The process started with visiting the Bloomberg LP booth at my university. I gave them my resume, and we discussed a project or two. I then asked if they were conducting interviews on campus, and they confirmed they were.

Before I could secure a campus interview, I had to answer a few questions at the booth. These questions were brain teasers and C++ specific language questions. Upon impressing the recruiters at the booth, I was offered an on-campus interview.

Next, I met with two campus recruiters about a week or two later, when they were in town. It was a technical interview with some HR undertones to gauge my research. Questions were primarily based on system architecture (e.g., 'How would you design a stock tracking system?') and data structures (e.g., 'How would you implement a queue using only the stack data structure?').

A couple of weeks later, I heard from an HR representative who invited me to an on-site interview. They flew me to New York, and I stayed in a hotel the night before.

I arrived at Bloomberg Tower at 10:30 am for an 11:00 am interview. You will be asked to check in at the front desk 15 minutes before your interview. Your picture will be taken, and a visitor's badge will be printed for you. Afterward, you will proceed to the sixth floor to await your host. My host greeted me a few minutes later and escorted me to a conference room on the 23rd floor. The view was phenomenal, offering a fantastic panorama of Manhattan and Central Park.

The first interview was 2-on-1. One interviewer was a project lead, and the other was more junior. They began with questions about me and my resume. I had the opportunity to discuss my favorite project and showcase my enthusiasm for my work. Next, they asked technical questions, specifically related to algorithms and data structures.

The subsequent interview was 1-on-1 with a more senior individual, whom I gathered was a team lead for mobile development. His questions were very direct, and he made it clear he wasn't trying to trick me. Although blunt, it was one of the best interviews I've had due to the pressure and the need to think on my toes. His questions were primarily HR-focused. The toughest and most surprising question he asked was, 'There are many large companies with similar offerings to Bloomberg LP in the city, such as Google. If a friend there mentioned they had opportunities available, would you pursue an opportunity there?' (See the answer below.) After the HR questions, the interviewer presented several coding challenges, such as finding bugs in provided code.

The final interview was strictly HR-related, including the dreaded question about compensation expectations. Drawing on knowledge from this website, I provided a range and stated that I expected at least the average salary to remain competitive. The HR interviewer indicated that they routinely offer higher than the figure I requested.

At the conclusion of each interview, I was given the opportunity to ask questions.

I received an offer from HR in just three business days.

There are many large companies in the city that offer many of the same things as Bloomberg LP, for example, Google. If a friend worked there and mentioned that opportunities were available, would you pursue an opportunity there?