Columbia Sportwear | Software Engineer Trainee | Bangalore | (FTE Offer)| December 17

Online Assessment

The first round was an Online Assessment of medium difficulty, comprising MCQs and coding questions. After this round, 36 students were shortlisted for the F2F interviews.

Technical Interview

My technical interview was a great experience, with a very kind and supportive interviewer. She started by making me comfortable before asking me to introduce myself. After reviewing my resume, she inquired about my project and appreciated my work, which significantly boosted my confidence.

Next, she moved on to coding questions focusing on arrays, strings, and linked lists, all of which I confidently answered. Following that, she presented two aptitude questions. I solved one completely and, with a hint from her, managed to fully solve the second one after a small initial mistake.

The interview then transitioned to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), where she asked around 8-9 questions. This was followed by a few questions on networking and operating systems. I also confirmed my familiarity with SQL.

A highlight was a puzzle she presented, which I solved instantly within 10 seconds, pleasing her. She followed up with a related question that I couldn't solve, but she reassured me that it was perfectly fine.

Towards the end, she asked some general questions about my hobbies and interests. The technical part of the interview lasted about 30 minutes. Before concluding, I asked her what skills I should focus on if selected, and she provided valuable, encouraging suggestions. She ended by saying, 'You answered most of the questions well. I'll forward your name to HR. All the best!'

HR Round

The HR round began with a very warm welcome. The interviewer asked me to introduce myself, detailing my college, background, curricular and non-curricular activities, achievements, and projects. I provided a brief yet comprehensive introduction covering all requested points.

This led to a deep discussion about my major college projects, where he asked several detailed follow-up questions. I answered confidently, believing he was also assessing my communication skills. I managed to answer most of them effectively.

He then moved on to typical HR questions, including one about my ambition and the kind of environment I would like to work in. I responded by stating that while personal growth is important, I also believe in contributing to society, friends, and colleagues whenever possible.

He then asked me to share an incident where I helped someone, such as a friend. Fortunately, I had prepared for such questions during my Amazon interview preparation, so I shared one of my experiences. He seemed happy and encouraged me to continue helping others selflessly, saying, 'One day, the fruit will come.'

Although his statement left me a bit unsure about the outcome, I remained hopeful. Three days later, the results were announced: out of 36 candidates, only 5 were selected, and I was one of them!

My key takeaway is to be confident, even if I don't know the answer, but never to waste the interviewer's time. This experience has significantly strengthened my confidence and serves as a stepping stone as I continue preparing for opportunities in Tier 1 companies, where I aim to contribute meaningfully and grow professionally.