Thoughtworks

Role: Graduate Application Developer

College: B.E. CSE 2024 batch (New grad)

Interview Date: November 2024 (Content refers to a past experience, despite future date)

Interview Type: Off-campus (via referral)

Result: Selected (received offer)

Difficulty: Medium

Rounds: 4 rounds

Topics Asked: Coding (logical reasoning, Valid Anagram, First and Last occurrence), OOP principles, SOLID, functional modularity, code smells, refactoring, testing legacy codebase, project experience, data structures, problem-solving, e-commerce case study, behavioral questions, cultural alignment, STAR method.

Experience:

The candidate, a new graduate from the 2024 batch, applied for the Graduate Application Developer role in India via a LinkedIn referral in November 2024.

Round 1: HackerRank Test (75 min)
This round consisted of 4 coding questions: 2 easy and 2 medium, designed to test logical reasoning. A week after the test, the candidate received an email for the next round.

Round 2: Code Pairing Interview (90 min)
The problem statement was shared an hour before the interview, requiring the candidate to clone a repository, run it, and understand the problem. The candidate collaborated with two ThoughtWorkers who guided and evaluated collaboration skills, coding clarity, and the application of OOP principles and functional modularity. The focus was on identifying code smells, refactoring, and testing a legacy codebase. The problem itself wasn't particularly difficult, but the emphasis was on following SOLID principles and applying OOP concepts effectively.

Round 3: Technical Interview (65 min)
This one-on-one session delved into the candidate's project experience, OOPs knowledge, data structures, and problem-solving abilities. The interview began with an in-depth discussion of personal and internship projects. Two coding questions were asked: "Valid Anagram" and "First and Last occurrence." Questions on coding OOP concepts with real-world examples and a case study of an e-commerce platform were also part of this round.

Round 4: Leadership & Cultural Alignment Interview (50 min)
The candidate had to pick cards, each presenting a scenario, and discussed around 5-6 situations using the STAR method. The advice for this round was to "just be yourself and share your story."

Four days after this round, HR called to confirm selection and discuss the joining process. Each interview was conducted by two ThoughtWorkers who were helpful and supportive.