HSBC Interview Experience for Trainee Software Engineer 2023

HSBC visited our campus for diversity hiring around November 2022 through the third-party recruitment agency Cocubes. Each round mentioned below was an elimination round.

Round 1 – Aptitude + Technical and Coding:

The coding assessment was activated for students who cleared the Aptitude and Technical Assessment. The aptitude section covered basic verbal, quantitative, statistical, and reasoning questions. In the technical segment, fundamental questions on core computer science subjects were asked. The coding part consisted of two easy-to-medium-level coding questions.

Round 2 – Value-Based Assessment Round:

In this round, behavioral questions related to managerial and decision-making skills were asked. These questions aimed to delve into your past experiences and actions, shedding light on how you have tackled various challenging situations. This provided the interviewers with valuable insights into your problem-solving prowess and your aptitude for leadership roles within dynamic and demanding environments.

Round 3 – Technical Interview:

Since it was a North India Pool Drive, students from colleges all over northern India were called to a private college in Ghaziabad, UP, if they had cleared the previous rounds. Upon arriving at the campus, each interviewer was assigned 13 students. I was the 13th candidate, and my interview slot was around 4:30 pm.

Moving on to the technical interview, my interviewer was friendly and welcoming. I presented my resume, and he thoroughly scanned it. I highlighted only the points I was confident about in my resume. The questions asked were as follows:

• Introduction about myself.
• Code a solution for this question: [Alternate Primes Till N](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/alternate-primes-till-n/) on paper and optimize it.
• Discussion about my internship experience and the challenges I encountered.
•  Solve a puzzle: [Weight of the Heavy Ball](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/weight-heavy-ball/).
•  Explain my preferred programming language and the reasons for choosing it.

Additionally, the interviewer explored my GitHub profile, reviewed the code I wrote for a website, and invited any questions I had for him. Generally, the technical interview posed easily to medium-level questions for most candidates.

Round 4 – HR Interview:

The interviewer adopted a straightforward and direct approach. The questions posed were as follows:

• Self-introduction.
• Preferred work location: Pune or Hyderabad.
•  Inquired about any current job offers.
• Discussed my family background, with an extended conversation about my father’s profession and business.
• Explored the technologies I wanted to work with and my reasons for desiring to join HSBC.

Result:

Among approximately 15 individuals from our college who proceeded to the Technical interview, around 8 advanced to the HR round. In the end, 3 candidates were put on hold, and 3 were selected. The process is rigorous and time-consuming, but strong DSA and problem-solving skills would greatly facilitate securing a position at HSBC. It’s worth noting that luck also plays a significant role, depending on the interviewer and interview timing.