I applied through college or university. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at IBM (La Jolla, CA) in Jan 2018
Interview
In October 2017 I went to an IBM Event made for networking where I talked with multiple hiring managers and eventually put in my resume.
It wasn't until January 2018 that I heard back from IBM (I had forgotten that I'd even applied). I was made to do a 4 hour long standalone coding challenge with 3 questions of increasing difficulty. I did well on the first one, did pretty badly but finished the second one, and completely failed the third one. I also had to answer some questions live on my webcam, including how I did the third one (even though I never finished it). I just owned up to not having finished it but explained what I would've done to finish solving it.
February 2018 I got another email saying I was moved on to a Guru interview, which was basically a one on one with another IBM employee. He would ask questions on my resume and also give me a few questions that were significantly simpler than the coding challenge.
After this guru interview, I received my offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Fizzbuzz, except it used THINK and IBM. There was a twist in that you needed to append THINK whenever you were on a number that contained a 2 in it, and since you had to do 100 repetitions, you did have to think a little bit.
Applied through the company portal, completed an online coding assessment, followed by a technical interview covering data structures, algorithms, OOP concepts, and project experience. Concluded with an HR discussion about the role, career goals, availability, and compensation expectations.
## IBM Interview Process
The process began with initial resume shortlisting, followed by competitive **DSA and coding rounds** to test core technical concepts. After clearing those, I cleared two comprehensive interviews with the **Hiring Manager/Tech Expert** and **HR**.
Describe the interview process: The process consisted of three rounds: an initial online assessment focusing on data structures and algorithms, followed by two technical video interviews. The technical rounds were intensive, covering system design, live coding, and deep-dive questions into previous project experience and database optimization.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Design a scalable URL shortener system and explain how you would handle high read/write throughput.