✨ My Interview Experience at Mercari for SDE 2

Hey everyone!
I recently interviewed with Mercari for the Frontend Engineer (SDE-2) position, and I wanted to share my experience here on Hashnode to help others who might be preparing for a similar journey.

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🏢 About the Company

Mercari is a Japan-based peer-to-peer marketplace app that allows users to easily buy and sell secondhand items. It focuses on a mobile-first experience, modern technology, and a product-driven culture.

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📅 Timeline

• Applied via: Recruiter outreach

• Interview rounds completed: 4

• Offer received: ✅ Yes

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🧩 Interview Process Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of the rounds I went through:

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✅ Round 1: Coding Round 1

• Mode: HackerRank

• Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

• Topics covered:

  • JavaScript fundamentals: Promises, debounce, throttle

  • Accessibility in frontend

  • API mocking

  • JavaScript output-based question

  • Web performance basics

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✅ Round 2: Coding Round 2

• Mode: HackerRank

• Duration: 1 hour

• Topics covered:

  • Implementation of a UI component (don’t remember the exact problem)

  • Accessibility in frontend

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✅ Round 3: Hiring Manager Round

• Mode: Online (Video Call)

• Duration: 1 hour

• Discussion points:

  • My past work and projects

  • Role expectations

  • Team structure and collaboration

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✅ Round 4: Director Round

• Mode: Online (Video Call)

• Duration: 1 hour

• Discussion points:

  • Deep dive into previous experience and project decisions

  • Scenario-based frontend design questions

  • Product thinking and team collaboration

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🛠️ Tech Stack Discussed

React, TypeScript, JavaScript, Redux, System Design

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💡 Key Takeaways

• Brush up on JavaScript fundamentals — especially core concepts like promises and event handling.

• Focus on building accessible UI components.

• Pay attention to basic but important aspects of HTML and CSS.

• Communication and clarity of thought matter just as much as coding.

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🙌 Final Thoughts

I found the entire process to be well-structured and smooth. The interviewers were friendly and focused on understanding my problem-solving and communication skills, not just code.

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📬 Let’s Connect

If you found this helpful, feel free to drop a comment or share!
You can also find me on LinkedIn | GitHub

Thanks for reading!