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:abbr:`HRT (Hudson River Trading)` Systems Internship Interview Experience
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:date: 2021-01-04 21:47
:tags: HRT, hudsonrivertrading, interview, internship
:slug: hrt-interview-1
:category: blog
:summary: I applied for **Systems Internship - Summer 2021** back in December 2020 at `Hudson River Trading <https://www.hudsonrivertrading.com>`_ , New York....Questions were clear and of medium level. But they were designed in such a way that you must know the basics before you could attempt.

I applied for **Systems Internship - Summer 2021** back in December 2020 at `Hudson River Trading <https://www.hudsonrivertrading.com>`_ , New York. The internship description was: -

.. epigraph::

    We are looking for highly motivated students who are eager to learn and excited about systems to join us for our summer internship 
    program. As a systems intern, you may have the opportunity to work on projects in the following areas:

    * Programming/scripting (Golang, Python, C++, C)
    * FOSS development
    * HPC, Cluster computing
    * System Administration
    * Linux, Debian
    * Linux-based computer security
    * Data Storage
    * Large deployment or config management

The first step was a coding test on Codility platform. If you have used any of the online coding platforms, this is similar. It was a 
:abbr:`2.5 hrs (90 mins)` test consisting of 3 questions. They let you use :abbr:`online references (documentation, man pages etc.)` but 
**do not copy the code** as it will highly reduce your chances of qualifying this first stage. You can choose between **C/C++**, 
**Python** and **Golang** (no Java 😪). 

Questions were clear and of medium level. But they were designed in such a way that you must know the basics before you could attempt. 
Also, they expected a clear and concise approach. Two of the most important points in their instructions were: -

.. epigraph:: 

    * While correctness and performance are the most important factors for evaluation, we will take test duration into account as well.
    * Please understand that this test is meant to be challenging. A perfect score is not necessary to move on to future interview rounds, so do the best you can!


So, you must be near perfect in your approach as well as on time. I did them kind of quickly. They will show you a summery about your 
submission but not the results. It will take almost 2 weeks to get back to you for further steps.

Next, I received a mail invitation for a telephonic interview. **This interview will last about 45 minutes and will be technical but will not require coding. Interview topics may include your background, programming languages, and Unix/Linux concepts**. Once you receive this 
mail you can then decide a time slot for interview. 

I was not sure what they will ask if this is not a coding interview. The interviewer was very polite, and he was explaining the questions 
too. Questions were not so tricky but practical and real-life. Since it was **not for SDE role**, the questions were mostly related to 
Linux/Unix, C++ (mainly pointers and memory), Python/Bash scripting, automation, knowledge of tools (IDEs, Editors, System Administration 
Tools) and previous experiences. The interview would often explain why he is asking this question, this was very nice. Then some common 
interview questions, why you want to work for this role? What makes you fit for this role? etc. 

One thing that I want to point out is that the interviewer was repeatedly checking my resume, and for the most part he did not ask 
anything that was not on my resume. So, my tip is to create a nice resume with genuine work/tool experiences. And when you are applying 
for such role, it would be helpful if you mention mathematics or other courses that you have taken. *Do not lie on your resume*. They 
will easily catch that. 

The other thing is to keep your words short and clear; I was not great at communication, but you can be. If the interviewer allows then 
use examples for the things you cannot explain. I used nice examples. At last, he gave me a short feedback of how well I performed. 

At last, I want to point out things I should not have done. The first is, I did not ask much about the role, you must do this at least 
once. Second, I am talkative, I do not know if interviewer was not faking his expressions (because he would often discuss in depth), 
but not all interviewers will be same. So, do not talk too much, neither too less. At last work on your communication skill, mostly how 
you present things and how to answer technical as well as behavioral questions. I was not fluent, but my way of presentation might 
have saved me. 
