Ketan bajaj

Barclays Summer Internship Interview Experience (Pune Office)

📌 Introduction

I am from PICT Pune, and in September 2024, I had the opportunity to interview for a Summer Internship at Barclays, Pune. The process was challenging yet exciting. Here's a detailed breakdown of my experience! 🚀

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📝 Direct Interview

I got in through Barclays Hack-o-Hire 2024, their yearly hackathon for second-year and third-year students. My team and I ranked in the top 27 among 1250+ teams, which resulted in us getting a direct interview without an online assessment (OA).

This was a great advantage as I didn't have to compete with hundreds of candidates for an interview via OA. I received an early confirmation (2 months prior) that I would get a direct interview, giving me a head start to solely focus on interview preparation. 🎯

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🏆 Round 1: Technical Interview

Mode: OfflineDuration: ~35 mins

Interviewer: VP @ Barclays

I was prepared to talk extensively about my projects, experience at Hack-o-Hire, and core CS subjects (OOP, DSA, DBMS), along with LeetCode-style questions if needed.No DSA or SQL questions were asked, which is fairly uncommon for tech interviews.

📌 Talking Points:

1. Project Discussions & Tech Stack Choices💻

1. I walked through my key projects, explaining why I chose the tech stack for each and what problems they solved.

2. We discussed architectural decisions and trade-offs.

2. Database & OOP Concepts 📊

1. I was asked about my database design choices and what measures I would take if I had to migrate to a different database.
2. This led to a discussion on core OOP principles and their real-world applications.

3. Interest in Java & Spring Boot ☕

1. Since Barclays heavily uses Java, he inquired about my interest and experience with Java and Spring Boot.
2. I explained my familiarity with Java and how I plan to deepen my expertise.

4. Experience at Hack-o-Hire 🚀

1. We discussed my role, contributions, and learnings from the hackathon.
2. He asked what challenges my team faced and how we overcame them.

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✅ Cleared this round and moved to the final interview! 🚀

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🔥 Round 2: Tech + HR Interview 👾

Mode: OfflineDuration: ~1 Hr 30 mins

Interviewer: VP @ Barclays

📌 Discussion Points:

1. Project Discussion 💻

1. I explained my projects in detail, including why I built them and the problems they solved.
2. The interviewer appreciated that I found solutions to real-world problems in my projects.
3. He mentioned that I seemed more business-oriented, which he liked.

2. DSA & Algorithmic Thinking 📊

1. More focus on DSA applications in real life rather than direct coding questions.
2. He asked about sorting algorithms and their real-world applications.
3. I was asked about the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), to which I honestly admitted that I hadn’t solved it yet but was actively learning DSA.
4. I had already informed them that I was proficient in linear data structures and was looking forward to mastering non-linear data structures.
5. He was happy with my enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

3. SQL Proficiency 💾

1. Asked about my SQL problem-solving skills.
2. I mentioned that I had completed SQL 50 on LeetCode, which showed my commitment to learning SQL.

4. Hack-o-Hire & System Design 📲

1. He asked me about how I designed the app in Hack-o-Hire.
2. This led to discussions on system architecture and database design.
3. Behavioral & Situational Questions 🤝
4. Focus on teamwork and problem-solving mindset.

5. Questions included:

1. A time when I and collegue had different solutions to solve a problem.
2. A situation where I had too many tasks at same time how i will handle it
3. He was assessing my ability to handle pressure and teamwork in a corporate environment.

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✅ The interviewer seemed very happy with my approach and attitude! 🎉

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🎉 Final Outcome: Selected! ✅

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