Introduction: Personal Common Question

Introduce Yourself - Tell me about yourself.

Hi, I'm Sumonta Saha Mridul, a student of the Department of Software Engineering at SUST. I am currently living in Narayanganj.

Talking about my academic journey, in the 1st year, I learned C and C++ and tried solving CP problems on platforms like Codeforces and Codechef also developed a simple 2d survival game.

In the 2nd year, I learned Java and created a game in Java named "Survive It." I also developed an Android application named "Rent-It" using Java.

In the start of 3rd year, I became interested in basic HTML CSS JS and web development. I've built many projects in my academic life and have achieved a very good CGPA 4 out of 4 in all of these courses. During that I also learned and switched to Full-Stack Web development (React - NodeJS - ExpressJS - MySQL)

In the 3rd year, I got more interested in development competition like hackathon, idea-competition and project showcasing. I started my hackathon journey. I participated in many prestigious hackathons such as the DU IIT API Hackathon(Rank Top - 10), SUST SWE Technovent, DU IIT Project Showcasing etc. I came in the top 5 in the idea competition in the ICT division and won the 2nd prize in the BUP project showcasing competition.

At the starter of 4-1, I planned to participate the more advanced and biggest hackathon Code Samurai 2024. I started practicing for that 400 teams participated in that there were so many preliminary we achieved (2nd in Preliminary 2, Finalist) with competition with 400+ team.

I love to build projects, and I always try to keep documentation in the GitHub repository whenever I build something. I also love playing games at night with my friends

What are your strengths you noticed?

• I always try my best to accomplish my goal. I give the best effort. I don't give up easily.

• I’m good at managing my time and usually finish tasks early. I don't like to leave my work for the last moment.

• I've experience of leading teams in many national hackathons. This has helped me develop the skill of assigning tasks based on team members' abilities and keeping everyone updated.

• I have good communication skills from working with groups.

• I’m flexible and eager to learn new skills and technologies for the company.

Then give example of on flexibility and not giving up easily

Name a strength and a weakness of yourself​ - What are your strong points and weak points?

Strength:

• Don't give up until solve the problem/issue or find at least a similar resource!

• While building project we face many problems, I habit that when i ever i face a issue , no matter what happen I am not goona leaving my desk until i solve it.

• I am flexible to switch tech in company.

Weakness:

• My Strength is also a weakness of mine. Because sometimes it happens i stopped eating or sleeping in that breaking my schedule until i solve this

• Overthinking

1. আমি কখনো give up করি না যতক্ষণ একটা problem এর solution বা base দাঁড়া করাইতে না পারসি। যাই হয়ে যাক আমি বিলিভ করি যে একটা সল্যুশন অবশ্যই আছে। আমি যখন কোনো tutorial দেখে কাজ করি এবং সেটা না মিলে, আমি সল্যুশন খোজার চেষ্টা করি। যতক্ষণ সেটা হচ্ছে না আমি ট্রাই করতে থাকি।

2. অনেকসময় এমনও হয়েছে যে আমি সন্ধ্যা ৭-৮ টার দিকে বসছি রাত ২-৩ টা বেজে গেছে আমি টেবিল থেকে উঠতেসি না৷ যতক্ষণ ধরে অই প্রবলেম টার সলভ করতে না পারসি অথবা কমপক্ষে relevant কিছু একটা না পাইসি ততক্ষণ পর্যন্ত আমি give up করি নি।

3. এই গুণটা আমার একাডেমিক Development life এ অনেক হেল্প করেছে। Recently code samurai final Hackathon এ গিয়েছিলাম। সেখানে judge রা on spot এ আমাকে একটা requirement দিসিল যে ফোন থেকে ছবি তুলে user post করতে পারে এবং নিউজফিডে বাকি সবাই যেন সেই পোস্ট দেখতে পারে। আমার কাছে এই ফিচারটা তখন নতুন ছিল। আমি তখন on spot এ বসে নতুন করে জিনিসটা কীভাবে implement করতে হয় শিখছিলাম। বারবার ট্রাই করার পরেও হচ্ছিল না তাও আমি সেইম জিনিসটা বারবার ট্রাই করছিলাম। আমি টানা ৬ ঘন্টা এই একটা জিনিস নিয়ে বসেছিলাম give up করিনাই৷ বিভিন্ন tutorial দেখে continuously try করে যাচ্ছিলাম। ৬ ঘন্টা পরে আমি সফল হই। হ্যাঁ এটা ঠিক আমি অত আহামরি কিছু implement করিনি তবে এই যে হাল না ছাড়ার মনোভাব ছিল। পরবর্তীতে judge এর যে requirement টা আমি fulfill করতে পেরেছি সেজন্য উনারা অনেক impressed ও হয়েছে। i think এটা আমার একটা গুণ।

4. আবার এমনও হইসে যে এই একই কারণে আমি এক জায়গায় বসে আছি। খাওয়াদাওয়া করছি না। হেলথ এর ক্ষতি করছি। আবার কোড স্যামুরাই এর কথা যদি বলি এই যে ৬ ঘন্টা সময়ে আমি অই নির্দিষ্ট feature implement করতে ব্যস্ত ছিলাম তখন আমি অন্য ফিচার, আরো better requirement implement করতে পারতাম। in conclusion, আমি এটা বিলিভ করি যে solution available আছে। আমার সেটা খুজে বের করতে হবে। ততক্ষণ পর্যন্ত আমি হাল ছাড়ি না। I think এটা একইসাথে আমার গুণ আবার দোষও

Can you tell me about a weak point you've experienced and how you overcame it?

Weakness: Public Speaking + Communication

In my first year, I faced significant challenges in public speaking, which affected my communication skills. I believed that this skill is important for my future career, I decided to work on improving it. I participated in many competitions such as hackathons, project showcases, and idea competitions, where I had to present my project ideas to judges and audiences. I led my teams, collaborated, and discussed even the simplest matters with my teammates. Presenting all our ideas to the judges helped me overcome my fear of public speaking.

A notable experience was the ICT Division Idea Competition in 2022, where I presented my idea to an audience of over 500 people and I placed 6th in that competition. I regularly communicated with my teachers about project and hackathon issues, clarifying and presenting my ideas to them. Additionally, I have conducted seminars and small sessions on development topics for junior students in my department.

These experiences have significantly improved my public speaking skills. Now, at the end of my academic journey, I am confident and capable of giving any presentation and discussing any project plan. The difference between my first and fourth year is noticeable, and I feel enough confident for public speaking

Apart From Academic Activities, what are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?

1. Learning and exploring new tech.

2. I have a little passion for photography. I always love to capture moments in frame. Many of photos were also got selected for many photo exhibitions and competitions.

3. Playing Online games. Almost every weekend, I play games (Valorant) with my school friends. This the medium still we are connected even after leaving school for a long time.

4. Writing Blogs on medium. I have many articles on medium and devto.

Why Software Engineering? Why did you select Software Engineering as your major?

From my childhood, I was fascinated by computers. In first grade, my father told me that if I came first in my final exam, he would buy me a computer. Motivated by this promise, I achieved first place. Since then, I have been using computers and have been interested in tech-related things, devices, and computers. During admission time, I had the chance to attend many public universities, but at SUST, I had the opportunity to study CSE or Software Engineering. That's why I chose SUST. Though I couldn't get into CSE, Software Engineering is almost similar. So initially, even though I ended up in EEE, later migrated to Software Engineering. Currently, I think CSE is a mixture of hardware and software, but I felt more comfortable with software-related things. My long-standing passion for Software Engineering helped me study here for 4 years and explore software-related subjects.

Why should we hire you as our employee? Why do you think you are capable of Software Industry?

1. You have 5 mins. Convince us why we should hire you?

2. Why do you think yourself a good candidate for the internship opportunity at Cefalo?

Just Impress Him (You are Reliable and Flexible)

Talk About Yourself and Your Strength (Combine Question Answer 1 - 2)

I believe I am well-suited for the industry because I have a solid understanding of Java, JavaScript, and MySQL. I also have development experience from hackathons, where I solved real-life problems with my website solutions. I am proficient in Git and GitHub and have built many projects, demonstrating consistency in my work.

I have participated in many national hackathons, leading my teams, presenting ideas, and showcasing projects to judges and audiences, which has improved my communication skills. I never give up when facing development challenges and have a strong problem-solving mentality, which is essential in the software industry. I am flexible and eager to learn new languages and technologies to solve real-life problems, adapt to new environments, and handle challenges during development. I believe these qualities make me capable of facing challenges at the industry level, whether in production or other areas.

Where do you see yourself in 2 years? What is your career plan for the next 5 years?

Taking Responsibility + New Skills:

In the next two years, I see myself growing within this company, taking on more responsibilities, and contributing significantly to important projects. I aim to develop my skills further, stay updated with the latest trends and technologies, and perhaps move into a leadership role where I can mentor others and drive innovation.

Family Responsibility + Stability:

I won’t go abroad because my father died when I was 10, and I am the only child of my mother. I have family responsibilities here. Teaching isn't for me; I've always been more interested in industry-level work, and my family background hasn't influenced me towards teaching. I believe I can better utilize my potential if I work at the industry level. I would also like to maintain stability with a company. Stability in a company is beneficial for my personal career growth rather than switching jobs frequently.

Communication and Company's Growth:

I also want to build strong relationships with my colleagues and contribute to a positive and supportive team environment. I believe that if I can contribute to this company's growth and success, it automatically becomes my own growth. I hope to be an important part of the company’s future and help the company move forward.

I also want that the company I want to grow with that would be company Cefalo, it is my dream company. I always dreamed of working

Personal Goals:

Apart from my career plan, I have some personal goals.

• I want to gift a car to my mother, who sacrificed a lot for me after my father's death.

• I also dream of touring Ladakh, my dream destination.

You have a high cg, why we take you as internee, as you will go abroad?

1. I said, as I am the only son of my mother (My Father died when I was 10, I am the only hope of her) she wouldn’t allow me to leave the country. It's time for me to payback her all sacrifices.

2. I never maintain cg cause i would go for teaching profession or higher studies. I take it as a symbol of consistency and hard work During My Academic. Moreover during 4 years of software engineering, we have to build 7+ more projects. I am one of those few students (3-4 People) who cracked 4/4 in those these shows my consistency and interest in development sector.

Do you have any interest in studying abroad or doing a job abroad? Why or why not? Reason to stay in Bangladesh

One of the primary reasons for my decision to stay in Bangladesh is my family. My father passed away when I was 10, and I am the only child of my mother. She has sacrificed a lot for me, and I have significant responsibilities towards her.

The software industry in Bangladesh is rapidly evolving, offering a wide range of opportunities for professional growth and advancement. I believe that I can achieve my career goals right here by staying close to my family and providing the support and care that my mother needs.

I'm looking for a long-term job in the industry where I can build and grow my career. Stability is important to me, and I want to invest my skills to grow with the company. I value the stability and growth that a long-term position in a supportive environment can offer.

I'm passionate about applying my skills in a dynamic corporate environment. Teaching isn't for me; I've always been more interested in industry-level work since childhood. Moreover, my family background hasn't influenced me towards teaching; so overall, it's not a good option for me.

I believe I can better utilize my potential if I work at the industry level. Although I want to work in the industry, I want stability. If I'm given the opportunity to work at Cefalo permanently, I will do so. If the company provides me with a good working environment, facilities, and care, I am flexible enough to sacrifice my comfort zone to change roles, and I believe stability in a company is beneficial for my personal career growth rather than switching jobs.

Why not teaching? You may go into the teaching profession if a university offers you a position. Why not?

My skills, interests, and career aspirations are best suited to the software industry, where I can succeed both personally and professionally.

Teaching isn't what I prefer for my career. I've always been more interested in industry-level work, and my family background hasn't influenced me towards teaching either.

Since I was young, I've had a strong passion for technology, so as now I've opportunity to explore it, I'll choose the software industry over teaching.

The dynamic and modern environment of the software industry excites me, especially the chance to work on practical projects.

Working in software allows me to take on different roles, lead projects, and collaborate with professionals, which helps me grow my skills and knowledge.

I believe the software industry offers better opportunities for continuous learning and career advancement, which aligns with my long-term career goals.

Tell me about your family. Do you have any family members living abroad?

What are the fascinating aspects of Software Engineering in SUST?

The course covers important subjects like Data Structures, Algorithms, Software Requirement Engineering, Machine Learning, Design Patterns, Web Development, and Artificial Intelligence. This ensures that students get a strong understanding of both the theory and practical side of software engineering.

Students are encouraged to engage in competitive programming, which improves their problem-solving skills. We also have great lab facilities where students can work on their projects and experiments.

Students are required to complete at least 7 projects during the 4-year program. This helps them gain practical knowledge, learn different programming languages, and understand how to use these languages in real-world situations.

Many students participate in hackathons, which motivates them to further develop their skills. These events provide a great opportunity for students to innovate, work together, and showcase their talents. It also helps teach about team collaboration and how to work in teams.

The faculty is very supportive and offers continuous guidance on career goals and paths. Their support helps students navigate their academic and professional journeys.

The department offers mandatory 6-month internships before graduation. These internships help students gain industry experience and ensure they are well-prepared for their careers.

Which project was the most valuable for you? Is it the biggest project in your cv? What is it? How it works?

Most Challenging Tasks you do? Explain us

What problems did you face while working on the project? How did you solve them?

• If you had to solve it now, could you solve it? How?

• What features would you add if you had time?

1. I think building the project itself isn't that tough; the main challenge is the idea behind it. For my two major projects, the SUST Auto-rickshaw Management System and the EcoSync Waste Management System, the key was understanding real-life problems. Before starting these projects, I had to understand the requirements and how things should work, which took a lot of time. For the Auto-rickshaw Management System, it took about 20-30 days to figure out the requirements and plan the structure. Eco Sync had judge-defined requirements, which also took time to understand.

1. The major challenge I faced, and solving it made me proud, was implementing role-based authentication in EcoSync. At that time, I was not familiar with the Context API, but I still managed to implement it successfully.

1. The main problem with the SUST Auto-rickshaw project was that I was newly learning React, so there was a lot of repetition of basic components. However, we learned from our previous experience. In EcoSync, we reduced the repetition of components, made full use of React's advantages, and made the project easier to maintain.

1. In the SUST autorickshaw management system project, we faced several issues in the backend. Specifically, we managed all the routes in a single file. As the project grew, the number of routes increased, making it difficult to manage. Team collaboration also became challenging when we worked on different routes simultaneously. Due to time constraints, we didn't resolve this problem during the project.

   Later on, in another project (Code Samurai EcoSync), we applied our previous experience to improve our workflow. We created different modules for each entity (e.g., users, roles, vehicles, secondary stations, landfills, their managers), which made the project easier to manage and debug.

Solving which problem made you proud? Why

Talk about Role-Based Permission System

One thing I'm proud of is our success in the second preliminary round of Code Samurai. We had to build a waste management project for the Dhaka North City Corporation in just 7 days. This was my first project where we had to follow their problem statement and requirements instead of our own ideas. They kept changing their requirements, making it more challenging. Unlike other projects with long deadlines, we had only 7 days to finish this one. We worked overtime to meet the deadline, worked concurrently, continuously communicated among the team, collaborated, and did everything from designing diagrams and API documentation to making presentation slides, videos, and prototypes. Completing this project made me proud of myself.

Tell me about Cefalo? Why Cefalo is Your dream company?

Cefalo is a prominent player in IT services and consulting, focusing on top-notch software development and IT solutions. Founded in 2010, Cefalo is based in Oslo, Norway. Its main development center is in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They have 201 to 500 employees and earn around $12 million. Their services include web development, mobile app development, IT services, CRM consulting, system integration (SI), and software development.

Why I Like Cefalo

• Respected Seniors: Many respected seniors from my department work at Cefalo, which would help me feel more comfortable and connected.

• Cozy Environment: Cefalo is known for its cozy and welcoming atmosphere. I believe it would boost my productivity and job satisfaction.

• Close to Home: Cefalo's location is closer to my home in Narayanganj compared to other big companies, making my daily travel easier.

• DU API Hackathon Experience: I participated in the DU API Hackathon final round, where I got to experience the professionalism and support of the Cefalo judges and was very impressed.

• Interest in Company Stacks: I am particularly interested in the technologies and stacks used by Cefalo, such as [NextJs].

• Wonderful Work Culture: Cefalo is known for its great work culture and friendly environment, which I find very appealing.

• No Micromanagement: At Cefalo, developers have significant autonomy with no micromanagement, allowing them to take ownership of their projects. This approach aligns with my working style.

• Work-Life Balance: Cefalo supports a healthy work-life balance, which is crucial for both personal well-being and professional productivity.

• Competitive Salary: Cefalo offers competitive salaries compared to other local companies, which is attractive to me.

• Supportive of Career Growth: Cefalo provides great opportunities for professional development and advancement, which is important for my career growth.

• Extraordinary Colleagues: I have heard that Cefalo employees are talented, supportive, and inspiring, which makes me eager to work with them.

• Good Food: Lastly, good food at the office makes Cefalo an even better place to work.

What do you expect to learn from the internship? What do you expect from Cefalo?

1. Gain hands-on experience in the industry. Gain insights into industry trends, best practices.

2. Learn about the project lifecycle, including planning, execution, monitoring, and completion.

3. Experience working in a team setting, understanding team dynamics, communication, and collaboration.

4. Opportunities to work on meaningful and challenging projects that contribute to both personal growth and the company’s goals.

5. Regular feedback and performance evaluations to help track progress and identify areas for improvement.

6. A supportive and inclusive work environment that encourages learning and professional growth.

Do you have any questions for me?

• What are the main goals and expectations for this role in the first year?

• How did I perform?

• How would you describe the work culture and environment of the company?

• What are some of the current challenges or opportunities that the company or the department is facing?

• How do you measure performance and provide feedback for this role?

• What are the next steps in the hiring process and when can I expect to hear from you?

Reply Approaches When You Don't Know!

• Rather Than Saying No (Tell Them About Similar Things You Know)

• Drag The Conversion to Something You tried and know rather than formal Interview (আমি ত এটা এই জায়গায় ইউজ করসিলাম)

• ভাইয়া আমি এটা নিয়ে কাজ করি নাই, স্যরি ফর দ্যাট।

• ভাইয়া আমি ত অত গভীরে ঢুকি নাই যতটুকু বেসিক জানলে হয়ে যাইত ততটুকু শিখসি৷ in future i obviously will learn more about it.

• Don't be fake

• স্যরি ভাই আমি এটা পারতেসি না, অনেক দিন ধরে করি নাই। প্র‍্যাক্টিস করা হয় নাই অনেক দিন। একটু নার্ভাস ফিল করছি আর কি

Competitive Programming Round Approaches

• In Cp, Share Your Approaches

• Try brute-force method first

• Don't Directly Jump to Code

• Discuss with Interviewer about the question

• Ask All the Constraints (Even if you know)

• Share The Process (So That You Can What Actually He wanted)

• While Coding writes variable and function Name Relevant

• If you know the Optimize answer share brute force approach first

• Then If interviewer tells you to optimize the answer, then do I it

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More Topic (Not Important)

How much time will you take to learn Vue and be as good as in it like you are in React?

Ans: As I don't currently have idea about Vue, but I am assuming that as I have a quite good knowledge about react, I will be enough flexible to switch Vue.js. I think I will take 30 days. In first 10 days I will learn the fundamental topics and I usually take 10-15 days to build a project, So next 15 days I will try to develop a project using Vue understanding the real-life use case and Last 5-10 days I will take for over what better i can do and analyzing some vue.js project.

Front-end / back-end কনটা বেশি ভাল লাগে ?কেন ভাল লাগে ?

Ans: Combination of Both. Because when I do frontend task's i miss the dynamic data of backend. And When I do backend for visualization and interaction i miss frontend.

1. What do you want to do after graduation?

2. There are many problems in this world. Which one is the big problem in your view?

During your academic years, you solve various types of programming problems as well as do projects. Both of these are great ways to learn new things and improve yourself. What do you think is the difference between the two?

Ans: Parallelly. Project Building helps me lot thinking and solving dynamically. But Parallelly if solving programming problems helps your thinking capability (That's something I regret not doing).

Let’s say, you've been trying to solve a problem in a specific way for a few days now but haven’t found any solution yet. If I present to you a different but well proven solution to the problem, will you choose the one I gave, or will you try to finish the one you were trying earlier?

Ans: In that case, I will take time to solve problem with my logic no matter what the way is at least a basic solution because it will boost my confidence. But if gave up directly and go to your solution it will create a negative impact in me. After solving in my style, then I will watch out your solution to learn what better I can do for optimization.

আপনার Expected Salary কত? কী বলা যায়?