Hola readers!
Overview: The interview process with BNY Mellon proved to be a one-of-a-kind and incredibly impressive journey. The process was both challenging and enlightening, giving me a deeper insight into the technical and professional expectations of such a prestigious company. In this blog post, I aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire process, starting from the application phase all the way to the interview stages.
BNY Mellon recently visited my university campus (Banasthali Vidyapith) for the first time to hire summer interns for Software developer roles. The selection procedure included an initial Online Assessment, succeeded by two interview rounds. The first interview focused on technical aspects, while the second encompassed a combination of technical and HR-related discussions.
Note: All were eliminatory rounds.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Eligible Courses: B.Tech (CS / IT) V Semester of Batch 2025
- Eligibility Criteria: 7.5 CGPA and above in the current B.Tech course only (aggregate till IV sem)
- NO ACTIVE / CURRENT BACKLOGS.
Round 1 Online Assessment (Coding Test): Duration: 120 minutes
The coding round was hosted on the hackerrank platform and comprised four coding questions(1 easy, 2 medium, and 1 hard level). There was no negative marking for incorrect answers. The problems covered graph(easy), tree(medium), array(medium), and graph(hard).
Tips:
- Aim to solve questions quickly to increase your chances of advancing to the interview rounds.
- Ensure a thorough understanding of the problem statement. If you’re struggling with a problem, consider moving on to others before spending too much time on one.
Preparation:
After the coding round, 24 students (out of 400), including me, were shortlisted for the interview round. We had a day to prepare for it. My preparation was divided into four main areas:
- Data Structures and Algorithms: I had previously solved top interview questions and completed around LeetCode 100 problems. I revisited these and reviewed quick problem-solving approaches.
- Computer Science Fundamentals: 50 interviews with SQL questions on Leetcode to clear the concepts and have a better approach.
- Oops Concepts: I also revisited Object-Oriented Programming (OOPS) concepts from the top interview questions on Interviewbit.
- Projects: I ensured a deep understanding of my projects, including implementation details and the reasons behind the chosen tech stack. Comprehensive knowledge of projects provides an advantage during interviews.
Round 2 (Technical Interview): Duration 70 minutes:
The technical interview started with a friendly atmosphere. It began with a formal introduction from the interviewer followed by mine, highlighting my passion for computer science and my journey and then delved into a mix of questions spanning DSA, DBMS, and OOPS.
It began with the basics of my preferred language C++ and then delved into the Oops concepts. I was supposed to explain the OOPS concepts by implementing polymorphism, inheritance, abstraction, virtual function, the significance of polymorphism, real-world use of OOPS, etc.
Then , I was given some coding questions to solve where I had to discuss the approach and write a neat code. I started with a brute force approach and summed up the answer making an optimal solution using set, map, and hashing algorithms. I even dry-run through a test case.
Additionally, the interviewer tasked me with devising the most suitable data structure for certain scenarios and outlining the strategy for storing the data within that structure, moving on to asking about different traversal techniques of graphs and trees and their real-life examples.
The interviewer explored my knowledge of linked lists, including the complexities related to them. A tricky question emerged, deleting a node from a linked list when given the node’s address directly. Also, I explained the differences between Merge Sort and Quick Sort and was also given the set of elements to sort using Quicksort . I was further asked to explain the Priority Queue and implementation. The conversation shifted to DBMS, where I discussed normalization extensively. I also explained denormalization and its purpose. I was asked to write SQL queries for various scenarios. The interview concluded with some basic JavaScript questions.
Shortly after completing the interview, I immediately received a call for the second-round interview, which involved project discussion & HR.
After the first interview round, 14 students, including me, were shortlisted for the next interview stage.
Round 3 (Technical + HR Round): Duration 45 minutes
The second round was a shift to a more personal and project-focused discussion. The interview began with a brief introduction. I was then asked about my projects, and I elaborated on the projects I had undertaken. The discussion led to a broader conversation about the challenges and learnings from the projects.
The interview took a turn towards my interpersonal and team dynamics skills. I was asked to elaborate on all my active positions in Clubs and all my achievements so far , mentioned in the resume. The conversation then headed towards sharing the personal experiences. The interviewer also shared her experience at BNY and we ended up with positive feedback.
Tips:
- Practice DSA daily.
- Keep your introduction well-prepared beforehand.
- Try to master the skills you possess.
- Continuously communicate with the interviewer so that they can understand your way of approaching the question.
- Be honest on your resume and avoid including items you haven’t done or can’t recall confidently.
Timeline for the Entire Process
- Info about campus placement drive of BNY MELLON→ 5th October 2023
- Deadline for submitting the Application → 6th October 2023
- Online Assessment on Hackerrank → 10th October, 2023
- Mail of shortlisted students for the interview process -> 17th October 2023
- In-person Interview → 18th October,2023
- Selection Mail -> 19th October,2023
I am eagerly looking forward to starting my summer internship at BNY Mellon. I am confident that this experience will be an incredible opportunity for learning, growth, and contributing to cutting-edge technology.
Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I can’t wait to share more about my upcoming experiences at BNY! Stay tuned for more updates.
All the best everyone!