How to prepare for the zoho interview

Zoho Interview Question – PDF | Zoho Interview Process

Zoho Interview Process

1. Interview Process

The interview process at Zoho usually consists of around five rounds, with the questions getting difficult as you progress through each one. Let’s see about each round in detail and what questions to expect in the sections below.

The five rounds are:

1. Written test (freshers)
2. Basic programming
3. Advanced Programming
4. Technical HR
5. General HR

2. Interview Rounds

1. Written Test:
The first round is usually a written test, but the pandemic has turned it into an online test. This round is not mandatory for experienced people and can be skipped. This is usually 90 minutes long round where the candidate has to answer several Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The number of questions varies with regards to the difficulty level of the questions, that is if the questions are harder you will have around 20 questions. Well, if you get around or more than 40 questions, don’t panic, just understand that the questions are easier.
This round contains around 20 to 30 questions from both general aptitude and programming aptitude. Usually, the general aptitude questions cover around 30% to 50%, with the remaining questions from C programming.

So, with that being said, let’s see what kind of questions you can expect in each section:
General Aptitude:
The general aptitude questions are from some of the  basic topics like:  

• Time 
• Work
• Profit & Loss
• Speed and Distance
• Percentage
• Ratios and Proportions
• Average

C Programming Aptitude:
The C programming aptitude questions are mostly based on topics like:

• Nested Loops
• Recursions
• Flowcharts
• Pointers

2. Basic Programming:
If it’s a face-to-face interview, you will be provided with a laptop. In case of virtual interviews, you will be proctored through a one on one meet using the Zoho meet app. The questions will be shared in the chat, and you will have to share your screen and video.

Questions will be based on basic programming like C, C++, Java, etc. You can clear this round with a good understanding of Loops, recursions, and knowledge of basic data structures.

3. Advanced Programming:

This is the next round after basic programming. This round test is a real test of your knowledge of Data Structure and algorithms and your problem solving skills. This round 
generally has only one problem which you have to solve within 90 minutes.

Design Round: 

If you are fresher, there is a chance that you may not have this round, but you can never be sure. In this round you will be asked to design a system, either the interviewer may ask for a low-level design or high-level design. Some of examples are:

• A Railway reservation system
• An Employee management system
• A Snake’s and ladder game

For more experienced people, you may be asked to design a complex application such as Facebook, Netflix, Uber, etc.

Zoho Interview Question – PDF | Zoho Interview Process

4. Technical HR:

You may or may not have a technical HR round depending on your performance in the previous rounds. If you have performed exceptionally great in the previous round, there is a high chance for you to skip this round. The questions in this round will be about: 

• Data Structures
• Approach the given Scenario
• Database Concepts
• And Some logical puzzles

5. General HR:

If you have made it to this point you can be quite certain that you have made it to the company. The General HR interview will be more like a friendly talk, with questions like: 

• Your family background
• Your hobbies
• The reason you chose Zoho
• finally, Your location preference

The General HR round is the place where you get the opportunity to ask questions. You can ask any number of questions that you have about the company or the further process.

Zoho Interview Preparation

1. Interview Preparation Tips

To ace an interview at Zoho, You don’t need to know about all the algorithms out there. All you need is a good understanding of basic concepts, such as loops, recursions, and pointers, etc., and good problem-solving skills. You need to be able to find a logical solution for the basic questions. Just solve the questions mentioned in this article and it is truly more than enough.

• Practice problem-solving regularly:
  If you search on the internet, you can find people asking questions like How long should I prepare for DSA before applying for a tech interview? Or like How many problems should I have solved before applying for tech interviews? They think that if you have completed say 500 problems, then you can easily clear a technical interview, which is not the truth. What you need to understand is ‘How to approach the given problem’. And that can be learned only through consistent practice.
• Be interactive:
  In the Data Structures &Algorithms and System Design round, you should be interactive and keep the conversation going. Convey your thoughts out loud, so the interviewer can understand your thought-process.
• Be specific:
  One thing most candidates overlook is that they answer the behavioral questions in one or two sentences. Or they tend to babble about the unnecessary details. Instead, what you should do is to give a brief answer while being specific only about the important details.
• Use the STAR method to answer behavioral questions:
  The best way to answer any behavioral question is to structure your answer using the STAR method. The STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. You have to first describe the situation, explain the task you had to complete, then go on to explain the necessary actions you took to complete the task, and eventually explain the final results you achieved.
• Write clean and readable code:
  This is an important but highly underrated piece of advice. Candidates think all they need to do to get the job is to solve the problem and focus less on writing clean and readable code. But understand that writing a clean and readable code is extremely important for an interview in a product-based company.
  Why is it important? Well, when you complete the interview and work on the job, you are probably going to work with a team on a product that’s going to be used for years. At the time, you have to write clean and readable code so that your teammates can understand and work with it further. So you have to show the interviewer that you are capable of writing clean and readable code, or at the least that you care about writing them that way.
  How to write clean and readable code?
  Writing clean and readable code is writing code not just for computers, but also for humans who are going to work with the code. So, when you are coding the next time, keep the following things in mind:
  • Use consistent formatting and indentation
  • Use meaningful names for variables and functions
  • Add meaningful comments that can be used to understand the code.
  • Modularity – Every function should be responsible for only one operation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the Zoho interview difficult?

No, the Zoho interview is not difficult. All you need to come out of the interview with flying colors is a good understanding of the basic programming concepts, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

2. What questions to expect in the screening round?

This round contains around 20 to 30 questions from both general aptitude and programming aptitude. Usually, the general aptitude questions cover around 30% to 50%, with the remaining questions from C programming.

3. How to prepare for a Zoho Interview?

To ace an interview at Zoho, You don’t need to know about all the algorithms out there. All you need is a good understanding of basic concepts, such as loops, recursions, and pointers, etc., and good problem-solving skills. You need to be able to find a logical solution for the basic questions.

4. What is the eligibility criteria for Zoho?

The eligibility criteria for Zoho is that you should have completed or are currently enrolled in a BE / B.Tech program in computer science and related fields. Students from any stream/Department, even with backlogs, can apply.

5. How do I apply for a job in Zoho?

You can apply for a job in Zoho through their official website, Zoho Corp Careers (zohorecruit.com), or LinkedIn. If you know someone who works in the company, then referrals are the best option.

6. Why do you want to join Zoho?

Three out of every five Fortune 500 companies trust Zoho, So you can be sure that the company will continue to grow. The work culture in Zoho is amazing, and they are constantly improving by getting reviews from the employees. The work-life balance is amazing, thanks to the flexible working hours policy. It also provides a great opportunity to learn new things every day.

Zoho Interview Question – PDF | Zoho Interview Process

7. What are the perks of being a Zoho employee?

• Good starting package
• Good compensation
• Freed food round the clock
• Free gadgets, iPhone and MacBook
• Free commute options
• Yearly benefits
• Decent hikes
• Great work culture
• Good peers

8. Does Zoho have dress code?

There is no strict dress code in Zoho, so you can wear what you like to wear.

9. What is the working hours at Zoho?

Zoho Corporations provides flexible working hours. Flexible working hours mean the employee can decide the start and finish of his workday. It is advised to maintain consistent working hours, but not mandatory.

10. What is the cool-off period for Zoho?

In recruitment policy terms, the “cool-off period” represents the duration that a candidate is barred from re-applying at a company where she/he was rejected during the interview process. Like most of the  Product based companies, the cool-off period for Zoho is 6 months.