HCL Technologies interview experience Real time questions & tips from candidates to crack your interview

Software Engineer

HCL Technologies
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2 rounds | 6 Coding problems

Interview preparation journey

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Journey
My journey as a software engineer has been a rewarding and fulfilling one, marked by continuous learning and growth. It all started with a passion for technology and a curiosity to explore the world of programming even though I was from the Electrical and Electronics Department. I began my journey by learning the basics of the programming language Python. I spent countless hours studying programming concepts, practicing coding exercises, and building small projects to solidify my understanding. During this phase, I focused on mastering the fundamentals of data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented programming principles. Also, I learned the basics of DBMS and SQL. After months of preparation and perseverance, I finally landed the opportunity to interview for the job I had been aspiring for. The interview process was rigorous, but I approached it with confidence, drawing upon the knowledge and experience gained throughout my journey. Ultimately, I was able to showcase my skills and demonstrate my passion for software engineering, leading to a successful outcome.
Application story
During a big event at our college, HCL Technologies came to recruit students. They required a minimum of 70% in B.Tech to participate. I met this requirement and took part in an aptitude test, which tested various skills like math, logic, and critical thinking. After that, I moved on to a coding round, where I had to solve two tough problems using my coding skills and understanding of algorithms. With hard work and determination, I tackled the coding challenges, using what I knew about algorithms and data structures to find good solutions. It was exciting and a bit stressful as I worked through each problem, wanting to impress the HCL recruiters. When I finished the coding round successfully, I was thrilled to hear that I was selected for a technical interview. This was a big step toward getting a job at HCL, and I was really happy about it.
Why selected/rejected for the role?
I believe I was selected for the role primarily because of my strong technical skills, problem-solving abilities, adaptability, and effective communication. Throughout the recruitment process, I demonstrated a solid understanding of fundamental concepts in software engineering, including data structures, algorithms, and programming languages. I approached problems with a methodical mindset, breaking them down into manageable components and applying logical reasoning to devise efficient solutions. My willingness to learn and adapt to new challenges, coupled with my ability to articulate technical concepts clearly during interviews, likely impressed the recruiters at HCL Technologies.
Preparation
Duration: 6 months
Topics: Data Structures , Python Conceptual Questions , DBMS , OOPs Concepts , SQL Queries , Algorithms
Tip
Tip

Tip 1: Try to solve as many coding problems as possible on various coding platforms like GFG, Leetcode, Coding Ninjas, Codechef, or any other. 
Tip 2: Practice DSA and their implementation-based problems along with the different algorithms.
Tip 3: Focus on each and everything you have written in your resume along with projects you have done.

Application process
Where: Campus
Eligibility: Minimum 70%
Resume Tip
Resume tip

Tip 1: Must add projects to your resume.
Tip 2: Try to be as truthful as possible about everything in your resume.

Interview rounds

01
Round
Medium
Online Coding Interview
Duration60 minutes per round
Interview date14 Oct 2022
Coding problem2

60 minutes for mcq 
60 minutes 2 coding problems

1. Anagram Checker

Easy
15m average time
85% success
0/40
Asked in companies
American ExpressThought WorksWalmart

Given two strings, determine if they are anagrams of each other. An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once.

Problem approach

I began by understanding the problem statement, which was to determine whether two given strings are anagrams of each other. To solve the problem, I decided to compare the sorted versions of the two strings. If the sorted strings are equal, it means the original strings are anagrams of each other. Firstly, I removed any spaces from both strings and converted them to lowercase to ensure case-insensitive comparison.
Then, I sorted the characters in both strings alphabetically.
Finally, I compared the sorted strings. If they were equal, I concluded that the original strings were anagrams; otherwise, they were not. 
For corner cases check if both input strings are empty. If they are, return True because empty strings are considered anagrams of each other. After sorting the strings, compare their lengths. If they are not equal, return False immediately because strings of different lengths cannot be anagrams. If the lengths are equal, proceed to compare the sorted strings. If they are equal, return True, indicating that the original strings are anagrams; otherwise, return False.

Try solving now

2. Alphabetical Sort with Case Preservation

Easy
0/40
Asked in companies
HCL TechnologiesChegg Inc.

Given a string containing uppercase and lowercase English letters, sort the characters in the string in alphabetical order. Uppercase letters should precede lowercase letters, and within each group, the characters should be sorted in ascending order. Other characters such as digits or symbols should be ignored and maintained in their original positions.

Problem approach

To solve the problem, I did the following:
Extract all alphabetic characters from the input string.
Sort the extracted alphabetic characters in ascending order, with uppercase letters considered before lowercase letters.
Replace the alphabetic characters in the original string with the sorted characters, maintaining their positions.
Return the modified string.
For corner cases :
If the input string is empty, return an empty string.
If the input string contains no alphabetic characters, return the original string as it is.

Try solving now
02
Round
Medium
Video Call
Duration50 minutes
Interview date21 Oct 2022
Coding problem4

It was an online interview via Microsoft teams in the afternoon.

1. Linked List, Arrays, BFS and DFS

Explain the concept of a linked list and its advantages over arrays.
Explain the difference between breadth-first search (BFS) and depth-first search (DFS). (Link)

Problem approach

Tip 1: Focus on the basics and be confident in the interview. 
Tip 2: Clear your concepts thoroughly.
 

2. Normalization

What are the primary keys and foreign keys in a relational database?
Describe the various types of database normalization and their importance.

Problem approach

Tip 1: Learn DBMS Concepts thoroughly.
Tip 2: Practice SQL queries
 

3. Sting is palindrome

Easy
10m average time
90% success
0/40
Asked in companies
IntuitSprinklrCIS - Cyber Infrastructure

how to check if the string is a palindrome.

Problem approach

Convert the string to lowercase to make the comparison case-insensitive.
Use two pointers to traverse the string from both ends simultaneously.
Compare characters at corresponding positions from both ends.
If all characters match, return True (indicating that the string is a palindrome); otherwise, return False.

Try solving now

4. Method in python classes

What is the purpose of __init__ method in Python classes? (Link)
What is PEP 8?

Problem approach

Tip 1: Have a good understanding of language-specific programming fundamental concepts.
 

Here's your problem of the day

Solving this problem will increase your chance to get selected in this company

Skill covered: Programming

How do you remove whitespace from the start of a string?

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