I just got my offer from Bloomberg for their SWE New Grad role, and I figured I'd share my process with all of you!
About me:
I should note that all of these interviews were in-person, which I enjoyed a lot more than the online experiences. It felt that Bloomberg cared about the people they hired, and wanted to get to know me better. I had gotten a referral from a friend after I had initially applied.
Stage 1: Coffee Chat
This is a fairly relaxed interview. I met with a software engineer, and we talked through my resume, from experiences in work, to the classes I taught and took. We both went to the same school, so we had a good talk about which professors we had and what classes we enjoyed. I got to ask about Bloomberg and how teams are divided and the company culture at the end. Once the chat ended, I was notified I would hear back about the next steps in a few days
Stage 2: Technical Interviews
I received an email about setting up an in-person technical round. (Bloomberg had engineers fly out to visit our school) Once scheduled, I met with a software engineer for about an hour. We began with introductions and a basic overview of my resume and interests. From there, we got into the interview. I was asked two questions, one that was more OOP-oriented and another leetcode-style one. Both were not too bad, though we spent a bit more time on the first question. After those questions, I was given a chance to ask questions about the company. Once the interview concluded, I was told they wanted to schedule another one for the next day, which was promptly done.
The second interview was the same style. I met with two software engineers this time, as opposed to one. Introductionsa and some resume questions followed. Again, I was given two technical questions. One was a string related one, and the other was another OOP-style that reqiured some clever thinking. Both were not too bad, the second one took longer than I thought. At the end, I got to ask questions about their roles. At the end of the interview, I was told to expect an email from HR about "next steps."
Stage 3: HR and Senior Engineer Rounds
A few days after the second technical, I got an invite for a talk with an HR rep (hiring manager) and a senior engineer at Bloomberg. Once scheduled, I first met with the hiring manager. I spoke about my resume, my past summer work, my teaching work in college, and involvement. I went into depth as much as they needed. I was asked stuff like "Why Bloomberg?" or "What do you want out of a company?"
I was then led into a room with a senior engineer. Again, we talked about my resume, though more on the technical side of my projects and the design choices I made. I also was asked about what I gained out of my experiences, what topics like mentoring meant to me, among other questions. At the end, I was given a chance to ask questions about his role, how he had came to Bloomberg, among other things. Once thess interviews were donw, I was told I would hear back in a few days about my final decision.
Outcome:
After 2 weeks (not sure why it took so long) I was asked if I could get on a call the next day. The call stated I had gotten the offer, and that it would be sent to me in the next day or two. Once I received it, I had 2 weeks to sign it, but I asked for an extension since I was still interviewing with a few other companies.
Offer: Recevied at top of their salary, discretionary bonus, and a sign-on for relocation. I could only negotiate a bit as I only was interviewing with a couple of other companies, and did not have any other offers.
Tips for the Process:
Best of luck in your interview process! I hope this helps you guys! :)