NVIDIA Corporation- Software Intern Interview

Name: Shivam Malviya

1 . What company have you been placed in and What is your job description?

=> I received 2 job offers. A Pre-Placement Offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India as a Technical Consultant and a 6-month Internship offer from NVIDIA Corporation as a Software Intern. At NVIDIA, I am working in the Software GPU team.

2 . Tell us Something about your college life and experiences. Were you part of any clubs and Society and how did they help you?

=> My college life has been all about traveling, exploring, and spending most of my time with my best friends. I was lucky to have some good friends indeed. In my second year, I joined the Environment Protection and Awareness Club (EPAC). I started as a General member of the club and then rose in the hierarchy from Joint-Secretary to the President. EPAC helped me in boosting my confidence, speaking skills, and team management skills. EPAC had around 100 students, so communicating effectively with them and expressing my thoughts and ideas helped me develop myself. It benefited me a lot during my interviews. I was able to communicate clearly and represent myself confidently. I also conducted various events like Jharkhand Science and Environment Festival (JSEF) and Jumanji. I wanted to devote the rest of my time to my studies, so I did not join any other club.

3 . What Message would you give to the first and second year undergraduates on effectively using their Time and maintaining their social as well as Academic life?

=> I would advise them to move out and explore everything during their college life. One should not just waste time sitting in their hostel rooms. I have seen some of my colleagues practice the same, and they now regret that. College life is way different from our school life, and so here, our Social Life matters equally like our Academic life and Grades. I would not recommend leaving your studies totally, because a good GPA is also crucial. One should try to focus and manage time for both of them equally. Make good friends, talk to seniors, make good social connections. But above all, have fun and live your life!

4 . How did you discover that “this particular sector “ is suitable for me or I have an interest in this? How did You carry forward in this?

=> I started exploring different fields right from my first year which helped me to find my interest in Computer Science and Programming. Initially, I started with everything, from participating in annual fests like Bitotsav and Pantheon, to taking part in coding competitions. I felt good while coding and continued it throughout my first year. I got distracted a bit in my second year, but luckily I got back on track because of my friends and again started taking part in competitions in my third year. I did training in Web Development and Python under Microsoft ( in collaboration with Verzeo ) after my first year. I bagged an internship in ISRO after my second year, where I dwelled deeper into Web Dev. I also did a 2-month internship in Pwc as a Technical Consultant after my third year. By then, I knew “Programming and Software Development” was where I wanted to have a future. In short, explore and explore and explore until you find your passion.

5 . What are the Technical Skills that are important for EEE graduates?

=> As a EEE graduate, you should focus more on performing practicals than theory. Also, try and get into any core technical club. If you could not, try to sharpen your practical skills by getting hands-on experience by doing projects. It will help you gain more understanding of the concepts. Also, they would be a huge contributor to getting good internships and placements. A guy with lots of good projects on his CV and a decent grade has a lot more chance of securing a placement, than someone with a 9.5 CGPA but nothing on his CV.

6 . How early should one start preparing for internships and how important is an internship?

=> You can start preparing for an internship as early as you really can. But it’s more about smart work than hard work. Obviously, internships are crucial if you wish to secure a PPO in your third year. But what is more important is your skillset. So it is better to improve your skills than doing an internship where you do not wish to work in the future. DO NOT get an internship just for the sake of doing one, because if you get a PPO you lose your chance of sitting in other companies in the On-Campus Placements. So better first work on your skills and then look for companies in your work interest for an internship.

7 . What are the Projects you have done in 4 years and how did they help in your placement and internship?

=> During my 4 years, I have done many projects in C++, Web Development, and Mobile App Development. Also, I did some core projects as a part of my curriculum too. I made an E-commerce Website from scratch in my first year. In my second year, I made some simple projects on Mobile App Development using React Native like Timer, Calendar, and others. I took part in the 100 Days of Code challenge in my third year. I made a library for Binary Heaps in C++. This included C++ concepts like OOP’s, templates and included Error handling to make the code versatile and efficient. I did this project during Hacktoberfest 2020. This was the main project for discussion during my NVIDIA interview.

8 . What was the selection procedure of your company? Can you repeat some of the important questions from each round of your interview?

=> The selection procedure of NVIDIA is short and straight-forward. It consisted of only two rounds. The first round was mostly on coding questions and Operating Systems. The second round and last round was an interview, which for me lasted for 90 minutes. The interviewers were very easy and social with me. First, they gave me some coding questions to solve. These were mostly to check my knowledge in DSA. Next, they asked me about the topics I was comfortable with. I mentioned that I was okay with anything but was well-versed with Operating Systems ( I had been preparing for the same lately). They started from “ What is an Operating System? “ and then deep-diving gradually into the topic. This followed with a brief discussion on my projects. They also asked me some common interview questions about myself. In the end, I asked them for some feedback on my interview.

9 . Tell us something about the Training and Placement Portal of the college?

=> The Training and Placement Portal is good, but you can find it a little tricky to use, so I would recommend seeking help from a member of the Training and Placement Student body. You can find details about all the companies visiting the campus for placements and internships and all the necessary details about the job offer. You can apply for the companies you are eligible for and can upload your resume. The complete list of all the short-listed students gets uploaded on the portal.

10 . How to choose and apply for internships so that we can make our way to the right company that we want to join?

=> As I cleared earlier, you should focus more on your interests and skills. Even if you don’t get an internship after your second year, there is no harm in it. Focus on developing your skills and work on them. For choosing a company for an internship, apply only to one where you wish to work in the future, and the work matches your interests.

11 . What are your future plans? Would you like to go for Higher studies?

=> As I have a UG degree in EEE but my interest is in CS so I am planning to do my master’s in CS from abroad. I am planning for the same currently, so wish me luck!

12 . What is your advice for the juniors who are interested in the field that you have chosen?

=> I would advise them to first focus on coding concepts and DSA. In the second/third year, they can start in the world of development and build projects. For on-campus placements, focus on sharpening your coding skills. Having good projects on your CV is a plus point. For off-campus placements, just a stronghold on coding is not going to be enough. A good CV becomes equally necessary in this case.