TECHNICAL CONTENT ENGINEER INTERNSHIP AT HACKERRANK
During my third year as a Computer Science undergraduate, I was actively searching for a summer internship and discovered the Technical Content Engineer role at HackerRank on LinkedIn. With a solid foundation in Data Structures and Algorithms and some experience in technical content writing, I decided to apply.
Interview Process
Fortunately, my profile was shortlisted, and I received an email invitation to take a coding assessment test. The 90-minute test comprised three questions:
- An intermediate-level coding question solvable using Priority Queues, which I completed in 15 minutes.
- An advanced-level coding question on Dynamic Programming, which took me over an hour to solve.
- A subjective question.
Two days later, I received a call from a People Operations Specialist who informed me that I had advanced to the next round. My interview with the Product Manager of the content team was scheduled. This one-hour code pair round involved solving two coding questions — one using prefix sums and the other based on dynamic programming. I managed to solve both in 35 minutes. Finally, I was asked to review two coding questions and provide insights on their problem statements, which were straightforward with clear diagrams and examples.
The next day, I received another call from the People Operations Specialist, who offered me the internship. It was a dream come true to intern at HackerRank, a platform I had admired since I started practicing coding. my profile got shortlisted, and I received an email invite to take a Coding assessment test. The test duration was of 90 minutes, and had three questions -
- An intermediate-level coding question that was solvable using Priority Queues (hardly took 15 minutes to solve)
- An advanced-level coding question on Dynamic Programming (it took more than an hour to solve this one)
- A subjective question
After two days, I received a call from a People Operations Specialist, who advanced me to the next round, and my interview was scheduled with the Product Manager of the content team. It was a one-hour code pair round where I was asked to solve two coding questions — one was an implementation problem solvable using prefix sum, and the second was based on dynamic programming. I managed to solve both of them in 35 minutes. Lastly, I was asked to review two coding questions and provide insights into the problem statement. Both were easy to understand and had diagrams and proper explanations with examples.
A day later, I received a call from a People Operations Specialist who informed me about the internship offer and details. It was a dream come true when I got the opportunity to intern at HackerRank, as I had longed to work here from the time I started practicing coding on their platform.
Internship Experience
The internship began with virtual onboarding and introductory meetings with various teams. My six-month remote internship paired me with a mentor who guided me and helped me develop new skills. As a Technical Content Engineer intern, my primary responsibilities included creating and solving challenges to enhance customer experiences.
The first three months focused on content curation for the HackerRank library and our customers. I also reviewed problem statements and participated in problem-solving activities, providing feedback on technical accuracy and language proficiency. The mentorship and leadership I received exposed me to numerous learning opportunities and allowed me to work on exciting new projects.
During the latter half of my internship, I chose to focus on management activities, automating manual tasks to improve efficiency and collaborating on new project initiatives with my mentor.
Work Culture
The work culture at HackerRank is exceptional. The team operates with a flat hierarchy, making everyone approachable and always ready to help. I never encountered a more welcoming team, and we were included in all events, team meetings, celebrations, and weekly catch-ups with the CTO. The team consistently acknowledged and praised even the smallest efforts and initiatives, fostering a family-like atmosphere.
Team Activities
One of the first team activities was designing an intern website, which was a great way to start the internship.
We also had biweekly happy hour events for casual conversations and fun games.
On sites
I had the opportunity to visit the Bengaluru HackerRank office twice. The first visit was a two-week event for interns, where we worked closely with mentors, managers, the CTO, and fellow interns. The company arranged our travel and stay, which was conveniently close to the office. We worked with our team on weekdays and enjoyed team dinners and outings. One weekend, we were taken to a fun place in Bengaluru for games, team-building activities, and lunch.
Learnings so far
My internship provided invaluable insights into the workings of a professional firm and helped shape my future career aspirations. The connections I made during this period were incredibly rewarding. Working on diverse projects and new initiatives was exhilarating and served as a significant learning curve.
Initially, I was nervous about my first full-time internship, but it was an enriching and rewarding experience. I am immensely grateful to the entire HackerRank team for this incredible journey.