Fidelity Investments Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2024
Overview
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 Fidelity Investments software engineer interview questions you might encounter, and tips to excel in your interview. Let’s embark on this journey to help you join a company renowned for its inclusive culture and commitment to excellence!
Cultural and Behavioral Questions
This feature is currently experimental, and we’re committed to improving it with your valuable feedback.Can you describe a time when you were involved in a project that did not go as planned? What was your role, and how did you handle the situation? What steps did you take to communicate with your team and stakeholders, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?
When discussing a project that faced challenges, focus on your proactive measures and communication skills. Start by clearly outlining the situation, including the project's objectives and the reasons for its struggles. Next, detail your approach in addressing the issues, such as holding team meetings to brainstorm solutions or implementing changes to project management strategies. Emphasize the importance of transparency with stakeholders and how you kept them informed of progress. Conclude by reflecting on the lessons learned and how they shaped your future project management style.
In a rapidly evolving field like software engineering, how do you stay updated with new technologies and frameworks? Can you provide an example of a time when you had to quickly learn a new technology to complete a project? How did you approach the learning process?
When answering this question, emphasize your commitment to continuous learning. Start by discussing various resources you utilize, such as online courses, tech blogs, or community forums. Then, provide a specific example where you successfully learned a new technology under tight deadlines. Describe your strategy in breaking down the learning process, such as setting milestones or seeking mentorship from colleagues. Conclude with the impact of your new knowledge on the project and how it enhanced your contribution to the team.
Describe a time when you worked in a diverse team on a software project. What challenges did you face in terms of communication and collaboration, and how did you overcome them to ensure a successful project outcome?
For this question, focus on the dynamics of teamwork and the importance of leveraging diverse perspectives. Start by explaining the project goals and team composition, highlighting any differences in backgrounds or expertise. Discuss specific challenges, such as miscommunication or differing priorities, and detail the strategies you employed to foster collaboration, like establishing regular check-ins or creating shared documentation. Conclude by sharing the positive outcomes of your efforts, including lessons learned and how they can be applied in future team settings.
Fidelity Investments Software Engineer Interview Process
The interview process usually depends on the role and seniority; however, you can expect the following on a Fidelity Investments software engineer interview:
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 consisting of verbal, situational, and technical questions of varying difficulty levels. Common areas include:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Data Structures
- Algorithms
- SQL
- Coding Questions
Technical Virtual Interview
You’ll be set up for a technical virtual interview if you pass the online assessment. 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 completing the virtual interview, you will be invited to onsite interviews. This typically encompasses multiple rounds, which often include:
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.
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 exception handling, multithreading, and hashmap intricacies.
Managerial Round: This round focuses more on scenario-based questions, decision-making skills, and understanding your fit within the team and company culture.
HR Interview: The final round usually involves discussing your interpersonal skills and 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.
What Questions Are Asked in a Fidelity Investments Software Engineer Interview?
Typically, interviews at Fidelity vary by role and team, but commonly, Software Engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Write a function to determine if a string is a palindrome.
Given a string, write a function to determine whether it is a palindrome. A palindrome reads the same forwards and backward.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. What’s the difference between Lasso and Ridge Regression?
Describe the key differences between Lasso and Ridge Regression techniques.
9. What are the key differences between classification and regression models?
Explain the main differences between classification models and regression models.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. How would you design a function to detect anomalies in univariate and bivariate datasets?
How would you design a function to detect anomalies if given a univariate dataset? What if the data is bivariate?
16. 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?
17. How would you explain a p-value to a non-technical person?
How would you explain a p-value to someone who is not technical?
18. 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?
How to Prepare for a Software Engineer Interview at Fidelity Investments
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 grasp 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.
FAQs
What is the average salary for a Software Engineer at Fidelity Investments?
According to Glassdoor, software engineers at Fidelity Investments earn between $109K to $156K per year, with an average of $130K per year.
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 like 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 also often required.
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.
Are there opportunities for career growth and development at Fidelity Investments?
Yes, Fidelity Investments highly values 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.
Conclusion
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!