ELECTRONIC ARTS

Role: Software Engineer (Internship)

College: Not Specified (New Grad, applied at Massive Technology Show in Vancouver, BC)

Interview Date: January 1, 2022

Interview Type: Internship

Result: No Response

Difficulty: Easy to Medium

Rounds: 2 main stages (Phone Interview + In-person Interview with multiple segments)

Topics Asked: C++ (Virtual Functions, Friend Class, Quick Sort Big O), Algorithms, General Knowledge, Resume Projects (Tech Art, C++ Project, WebGL Project), Performance Debugging, Data Structures, Tool Usage, Behavioral Questions (Conflict Handling, Strengths, Passion for Gaming/Sports), Salary Expectations

Experience:

The candidate applied for a general software engineer internship online but was directed to a rendering position intern interview based on their resume's focus on real-time rendering. The experience was described as the "best experience" among game companies.

Phone Interview (HR):
Scheduled about a week after attending the Massive Technology Show. This was an HR interview primarily covering educational background and work experiences. It also included a couple of "technical" questions requiring definitive answers.

• "What is the big O for quick sort?"
• "What is a friend class?"

The candidate felt that EA might have been in urgent need of people, as they skipped the usual technical phone interview and scheduled an in-person interview immediately.

In-person Interview (2.5 hours):
Held about a week after the phone screen.

First hour (Two Technical Interviewers):
Interviewers "drilled me on the usual technical stuff, algorithms, and general knowledge-based questions." The questions were considered "very easy" because many were asked within the hour.

• Discussion of school projects on the resume: a tech art project (focusing on performance debugging), a C++ project (to show C++ coding ability without an engine), and a WebGL project from a computer graphics class.
• "Really basic C++ problems."
• "What is a virtual function in C++?"
• "What does the compiler do when it's compiling a virtual function?" (The candidate did not know this answer).
• Detailed resume questions: "What kind of tools do you use?", "What is the data structure of the project?", "How do you discover performance problems?"

Second hour (Hiring Manager):
This segment focused mostly on behavioral questions.

• "How do you handle conflicts with your co-worker/professor/fellow student?"
• "Tell me about your strengths."

The candidate spoke passionately about their love for gaming and sports, which they felt the manager appreciated.

Last part (Recruiter):
The final part of the interview was with a recruiter who asked about salary expectations.

Overall Experience:
The interviewers were "super welcoming and professional."

Tips and Suggestions:
If you mention anything on your resume, "make sure you have a story for it."