirement: 500 resumes / 5 hours = 100 resumes per hour
• Recruiters needed: 100 / 10 = 10 recruiters

Answer: 10

Question 4: Business Case (Work Simulation)

Scenario.
ZipRecruiter notices that many job seekers abandon the application process halfway. As a data scientist, how would you investigate and propose solutions? As a data scientist, how would you investigate and propose solutions?

Answer (outline).

1. Analyze funnel data (click → start application → submit → interview invite).
2. Identify drop-off stage (e.g., long forms, external redirects).
3. Run A/B test with shorter forms or autofill features.
4. Measure conversion improvement and user satisfaction metrics.

caveat

• timing: The previous coding questions may take more time, so it is recommended that you keep them to 20-25 minutes.
• logic question: A lot of them are quick math questions, so don't get stuck for too long.
• Work Simulation: There is no standard answer, it depends mainly on logical soundness.

In conclusion.

Overall, ZipRecruiter's OA is more of a general aptitude test than just an algorithm exam. If you only prepare to brush up on LeetCode, you may feel a bit uncomfortable. It is recommended that you prepare for it:

• Coding Some of the more practiced array/hashmap problems;
• logical valueQuestions can be brushed up on some SHL or GMAT question types;
• business scenarioHave a sense of recruiting/recommender systems and answer the questions in a way that highlights data-driven and experimental design thinking.

If you are also preparing for OA in the near future or want to take the target offer in the shortest possible time.Programhelp The team can provide full remote assistance to help you from the topic analysis to practical exercises to do in mind.

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