Financial Software Developer Interview Experience - New York, New York
July 1, 2011
Neutral ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I applied online through their website and received an email to take the online assessment test. I chose C as the language of preference. Some of the questions asked were quite tough; I didn't even know if they were asking questions from C anymore.
After clearing the online assessment test, they contacted me for a telephonic interview. The interview was simple enough, but there was quite a bit of disturbance on the interviewer's end. I could hear other people talking around him. I don't know if he could even understand me with all that noise around him.
Questions
I was asked questions related to pointers in C. If you choose C as your language of choice, then make sure to concentrate on pointers.
Another question was what is the difference between arrays and linked lists, and which one would you prefer to use.
They gave me a piece of code in C and asked what would be the output. Then they started adding more functions to the basic code and building upon it, asking me what changes would occur in the output and if the code would compile at all.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 135 interview experiences for the Bloomberg LP Financial Software Developer role in New York, New York.
Success Rate
27%
Pass Rate
Bloomberg LP's interview process for their Financial Software Developer roles in New York, New York is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive47%
Neutral39%
Negative14%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Bloomberg LP's Financial Software Developer interview process in New York, New York.
Bloomberg LP Work Experiences
4.0
Good pay, benefits, and job security; bad technology
Financial Software Developer • Current Employee
New York, New York, United States
October 1, 2012
Pros: Pay is good. Business is slowing down now, but even during the financial crisis, I got pretty good pay and bonuses. A lot of my coworkers quit and work for Google, and they're getting less vacation and about the same salary.
Good benefits. Four weeks vacation, good medical and dental insurance (used to be free, but now it's $400 a year or so), and other perks like free entrance to museums and occasional tickets to high-society type events through the company's philanthropy.
Nice office in a nice location, with beautiful tropical fish and free snacks.
Cons: The technologies they are using are outdated and mostly proprietary. You can become an expert in those technologies, and it will make you more valuable to Bloomberg, but not to anyone else. Perhaps not if you work in a few groups (mobile, bloomberg.com, Bloomberg Government) which use mainstream technologies, but the vast majority of programmers are working on the Bloomberg Terminal, which doesn't really use any modern, marketable technology.
Good job security has a price: there are a lot of really bad programmers who break things or never get any work done, and they never get fired. Depending on your team, you could work with smart people, but you might also work with a lot of dumb people.
Hours can be long, and you're pretty much expected to be on-call 24/7, ready to log in and debug issues at 4 AM when the London market opens. It's a global business, but most software teams are only in New York, and in some teams, you can get woken up very frequently to fix overseas issues.
2.0
A good place to start, but a difficult place to stay
Financial Software Developer • Current Employee
New York, New York, United States
September 10, 2010
Pros: Pay and benefits are top-notch, with bonuses very good compared to a lot of software jobs.
The building is amazing.
Snacks are okay (but they get you fat).
Free entry into NY museums and cultural events.
A lot of very smart people, and the work will definitely keep you busy.
You get code into production fast compared to many software jobs, where the turn-around on a project might be months to years.
At Bloomberg, many projects last weeks.
Cons: Technology is extremely proprietary. You're not working with open-source technology, or even Microsoft tools. You're working with Bloomberg-specific technologies, many of which date back to hacky solutions from the early 80s. A lot of the new stuff is poorly documented and in a constant state of flux. I often am jealous of my friends who get to work with more interesting technology, even though I'm better compensated.
The management is a bit lacking. The structure is very loose (which can be a good thing), but sometimes things feel disorganized. They don't employ any software methodologies or processes, so even though they use rapid development, projects are poorly organized and lack planning and testing. This also can make projects more stressful than they need to be.
2.0
Good first job, but boring and unsatisfying workplace
Financial Software Developer • Current Employee
New York, New York, United States
May 1, 2012
Pros: Great salary and vacation time.
A 12-week training program brings your coding up to speed.
Good snacks and beverages.
I got to move to NYC and be able to afford it.
Cons: Most technology is relatively old.
A lot of work is maintenance of code written 10, 15, 20 years ago.
Not much room for innovation, especially when all projects are on extremely tight deadlines.
- 4.0Good pay, benefits, and job security; bad technologyFinancial Software Developer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesOctober 1, 2012Pros: Pay is good. Business is slowing down now, but even during the financial crisis, I got pretty good pay and bonuses. A lot of my coworkers quit and work for Google, and they're getting less vacation and about the same salary. Good benefits. Four weeks vacation, good medical and dental insurance (used to be free, but now it's $400 a year or so), and other perks like free entrance to museums and occasional tickets to high-society type events through the company's philanthropy. Nice office in a nice location, with beautiful tropical fish and free snacks.Cons: The technologies they are using are outdated and mostly proprietary. You can become an expert in those technologies, and it will make you more valuable to Bloomberg, but not to anyone else. Perhaps not if you work in a few groups (mobile, bloomberg.com, Bloomberg Government) which use mainstream technologies, but the vast majority of programmers are working on the Bloomberg Terminal, which doesn't really use any modern, marketable technology. Good job security has a price: there are a lot of really bad programmers who break things or never get any work done, and they never get fired. Depending on your team, you could work with smart people, but you might also work with a lot of dumb people. Hours can be long, and you're pretty much expected to be on-call 24/7, ready to log in and debug issues at 4 AM when the London market opens. It's a global business, but most software teams are only in New York, and in some teams, you can get woken up very frequently to fix overseas issues.
- 2.0A good place to start, but a difficult place to stayFinancial Software Developer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesSeptember 10, 2010Pros: Pay and benefits are top-notch, with bonuses very good compared to a lot of software jobs. The building is amazing. Snacks are okay (but they get you fat). Free entry into NY museums and cultural events. A lot of very smart people, and the work will definitely keep you busy. You get code into production fast compared to many software jobs, where the turn-around on a project might be months to years. At Bloomberg, many projects last weeks.Cons: Technology is extremely proprietary. You're not working with open-source technology, or even Microsoft tools. You're working with Bloomberg-specific technologies, many of which date back to hacky solutions from the early 80s. A lot of the new stuff is poorly documented and in a constant state of flux. I often am jealous of my friends who get to work with more interesting technology, even though I'm better compensated. The management is a bit lacking. The structure is very loose (which can be a good thing), but sometimes things feel disorganized. They don't employ any software methodologies or processes, so even though they use rapid development, projects are poorly organized and lack planning and testing. This also can make projects more stressful than they need to be.
- 2.0Good first job, but boring and unsatisfying workplaceFinancial Software Developer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesMay 1, 2012Pros: Great salary and vacation time. A 12-week training program brings your coding up to speed. Good snacks and beverages. I got to move to NYC and be able to afford it.Cons: Most technology is relatively old. A lot of work is maintenance of code written 10, 15, 20 years ago. Not much room for innovation, especially when all projects are on extremely tight deadlines.
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