faire·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate

May 2026

Summary

Coding screen at Faire for a software engineering role. The problem looked deceptively simple on the surface but turned into a messy whitespace edge case marathon. No clean algorithm, just a pile of conditionals.

Questions Asked (1)

Given a space-separated message string and a per-line character limit, split the message into lines where each line includes a numbered suffix (like #01) that counts toward the character limit. Handle whitespace carefully: no trailing space on the last line, and whitespace between the message content and the suffix can be dropped and pushed to the next line instead.

Algorithms & Data StructuresTechnical Trade-offs

Author's notes

I kept thinking there was some elegant solution hiding in there but there really isn't.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Clarify the exact rules for whitespace handling and suffix formatting, then design a greedy line-breaking algorithm that accounts for the suffix length. Walk through edge cases like long words, multiple spaces, and suffix rollover (e.g., #99 to #100) to ensure correctness.

Pro tip: Mention that the suffix length can change as the line number increases (e.g., from 2 to 3 digits), so the effective character limit per line must be recalculated dynamically. Also, discuss how to handle words longer than the limit—either truncate or allow overflow—and confirm with the interviewer.

1. Clarify Requirements and Edge Cases

Ask about whitespace handling (e.g., multiple spaces, leading/trailing), suffix format (fixed width? zero-padded?), and behavior for words exceeding the limit. Confirm whether the suffix counts toward the limit and if it's always appended.

2. Design the Algorithm

Use a greedy approach: iterate through words, accumulate them into a line while the total length (including spaces and suffix) fits the limit. When adding a word would exceed, finalize the line with the suffix and start a new line.

3. Handle Whitespace and Suffix Dynamically

Drop trailing spaces before the suffix and push them to the next line if needed. Recalculate the available content length per line based on the current line number's suffix length (e.g., 2 digits for lines 1-99, 3 for 100+).

4. Test with Edge Cases

Validate with cases: empty message, single long word, multiple spaces, line numbers crossing digit boundaries, and exact fit. Ensure no trailing space on the last line and correct suffix placement.

5. Analyze Complexity and Trade-offs

Discuss time complexity O(n) where n is message length, and space O(n) for output. Mention trade-offs: greedy vs. optimal line breaking (e.g., minimizing raggedness) and whether to precompute suffix lengths.

Key Points to Mention

Dynamic suffix length: suffix width increases with line number, affecting available content length.
Whitespace normalization: collapse multiple spaces, drop trailing spaces before suffix, and push to next line.
Greedy line-breaking: simple and efficient, but may not minimize raggedness; discuss alternatives like dynamic programming.
Edge cases: empty input, words longer than limit, suffix rollover (e.g., #99 to #100), and exact fit.
Character limit accounting: suffix and spaces count toward the limit; ensure no line exceeds it.
Testing strategy: unit tests for boundary conditions and whitespace scenarios.

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.