Fidelity Investments: Software Engineer Interview Guide

Fidelity Investments is a leading financial services company dedicated to making financial expertise broadly accessible and effective in helping people achieve their financial goals. As a privately held company, Fidelity values a collaborative culture that nurtures talent and innovation.

Are you excited about building robust software solutions in a dynamic environment? As a Software Engineer at Fidelity, you'll engage in a challenging role involving various aspects of software development, from coding and testing to deployment and maintenance. Key responsibilities include designing scalable and reliable systems, implementing algorithms, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

This Interview Query guide will walk you through the interview process, typical questions you might encounter, and tips to excel in your Fidelity Investments interview. Let's embark on this journey to help you join a company renowned for its inclusive culture and commitment to excellence!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining Fidelity Investments as a Software Engineer. Whether you were contacted by a Fidelity recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV accordingly.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV happens to be among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the Fidelity Talent Acquisition Team will make contact to verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process.

Expect questions on your work history, technologies you've worked with, and why you're interested in working at Fidelity Investments. This round typically takes about 30 minutes.

Online Aptitude Test

Following the initial call, you may be invited to an online aptitude test which can consist of verbal, situational, and technical questions of varying difficulty levels. Common areas include:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Data Structures
• Algorithms
• SQL
• Coding Questions

Technical Virtual Interview

If you pass the online assessment, you'll be set up for a technical virtual interview. This round generally includes coding exercises, questions on data structures and algorithms, and perhaps some software design problems. You may also face technical questions based specifically on your resume, including your projects and the technologies you've worked with.

You may receive questions like:

• Implement merge sort algorithm.
• Why are joins used in SQL?
• Explain inheritance, and OOP principles.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Upon successful completion of the virtual interview, you will be invited to onsite interviews. This typically encompasses multiple rounds, which often include:

1. Technical Round 1: Deep dive into technical questions, focusing on specific technologies like Spring Boot, REST API, and Docker. Coding exercises in a live environment can also be part of this round.

2. Technical Round 2 with Hiring Manager: This round may include more complex and in-depth technical questions. Expect discussions around your understanding of frameworks such as Spring Boot, REST API, Microservices, and common Java questions like exceptions handling, multithreading, and hashmap intricacies.

3. Managerial Round: In this round, the focus is more on scenario-based questions, decision-making skills, and understanding your fit within the team and company culture.

4. HR Interview: The final round usually involves discussing your interpersonal skills, communication abilities, and aligning your expectations with what Fidelity can offer.

Post-Interview

After the interview rounds, successful candidates will be given an internship offer with a stipend of 35k per month. For full-time positions, offers are extended with competitive salary packages and benefits.

Quick Tips For Fidelity Investments Software Engineer Interviews

You should plan to brush up on any technical skills and try as many practice interview questions and mock interviews as possible. A few tips for acing your Fidelity Investments interview include:

• Know the Basic and Advanced Technical Concepts: Be sure to have a strong grasp on topics like OOP principles, Java Spring Boot, REST APIs, and SQL.
• Be Ready for Practical Coding Challenges: Expect live coding tests and screen-sharing sessions where you can be asked to implement specific algorithms or methods.
• Be Authentic and Honest: Fidelity values integrity; don't lie in your resume or during interviews. Be clear about what you don't know and stress your willingness to learn.

Typically, interviews at Fidelity vary by role and team, but commonly Software Engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• Create a function can_shift to determine if string A can be shifted to become string B. Given two strings A and B, write a function can_shift to return whether or not A can be shifted some number of places to get B.

• Develop a function str_map to determine if a one-to-one correspondence exists between characters of two strings at the same positions. Given two strings, string1, and string2, write a function str_map to determine if there exists a one-to-one correspondence (bijection) between the characters of string1 and string2.

• Write a function to determine if a string is a palindrome. Given a string, write a function to determine if it is a palindrome or not. A palindrome reads the same forwards and backwards.

• Create a function to find the index where the sum of the left half equals the right half. Given a list of integers, find the index at which the sum of the left half of the list is equal to the right half. If no such index exists, return -1.

• How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression? Explain how random forest generates multiple decision trees and why it might be preferred over logistic regression in certain scenarios.

• When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Compare two machine learning algorithms and provide examples of tradeoffs between using bagging and boosting algorithms.

• How would you evaluate and compare two credit risk models for personal loans?

• Identify the type of model developed by a co-worker for loan approval.
• Explain how to measure the difference between two credit risk models over time.

• List metrics to track the success of the new model.

• What’s the difference between Lasso and Ridge Regression? Describe the key differences between Lasso and Ridge Regression techniques.

• What are the key differences between classification models and regression models? Explain the main differences between classification models and regression models.

• What are the Z and t-tests, and when should you use each? Explain the purpose and differences between Z and t-tests. Describe scenarios where one test is preferred over the other.

• What are the drawbacks of the given student test score datasets, and how would you reformat them? Analyze the provided student test score datasets for potential issues. Suggest formatting changes to make the data more useful for analysis. Discuss common problems in "messy" datasets.

• What metrics would you use to determine the value of each marketing channel? Given the marketing costs for different channels at a B2B analytics company, identify the metrics you would use to evaluate the value of each channel.

• How would you determine the next partner card based on customer spending data? Using customer spending data, outline the process to identify the most suitable partner for a new credit card offering.

• How would you investigate if the redesigned email campaign led to the increase in conversion rates? Given the fluctuating conversion rates before and after a new email campaign, describe how you would determine if the campaign caused the increase or if other factors were involved.

• How would you design a function to detect anomalies in univariate and bivariate datasets? If given a univariate dataset, how would you design a function to detect anomalies? What if the data is bivariate?

• What are the drawbacks of the given student test score data layouts and how would you reformat them? Assume you have data on student test scores in two layouts (dataset 1 and dataset 2). What are the drawbacks of these layouts? What formatting changes would you make for better analysis? Describe common problems in “messy” datasets.

• What is the expected churn rate in March for customers who bought subscriptions since January 1st? You noticed that 10% of customers who bought subscriptions in January 2020 canceled before February 1st. Assuming uniform new customer acquisition and a 20% month-over-month decrease in churn, what is the expected churn rate in March for all customers who bought the product since January 1st?

• How would you explain a p-value to a non-technical person? How would you explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical?

• What are Z and t-tests, and when should you use each? What are the Z and t-tests? What are they used for? What is the difference between them? When should you use one over the other?

What is the average salary for a Software Engineer at Fidelity Investments?

Q: What is the interview process like for a Software Engineer role at Fidelity Investments?

The interview process at Fidelity Investments typically involves several stages. It begins with an online assessment that includes aptitude, coding, and technical questions. This is followed by one or more technical interviews focusing on problem-solving, data structures, algorithms, and specific technologies relevant to the role. Finally, there is an HR interview to assess your cultural fit and communication skills.

Q: What technical skills are typically required for a Software Engineer position at Fidelity Investments?

For a Software Engineer position, Fidelity Investments looks for strong technical skills in programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, and frameworks such as Spring Boot or Angular. Experience with SQL, REST APIs, and cloud technologies (AWS or Azure) is also valuable. Knowledge of DevOps practices and tools like Jenkins, Git, and CI/CD pipelines is often required as well.

Q: How should I prepare for the technical interview rounds at Fidelity Investments?

To prepare for the technical interview rounds, it's essential to have a solid understanding of object-oriented programming principles, data structures, and algorithms. Practice coding problems using platforms like Interview Query to sharpen your problem-solving skills. Review your resume thoroughly and be ready to discuss your projects, especially those involving APIs, databases, and front-end or back-end development.

Q: What is the work environment like at Fidelity Investments?

Fidelity Investments offers a collaborative and inclusive work environment. The company emphasizes innovation, continuous learning, and professional growth. You will work with diverse teams that value quality and efficiency in development processes. The company also supports a hybrid working model, combining offsite flexibility with in-person collaboration.

Q: Are there opportunities for career growth and development at Fidelity Investments?

Yes, Fidelity Investments places a high value on career growth and professional development. The company provides various opportunities for learning new technologies and advancing within the organization. You can gain experience across different projects and products while receiving mentorship and support from experienced colleagues.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Fidelity Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about Fidelity Investments’ interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to conquer every Fidelity interview question and challenge.

You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!