Barclays visited our campus Institute of Engineering and Technology, DAVV in September 2023 to hire 3rd year students for the 2024 Summer Internship role.
Eligibility Criteria :
- DEPARTMENT: Only students of CS, IT, ETC were allowed.
- CGPA: only students with >= 60% score across all 10th, 12th and engineering semesters were allowed.
- Backlogs: No active backlogs allowed.
ROUND 1: Online Technical Assessment (04/09/23)
The OA turned out to be quite surprising, given the typical pattern observed in previous experiences. Normally, Barclays OAs consist of 30 MCQs with varying marks and two coding questions worth 20 and 30 marks. However, in our case, we encountered a different format.
Instead of the usual 30 MCQs, we had only 10 MCQs in this OA. These MCQs primarily focused on output-based concepts in languages like C++, Java, and SQL, and included questions related to OS, DBMS and OOPs.
What set this OA apart was the presence of just a single coding question, worth a substantial 50 marks. This coding challenge was a high-level, string-based problem that posed a considerable challenge, with no student in my college, to the best of my knowledge, being able to solve all the test cases. Additionally, there was a 10-mark SQL query-based question at the end of the assessment.
The total time allotted for the OA was 1.5 hours, and after a considerable waiting period, the results were finally announced. Out of all the participants, 17 students were selected to proceed to the next round of interviews.
ROUND 2 : Technical + HR Interview (04/10/23)
- The interview was conducted virtually on Microsoft Teams, and the interviewer came across as quite friendly. He initiated the conversation with the classic opener, “Tell me about yourself.” It might seem like a straightforward question, but creating a favourable first impression is crucial. After all, you wouldn’t want the interviewer to doubt your ability to introduce yourself properly, right?
- In my resume, I highlighted my Instagram page with over 20k followers dedicated to Harry Potter. This caught his attention, and he asked me about it in detail.
- Following that, he delved into my listed projects, requesting a demonstration of both. He also inquired about my familiarity with JavaScript. I explained that while I had utilized JavaScript in web development, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. In response, he asked about the programming languages I felt more at ease with, to which I mentioned C++ and he further asked me questions related to C++.
- The interview then shifted towards technical questions, including queries about void, differences between C and C++, and SQL joins.
- Subsequently, he delved into HR-related questions, showing interest in my past volunteering experiences and asking for details about them.
- One particularly engaging question was about a real-life instance where I had implemented a driven mindset, along with the challenges faced during the process. My response seemed to satisfy and impress him and he mentioned about the same at the end.
- Towards the end of the interview, he asked if I had any questions for him, wrapping up the conversation.
The results were announced the same night, and my name was on the list of 7 selected students I was literally on cloud nine and that day was the happiest day of my life (inserts a crying emoji).
Even if you don’t get selected, please don’t lose hope, please. Before this, I had faced rejection in a previous interview, and I was determined not to go through the disappointment of failing in my first interview again. This phase of my journey taught me some valuable life lessons. I came to understand that success isn’t just about how hard you work; luck also plays a significant role, and luck can be something we can’t control. So please just don’t lose faith in yourself. One day, everything will align perfectly—your luck, your hard work—and that day will be the culmination of all the effort you’ve invested. So, when you have doubts, remember to keep hope alive and keep working towards your goals.
TIPS:
- Don’t make things up on your resume. In my interview, they checked everything on my resume and asked questions about it. Be truthful in your resume.
- Barclays usually asks more about core subjects than DSA. So, make sure to study those subjects well.
- Learn about Barclays’ important values, like “RISES.” They often ask questions related to these values in the interview, so it’s good to know about them and be ready to talk about how you fit in with them.