Western Digital

Role: Firmware Engineer Intern

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: January 5, 2024

Interview Type: Internship

Result: Not Specified (positive indication of landing the role)

Difficulty: Not Specified

Rounds: Online Assessment + Technical/HR combined

Topics Asked: Company knowledge (values, principles, products, culture), Projects, Family background, Puzzles, Bit manipulation (for some candidates), Digital Electronics (for EC students), Role of a Firmware Engineer, Core subjects (Operating Systems, Database Management Systems).

Experience:

This experience is for a Firmware Engineer Intern role at Western Digital.

Online Assessment: Not explicitly detailed in this snippet, but implied as a preceding step before the interview rounds.

Technical + HR Round (Combined): This was the final interview round. It started with a self-introduction. The interviewer was keen to understand "Why do you want to join their company?", emphasizing the need to research the company's values, principles, and products beforehand. Questions about the company's culture and the candidate's family background were also asked.

Puzzles were asked to test out-of-the-box thinking. While the candidate hadn't practiced puzzles much, they were able to think through and answer after clarifying doubts. For other candidates, DSA questions on bit manipulation were asked. For Electronics and Communication (EC) students, core electronics subjects like logic gates were discussed.

A significant part of the discussion revolved around the "Firmware Engineer" role, and the candidate was asked "What do you know about firmware?". It was crucial to have researched the role beforehand. The interviewer also inquired about college core subjects like Operating Systems and Databases, indicating their importance.

Tips: Research the company's values, principles, products, and culture. Understand the specific role you are interviewing for (e.g., Firmware Engineer). Practice puzzles and bit manipulation. Don't neglect core subjects like OS and DBMS. Keep a pen and notebook handy during the interview. Highlight extracurricular activities and projects on your resume, ensuring at least two projects are included.