Intern:
Wells Fargo
Interviewer:
E Asmitha Shrree (GT) – Information Technology - CEG
Interviewee:
Guru Prakash G - Information Technology – CEG
GT: How far in ahead of August 2020 did you begin your preparations?
GURU PRAKASH: I started preparing from the month of July. I started by solving 2 questions per day and slowly increased the number of questions I solved each week. Wells Fargo came at the end of August and by then I was well prepared. I would also like to thank ACM for their C.O.D.E program since their resources helped a lot.
GT: What resources did you use for your preparation with respect to DSA, Core and Aptitude?
GURU PRAKASH: For data structures and algorithms I used platforms like Leetcode, GeeksforGeeks and Hackerrank. For aptitude I used Indiabix and Core subjects were also covered in GeeksforGeeks.
GT: How can the students prepare themselves for the HR interview?
GURU PRAKASH: The students must know details about what the particular company does and the role that they are being selected for. In general, they must be good at communication.
GT: What were the different rounds that Wells Fargo conducted and how did you perform in each of them?
GURU PRAKASH: We had 4 rounds in total. The first round was coding and aptitude. There were two programming questions which was based on data structures and algorithms. There was a section for verbal.
In the two technical interviews we had questions from Operating Systems and Database Management Systems and scenario-based questions. There were two programming questions as well which we had to screenshare and solve.
In summary:
There were 4 rounds:
1st round – Coding and aptitude
2nd and 3rd round – Technical interview which included questions from programming (DSA) and core concepts
4th round – HR interview
GT: What kind of a role do past internships and projects play while trying to secure an internship?
GURU PRAKASH: They are pretty important for securing an internship. Although I didn’t have any internship experience, I had worked on 2 projects from which I was asked several questions. You should be able to explain your project especially it’s technical details.
GT: Do you feel the selection process would have been better if it had taken place offline? What were the benefits and drawbacks of participating in an online selection process?
GURU PRAKASH: There are no particular disadvantages of the process happening offline except maybe internet connectivity issues. The flexibility in time was a big advantage since selections would also happen late in the evening. During offline sessions, they can’t conduct interviews after college hours. It’s also easy for us since we can attend the interviews from our house. In 2020, most internship processes were conducted in the evening only.
GT: Once a company selects you for an internship, are you allowed to pick a domain of interest? Or will the companies inform you which role they are selecting students for?
GURU PRAKASH: The companies will tell you what role they will hire you for. Once you are selected, they might ask you for your domain of preference and put you there, but it depends on the company policies.
GT: Did you have to go undergo any further processes before you received a pre-placement offer at Wells Fargo?
GURU PRAKASH: No, they evaluated the project that we did during the two-month long internship and based on the final project presentation, they selected us for the pre-placement offer. Our functional managers and the core team of Wells Fargo will review the project that we did and assess the way we presented our project during the final presentation. But that might not be the case for all companies. Some companies might also conduct interviews before giving the interns a pre-placement offer.
GT: Did you start preparing for placements soon after you bagged an internship at Wells Fargo?
GURU PRAKASH: To be honest, I didn’t start preparing back then. However, I used to code on platforms like Leetcode, GeeksforGeeks and Hackerrank a little regularly. But I was actually hoping to receive a pre placement offer from Wells Fargo so I concentrated more on Wells Fargo specific questions.
GT: What advice do you have for your juniors who will be attending internship selections in the future?
GURU PRAKASH: I would suggest that they work on Data structure and Algorithms along with aptitude and logical reasoning. There are a lot of resources available on the internet. Apart from this, based on the student’s interest, he or she must explore the latest technologies in their domain of interest and work on that as well.
GT: What do you have to say about The Intern Diaries series, an initiative of The Guindy Times?
GURU PRAKASH: It’s a very good initiative by The Guindy Times. I remember watching Intern Diaries 3.0 back when I was preparing for internships and I hope this video helps others!
