HCL Technologies Interview Process - Junior Software Engineer

HCL Technologies Interview Experience (Software Engineer, Campus Placement)

I recently attended HCL’s Software Engineer interview through our college placement drive. Sharing my experience so it helps someone.

Before the interview I revised Java, SQL, OOPs and aptitude. I also practised some basic coding questions because I was expecting at least one in the technical round.

Round 1: Aptitude and Technical MCQs

Aptitude had quant, reasoning and verbal. Mostly percentages, ratios, number series and some simple reasoning questions. The technical section was MCQs from Java basics, loops, data types and a few output questions. My suggestion is to practise aptitude daily, don’t leave it for the last day.

Round 2: Technical Interview

Mainly Java and SQL. First they asked the four pillars of OOP. After that: abstract class vs interface, overloading vs overriding, and checked vs unchecked exceptions.

Then they gave me a Java program to check whether a number is prime, and I had to explain how it works. In SQL I was asked to find the second highest salary from an employee table. Joins and primary key were also asked.

All questions were from basics only. But just saying the definition will not work, you have to explain the difference properly and show that you understand it.

Round 3: HR Interview

This was easy compared to the technical round. Tell me about yourself, strengths, career goals, why HCL. They also asked if I am okay with relocation and shift timings.

My advice

Don’t overthink the preparation. Keep your Java basics strong, practise small programs on numbers, strings and arrays, and try writing SQL queries on your own instead of only reading answers. Read your resume once before going, because whatever you have written there, they can ask about it.

And if you don’t know an answer immediately, don’t get tensed. Take a few seconds, think, and tell your approach honestly. Clear basics and confident speaking will help you more than mugging up answers from interview websites.