Here I want to share that I had the opportunity to interview for a Java Full Stack Engineer position at TCS. The interview was conducted offline, and I’d like to share my experience. Here’s a detailed account of the interview process, including the questions I was asked and my overall impressions.

The Application and Invitation

I applied for the Java Full Stack Engineer role through TCS’s career portal. The application process was straightforward, and about a week later, I received an email invitation for an offline interview at their office. The email contained the interview date, time, and location, along with some tips on what to bring and how to prepare.

The Interview Rounds

The interview process consisted of three rounds: a technical round, a coding challenge, and an HR round. Here is a breakdown of each round, along with the questions I encountered.

Technical Round

This was the first round, where I sat with a senior developer who asked questions to assess my technical knowledge. The focus was on my experience with Java and Full Stack development. Here are some of the questions that they asked:

• Explain the concept of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and its four pillars.
• What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface?
• Describe how you would use Spring Boot to create a RESTful web service.
• How do you manage state in a web application?
• What is dependency injection, and why is it useful in Spring?

I made sure to explain my answers clearly and provide examples from my previous projects. The interviewer also asked follow-up questions to understand my depth of knowledge in different areas, such as Java frameworks, database management, and front-end technologies.

Coding Challenge

In this round, I was given a coding problem to solve within a specific time frame. It was a practical test to assess my problem-solving skills and coding proficiency. Here’s the problem I was asked to solve:

• Write a Java program that takes a list of integers and returns a new list with only the even numbers, sorted in ascending order.
• Given a REST API endpoint, write a simple frontend application in HTML/CSS/JavaScript to fetch and display the data.

I completed the coding tasks and explained my approach to the interviewer. I focused on writing clean, efficient code and used appropriate design patterns where applicable.

HR Round

The final round was with a Human Resources representative. This round was more about getting to know me personally and evaluating my fit within TCS’s culture. The questions were aimed at understanding my background, work ethic, and career aspirations. Some of the questions I encountered included:

• What motivates you to work in the technology industry?
• Can you describe a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame the obstacles?
• How do you prioritize your tasks when working on multiple projects?
• Why do you want to work at TCS, and what do you know about our company?

I answered these questions honestly and made sure to highlight my skills and experience that aligned with TCS’s values. I also asked questions about the company’s work culture, opportunities for growth, and the team I might be working with.

Final Thoughts

Overall, my interview experience at TCS was positive and engaging. The interviewers were professional and asked relevant questions that tested my technical skills and problem-solving abilities. If you are preparing for a similar interview, I suggest brushing up on your Java knowledge, practising coding challenges, and being ready to discuss your teamwork and interpersonal skills.