Financial Software Developer Interview Experience - New York, New York
Process
After applying, I was contacted by Bloomberg R&D recruitment to take an online technical assessment. It consisted of logic/IQ-kind of questions, nothing too hard. I don't have a clear-cut computer science background, so I was happy to take this and not a test on a specific language.
About two hours after I took the test, I received an email asking me to set up a technical phone interview. The phone interview was really nice. There were some difficult questions (especially since I'm a little rusty with C), but the interviewer was very pleasant and not intimidating at all.
He asked me about my experience with C/C++ and some coding questions specifically about search algorithms. I have a lot of experience with numerical methods, so this wasn't too bad. I also got asked a really easy probability question.
I was upfront and said my experience with C/C++ is limited, but I've worked extensively with MATLAB (which is a kind of a lazy C). The phone interview really goes the direction that you take. I think they just want to see your thought process and how you work out problems.
I didn't get everything right, and I admitted when I didn't know something. Even though the interview was supposed to be 45 minutes, it lasted over an hour. I figured that was a good sign because he wouldn't waste his time on me.
Two days after the phone interview, they invited me for an on-site interview at their NY office. I've been informed that it's supposed to last two hours. The interview is in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking that it will consist of technical and HR-type questions.
Questions
What are your favorite coding features about C/C++?
How would you form an index for a book? i.e., finding the words specified and ordering the page numbers per word (this requires discussing data structures a bit).
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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
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
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Bloomberg LP's Financial Software Developer interview process in New York, New York.
Bloomberg LP Work Experiences
- 4.0Great Minds, Strong Work Ethic, Room for Growth, Plenty of Training, and Long HoursFinancial Software Developer • Former EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesSeptember 23, 2013Pros: This is the kind of place where you feel honored to be among the smart people working here. Lots of opportunity for advancement and to learn, both formally and informally. Very cool perks, like free admission into any museum you can think of and great company parties. Having a TV studio in the building meant occasional celebrity sightings.Cons: Long hours, usually worked until 8 p.m., and I was too worn out to do anything after work. Senior management would sometimes tell us that we needed to stop working so hard, but it was just lip service. The culture and the project deadlines required constant long hours. I felt guilty leaving at 6 p.m. There seemed to be a lack of organization at the team lead and management levels, which trickled down to the developers. The open work environment basically meant constant interruptions. It was hard to focus and get anything done until the end of the day when most people had gone home. On the other side of training is the unofficial requirement to spend time training new developers. Normally, when building a team, this is a good thing, but in the two years I was there, I trained five temporary consultants. So, instead of building a team, all that training just went to completing their short-term project, then they were gone.
- 1.0Don't go there if you are a computer science majorFinancial Software Developer • Former EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesJune 9, 2010Pros: Good pay Free food Good office locationCons: No cubes, everyone face to face. Long, long hours. The technology they use is old, not good for CS-majored graduates once you exit.
- 4.0Good for beginnersFinancial Software Developer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesDecember 18, 2012Pros: Workload is balanced with personal life. Learn many CS and financial knowledge. Free courses. Free food.Cons: not fully match my background and interests.
Bloomberg LP Interview Questions
