I applied online. I interviewed at Rakuten (Tokyo)
Interview
The coding test was challenging, comparable to easy questions in the "hard" level on LeetCode. However, since ChatGPT was allowed, I didn't need to implement tedious algorithms manually, which made the process more manageable despite the difficulty.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
In the behavioral interview, the interviewers only asked the standard predictable questions that were relatively easy to prepared for. However, in the technical interview, they ware focusing on how I approached the coding test, evaluated my experience as a data scientist, covering topics such as:
Development experience relevant to the desired position
Lessons learned from previous development experience
Challenges faced during development projects
Efforts to enhance my skills and knowledge
My career plan and how I intend to achieve it at this company
this interview process had 5 rounds
2 was a tech test
３ were conversational in nature
with various managers from direct and indirect to the department manager mostly in Japan but also outside Japan.
1st Interview was simple leetcode task and some questions about Kubernetes. 2nd interview - classical ML and DL questions, Final interview is mostly informal, but there may appear some questions about specific experience and problem solving
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is the difference between random forest and boosting?
Initial LeetCode coding test, hiring manager interview for profile and role fit, multiple technical rounds covering statistics, machine learning, SQL, Python, and case studies, concluding with behavioral interviews evaluating teamwork, communication, and cultural alignment.