CQ_SoftwareTalks | Ishan Goel | Sprinklr
Interviewer: Hello, I am Abhirup, an associate at Communiqué, and today with us we have Mr. Ishan Goel, who has secured an SDE internship at Sprinklr, through the CDC internship process 2022. Hello Ishan, how are you?
Ishan: I’m doing very well. What about you?
Interviewer: I’m fine. Thank you very much. Firstly, huge congratulations to you on getting this internship. It definitely speaks volumes of your hard work and talent. So, in this interview, I shall ask you a few questions for our internship blogs mainly aimed at your preparation for this internship. So, if you are ready, can we start?
Ishan: Yes, definitely!
Interviewer: What was the general interview process for the companies you interviewed? Please mention the number of rounds and the nature of the interview process.
Ishan: I mostly prepared for the SDE profile and for the SDE, there are generally 2–3 rounds. First and second rounds are mostly technical rounds and there are questions on competitive programming and puzzles. The third round is the HR round. This is generally the interview process for most of the SDE companies nowadays.
Interviewer: Thank you. That was quite insightful. Moving on to the next question, could you please list down questions you were asked in the different rounds? Puzzles, technical questions, any other discussion in general that you think will prove to be helpful for students.
Ishan: I interviewed for two companies. Most of the questions they asked me were from operating systems. It is a topic that most of the SDE aspirants neglect and later regret. Competitive programming is also important, but in my opinion operating systems are the most important. Regarding specific questions, I was asked to code basic questions like “To reverse a link list” in APT software interviews, “Find median of two sorted lists” in Goldman Sachs, etc. I don’t remember much of the puzzles, but basic puzzles are asked indeed. You can prepare for them from Interview bit and Brain Steller.
Interviewer: Thank you very much. Now, moving onto the third question, what are some of the FAQs in most companies that you faced and think students must definitely prepare for? More specifically, in the context of HR rounds.
Ishan: Mostly the interviewers would be asking you about your strengths and weaknesses and also why you would like to join the company. The basic suggestion would be to read about the company you would want to join in advance.
Interviewer: What are things students sitting for placements next year can do from now until December to maximize their chances of getting through a company in this sector?
Ishan: My main suggestion is to practice competitive programming, as that is what the companies see the most. Till the shortlistings, the companies only want to see how good your competitive programming skills are. Only once you are shortlisted do the companies see your profile, your projects, other skills, etc. And I would suggest giving contests, improving your rating and also mentioning that in your CV. This is because it is only competitive programming that helps you get shortlisted. So, I would finally suggest practicing competitive programming a lot.
Interviewer: How did your preparation for technical rounds evolve once you were shortlisted?
Ishan: After getting shortlisted, I started mainly focussing on preparing my CV. I went through all the projects that I wrote in it, properly so that I could answer each and every question related to it. This is very important because you need to know your CV and the work you have done. You also need to explain it to the interviewer as well. So, I mainly focussed on my CV.
Interviewer: Okay, so would you like to share anything else and provide suggestions to the students?
Ishan: So, I would suggest the students aspiring for SDE profile to stay focussed and hone their programming skills. After that, I would recommend students to look through the topics OOP’s (Object-oriented programming) and Operating systems, as they are very important as well.
Interviewer: This concludes our interview. Thank you very much for your time and also for your most insightful answers. It was great talking to you and knowing about your insights and experiences.
Ishan: Thank you. It was my pleasure.
