IBM CIO visited our campus for internship and full-time offers (FTE) as part of their campus recruitment drive. Here’s a detailed account of the process:
Round 1: DSA (Online Assessment)
The first round was conducted on HackerRank and consisted of two coding questions:
Deletion of Nodes in a Range:
- A linked list’s head node was provided, and the task was to return the list without numbers falling within a given range.
Odd-Even Sum Problem:
- Given an array, calculate the maximum sum you can get by subtracting the prefix sum at odd indices and adding the prefix sum at even indices.
- The array could be rearranged to optimize the result. (Note: This is my interpretation of the original problem, which was more abstract in its wording.)
- The questions ranged from easy to medium-level difficulty on LeetCode standards.
Round 2: In-Person Interview
Shortlisted students were invited for an in-person interview, which was the final round. Here’s how it went:
Resume-Based Questions:
- The interviewer asked about my projects, reasons for choosing my degree, and the gap year in my education. (I had taken a one-year gap.)
Scenario-Based Question:
- Implement a system to apply discounts on the cart during checkout, considering credit card validation and the order amount.
SQL Query:
- Write a query using the GROUP BY clause.
Coding Task:
- Print the alphabet 'N' using any programming language.
Conceptual Question:
- What is the difference between Docker and Virtualization?
Final Verdict
I was selected for the internship.
Key Tips:
Resume Preparation:
- The interview questions were largely based on my resume. Only include skills and projects you are confident about.
Cloud Certifications:
- If you have any cloud-related certifications, incorporate them into your projects. This can help steer the conversation in your favor.
Technical Preparation:
- Focus on solving medium-level DSA problems on platforms like LeetCode.
- Revise key SQL concepts and practice real-world scenario-based questions.