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Baseline Guide

Background and purpose​

The System Design Interview is conducted to confirm the most important "problem-solving ability" at Souzoh as a software engineer.

Souzoh is a group company within the Mercari Group that specializes in the planning, development, and operation of new businesses, and the Mercari Shops it operates is a service developed from scratch (with the exception of some platform functions).
He requires each person to take ownership of the product issues and feature development that occur on a daily basis, and sometimes use practical and messy methods to solve problems.

In that situation, in-depth knowledge of a particular technology or framework is more important than how you define the challenges you face, how you think about them, and how you communicate with your team members. I believe that the most important thing is the comprehensive ability to lead to a solution.
At Souzoh, he defines this ability as "problem-solving ability," and we will confirm it through the System Design Interview.

Implementation content​

  1. Use a tool (Google Jamboard, Google Slides, etc.) to draw the system configuration diagram used for the interview
    1. Give authority to the email address used during selection
  2. At the beginning of the interview, we will share a document with system design topics and requirements that Souzoh engineers face in real life.
    1. The content of the topic will be determined based on the applicant's area of ​​expertise and experience.
    2. The documentation is written in English and is designed to be easy to read and understand.
  3. You will lead to better solutions through questions, sharing ideas, and discussions with the interviewer.

What applicants do during the interview​

  • Understand system requirements and suggest appropriate architecture
  • Explain the rationale for architecture selection, benefits, and concerns
  • Think about the overall system design, explain it, and illustrate it if necessary.
  • Explain the outline of the ML model to be incorporated into the system (only for those applying for the position of software engineer (ML))

Points to check​

  • How to communicate with the interviewer
  • If you have any questions about system requirements, ask questions and check whether you can understand them correctly.
  • How to approach solving problems for which there is no correct answer
  • How to consider scalability and availability
  • How to make decisions when there are trade-offs in problem solving
  • What thought process do you go through to improve your ideas?
  • Are you aware of system problems and improvements?

TipsV​

Express your thoughts and speak openly​

Interviewers are looking at how applicants think and how they work with team members to solve problems. Avoid silent rumination and express your thinking process.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding problem solving, please feel free to ask the interviewer. Another important checkpoint is how to clear up uncertain situations.

You don't have to give a perfect answer​

The topics covered in interviews are just like real-life problems, and there is no one perfect answer. So please don't try to give a perfect answer from the beginning.
Start with the first idea that comes to your mind when you see the topic, and refine your ideas through discussion.
In interviews, we place more emphasis on the thought process and communication involved in improving than the content of answers.

Interview​

In order to confirm whether there are any mismatches in working at Souzoh, you will have one interview each with EM and Head of Engineering. The interview will be conducted in Japanese.
In addition, we will determine at which grade the applicant will join the company through an interview.
*In the Mercari Group, the engineer grade is defined asEngineering Ladder.

Interviews will be conducted as follows (the time may vary depending on the situation).

  1. Icebreaker and self-introduction (5 minutes)
  2. Questions from interviewer to applicant (45 minutes)
  3. Questions from applicant to interviewer (10 minutes)

During the interview, the interviewer will ask you the following questions to confirm that you empathize with our mission, embody our values, and have a culture match.

Empathy for the mission​

  • Reason for your interest in Souzoh
  • Experience using Mercari/Mercari Shops

Embodying our values​

Go Bold​

  • The most difficult challenge I have ever experienced
  • Experience in catching up on new languages, frameworks, and team management methods

All for One​

  • Experience of achieving significant results in an organization or team
  • How did you handle cases where development was delayed for a project whose release date and time had already been decided?

Be a Pro​

  • Experience of demonstrating expertise and producing great results
  • What do you pay attention to when doing code reviews?