Getting a job from on-campus placements remains the ultimate goal for all college-going students. People indulge themselves in a rat race to get the top jobs at tech giants and unicorns. Even though the race heats up in the final year, to be able to get an internship in your 3rd year of college is still a dream for many, that too from a giant like JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Hi, I am Mansi, a pre-final year student of Banasthali Vidyapith pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering, and today you are going to read about how I bagged an internship at JP Morgan & Chase in just my 3rd year of college. So without further ado, let's get started!
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Hiring Method
Every year, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. come for on-campus hiring in various colleges. They hire candidates for internship and full-time roles through the "Code for Good" Hackathon only. Due to their reputation and global presence, the applications for the Code for Good hackathon are pretty huge in number.
The students are selected based on their proficiency in coding, development and aptitude skills. This process usually takes around 6 months, and so it did in our case.
Eligibility Criteria
Even though the prospect of working at JP Morgan seems tempting, but do keep in mind that you need to maintain a basic CGPA to be eligible for participating in the Code for Good Hackathon.
In our college, the criteria are as follows:
- Degrees: B. Tech/B.E/MCA
- Streams: Computer Science / Information Technology / Data Science / Artificial Intelligence / Big Data / IoT / Electronics
- Roles: Full Time (2023 batch) and Internship (2024 batch)
- CGPA: 7 or above
How I got this opportunity?
We got a notice through our college's Placement Cell that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co will hire interns through the Code for Good Hackathon. Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. organized various webinars based on Software Engineering Program Roadshow & Guidance.
The Recruitment Process
The company shortlists students via these rounds in chronological order:
- Coding Round
- HR Interview Round
- Code for Good Hackathon
Coding Round:
The Coding Round was scheduled on 19 March 2022 on the HackerRank platform. In the coding round, there were 2 questions and the duration was of 60 minutes. The difficulty level of questions was easy to medium and they were Leetcode questions based on concepts like Arrays, Strings, Hashmaps, Trees, Linked Lists, Stack, Queue and Priority Queue.
In my coding round, one question was based on string and another one was on Hashmaps. Luckily, I was able to solve both questions within the stipulated 30 minutes. After the coding round, the shortlisted students got emails for the HR Interview Round.
Key things to note: HackerRank has strict plagiarism detection software which checks your code for originality. You must have your webcam turned on for proctoring during the test.
HR Interview Round:
I was shortlisted for the next round and received an email from Hirevue on behalf of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. which was basically a video Interview. Here, we had to record our answers on the spot. There were two questions.
Key things to note: This is only the opportunity where you get a chance to showcase your communication skills. Answer all the questions in detail and avoid using fillers.
Code For Good Hackathon
Next up, the Code For Good Hackathon, where the selected students were split into teams and each team was assigned a mentor. The total duration of this hackathon was 2 days. The hackathon was fully based on Full Stack Web Development where teams had to build a project that would solve a real-life problem for NGOs. The teams consisted of 7-8 members and 2-3 mentors.
We got to know about the list of problem statements the following morning, and the teams were given the liberty to choose the problem statements according to their priority. An hour later, the final problem statements were assigned to us.
Our mentors were extremely supportive and guided us through each step during the hackathon, and it only made our tasks easier. A few brainstorming sessions with the mentors followed, and they provided us with a roadmap of the entire project.
Now here comes the tricky part - As I began to build the project, the mentors came in between to take a 1-on-1 interview for approximately 30 minutes. Questions were asked on Data Structures and projects that I listed in my resume rounded off by some HR questions.
Key things to note: Build the project as simple as possible, don't try to make it harder by adding complexities and all. Focus on the problem statement, read it thoroughly and then start with the project. Your understanding of the problem statement will make or break your chances of selection.
Another point, even though you are fighting for yourself, please note that the hackathon is a team effort. Please respect each other's opinions and communicate with the mentors and team members.
The D-Day!
On the 20th of August, 2 months after the Code for Good hackathon, our Placement Cell announced the names of shortlisted students for JP Morgan Chase & Co. And much to my delight, I was on the list!
via GIPHY
My Placement Journey
You might be willing to know about my placement strategy, and there's only one thing I have for you. CONSISTENCY! By the time I finished my 12th standard, I did have a good understanding of coding concepts. But the actual grind started from the 1st year of college and that's when I started coding on a daily basis. I also started teaching C++ to my juniors and classmates.
You can have a look at my LeetCode Profile here
My experience with Coding Minutes
At the end of my first year, I came to know about Coding Minutes and joined their community as a Campus Captain. In the initial days, I also got the Data Structure and Algorithms Level-Up course by Prateek Narang via a giveaway. I learnt the concepts of DSA from that course.
At the same time, to test my understanding, I spent adequate time practising on platforms like LeetCode and Geeks for Geeks. I used to attempt 5-6 coding questions daily basis without any break. And gradually, I shifted my focus toward Weekly Coding Contests on LeetCode.
And there you have it! This was my journey full of hard work and consistency that helped me crack JP Morgan Chase & Co. If you are still reading this, keep in mind that consistency is the key. If you ever feel like not doing it, remember why you started!
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to know more about my coding journey. That being said, keep hustling and wish you all the very best!
