IBM swe intern summer interview questions | cscareers.dev | Page 1

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:11 AM

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its more the architecture

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they def dont have the time to do that

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whens ur interview @finite zephyr

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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its tomorrow

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and its only 30 mins long

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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wht time

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yeah thats normal

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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2:15 pm et

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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mine was 30 mins too

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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remind me what yours was like

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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@azure zenith this guy is also interviewing tmrw for the same ID

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:12 AM

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for IBM?

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:13 AM

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finite zephyr remind me what yours was like

it was just purely behavioral, he didnt talk about my projects much

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:13 AM

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coral bone for IBM?

yeah

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but urs is most likely a resume grill

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i just got unlucky

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:13 AM

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damn so just shit llike "when have tou worked on a team" or "ambigous probelm"

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:13 AM

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yeah but it was more annoying

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:13 AM

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wait i think a behavioral would be easier

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:13 AM

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ive heard resume grills are light

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as long as you know ur projects, there isnt much that can go wrong

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:14 AM

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also with a resume grill would they ask you random ass questions about SQL or some other framework

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:14 AM

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not really

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for example

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drop ur resume rn

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anom it

azure zenith Apr 7, 2026, 2:15 AM

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grave pagoda <@373226353169793024> this guy is also interviewing tmrw for the same ID

Thanks

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:15 AM

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this is the resume i applied with, but i have a more recent one

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:16 AM

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alr lemme read it

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they may ask you to first explain ur projects to them, so get comfortable talking about them and knowing them in and out

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and then stuff likem

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Why FastAPI over Flask or Django REST Framework? What does async buy you here specifically?

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:17 AM

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holy orz

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:17 AM

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Why Whisper for transcription instead of something like Deepgram, AssemblyAI, or Google Speech-to-Text? Did you benchmark and how and shit

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:18 AM

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ok ok

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ok so just know the architecture of my projects

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and why i chose things in architecture

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:19 AM

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yeah

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exactly

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also is this ur last internship

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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wym

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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like this summer internship is it ur last

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are you gonna do co-ops or anything before ur grad

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or are you larping ur grad date

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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larpimng

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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freshman or sophmore?

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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soph

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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oh mega orz

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:20 AM

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ok tuff def change up ur projects eventually tho next cycle

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:21 AM

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good resume good proc @finite zephyr and ^

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:21 AM

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wait i have a more recent resume

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:21 AM

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cuz full stack crud AI project gonna turn ppl off

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:21 AM

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yea

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:21 AM

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uhhhh

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:21 AM

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okay those projects are better

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prob technical skills under projects tho but idm that much

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:22 AM

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wait can i talk about more recent shit than what i have on my old resume

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like hackathon win, as well as CMR

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:22 AM

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yeah just bring it up

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like someone i was talking to brought up an internship they started during the fall and stuff that wasnt on their resume

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:23 AM

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do you think its worth spending time going through LC tagged

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:23 AM

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fuck no

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dont waste ur time

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if they give you leetcode they are giving you an easy or easier medium

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:23 AM

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what about just the easys

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:23 AM

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i mean

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if you dont feel confident on easys then sure

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just revisit

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:23 AM

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i feel confident its just, i havent done LC in a few moonths.

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dude they booked this shit in such short notice

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:24 AM

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okay yeah maybe just revisit a tiny bit but you prob wont get LC

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yeah

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under 2 days prob

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:24 AM

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typically they give a few weeks atleast

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other companies

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:24 AM

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yeah IBM is like that

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and trust me they keep you in PROC for so damn long

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its a pain in the ass

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:24 AM

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yea my friend got the offer after 3 months

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:24 AM

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like ik ppl that got offers 8-10 weeks aftet the interview

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yep

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:25 AM

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but its also april so no way they keep me waiting that long

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:25 AM

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thats prob not gonna happen to you tho cuz its april

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exactly

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:25 AM

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add gpa
tech skills at bottom
experience in chronological order
avoid having your bullet points trail off with 1-few words (i.e. log. is just one line)
a bunch of space between lines on your projects? bit weird
remove dates from projects
you got hella skills/dont need the one for DS/ML; just add/remove as needed; dont wanna flood that part
what tools for Core Pulse?
put hackathon win in the title of your subway surfers project, looks fun
exchange places btw company and your role - you want the brand name to stick out first, not your title because youre pretty much doing the same thing in each role
you got a lot of relevant courses listed, just list the most necessary/signal

otherwise great resume and i have no doubt youll tap in next year

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:25 AM

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grave pagoda like ik ppl that got offers 8-10 weeks aftet the interview

yeah got mine a month after interview

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if this is for summer though heard they go a bit harder technically so just prep easies if anything and be ready to talk about your resume

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not like crazy but just have your head on right

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:25 AM

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coral bone - add gpa - tech skills at bottom - experience in chronological order - avoid ha...

thats great advice

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can you review mine @coral bone

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:26 AM

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thank you

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:26 AM

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GPA is a little low to keep

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:26 AM

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yeah id love to just dm

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:26 AM

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isnt conventional advice to omit if below 3.5

coral bone Apr 7, 2026, 2:26 AM

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yeah pretty much, recruiters lowkey assume you have below like a 3.0 if you omit it fully i think though

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but unsure/id hear it from a mod here tbh

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:27 AM

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do i just lie then

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:27 AM

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finite zephyr do i just lie then

how low

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:28 AM

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2.8

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i had a rough freshman year first sem

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anything sub 3 is getting put in the trash

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:29 AM

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omit it but

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it should be chill like

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ur at CMU so grade deflation

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:29 AM

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yea

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wait also is it worth spending time going through random CS trivia knowledge

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like SQL or Rest API

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if they ask me random DSA questions thats free asf

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:30 AM

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its so interview dependant so its hard to tell but 90% chance they wont ask yoy random trivia

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:30 AM

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larp gpa

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:30 AM

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just know ur basic stuff just to be safe

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:30 AM

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but all the other shit on my resume was vibe coded

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:30 AM

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rustic ginkgo larp gpa

IBM does a good bg check

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:30 AM

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fr?

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:31 AM

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finite zephyr but all the other shit on my resume was vibe coded

i mean thats just how it is these days just study the architecture and ur chilling

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:31 AM

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my friend was telling me to know stuff like "Rest APIs", "SQL", "why hash map over a tree", just random shit like that

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:31 AM

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rustic ginkgo fr?

yeah like it takes a week i dont know HOW deep it goes but im sure they catch larping GPA

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prob not larp date and shi tho

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:31 AM

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doubt it

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:31 AM

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finite zephyr my friend was telling me to know stuff like "Rest APIs", "SQL", "why hash map ov...

yeah i mean fair

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:31 AM

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most companies just check for criminal record and attendance

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:32 AM

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lowk how would they find larping projects, not saying mine are. but all my shit is on localhost

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oh wait github

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:32 AM

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IBM for sure does employer verifcation as well

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:32 AM

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finite zephyr lowk how would they find larping projects, not saying mine are. but all my shit ...

i mean not projects for sure

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they dont gaf

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:32 AM

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grave pagoda yeah i mean fair

for stuff like this would i just ask claude to ask me questions regarding trivia

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:32 AM

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u seriously think a company as messy as ibm is gonna be thorough on bg check

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even though it is a third party

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:33 AM

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finite zephyr for stuff like this would i just ask claude to ask me questions regarding trivia

yeah why not if u got a good plan just dont burn too much asking trivia if you plan to use claude code

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:33 AM

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rustic ginkgo even though it is a third party

lowkey valid their HR is so dogshit

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:33 AM

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Or could I say “I used gen AI tools”

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Nah that’s an auto reject

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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fym

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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Like if they ask a niche question about angular

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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hit or miss

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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no dont say i used gen tools 😭

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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they’re looking for gen z w ai fluency

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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I ain’t tryna end up like those guys on coding Jesus

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:34 AM

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like

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you can say you used gen tools to make it they love AI tools and shi

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but dont be like

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"damn idk the answer cuz i used gen ai tools to build it"

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thats instant reject

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:35 AM

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^

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:35 AM

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if you can back up any questions, but also you used claude code or agents to help build it thats strong signal cuz ur AI fluent

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but know the architecture and basics

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:36 AM

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do you know location

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:36 AM

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Should I off rip talk about AI usage or wait till they ask

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Lowk no

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Maybe it’s multiple locations

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:37 AM

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finite zephyr Should I off rip talk about AI usage or wait till they ask

no they’re gonna ask you most likely

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:37 AM

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Cause I remember applying and it has a plethora

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Hoping for San Jose

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:37 AM

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they will most likely ask you, like i got asked it in my interview

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:37 AM

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What’s optimal response

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:37 AM

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something something i use it as a tool not a crutch

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:37 AM

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“I used gen AI tools to bounce off ideas”

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“I used it to integrate random shit”

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:38 AM

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eh

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talk moreso about leveraging it

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but don’t overdo it to the point where you seem like a pure vibecoder

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:39 AM

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Yea

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When is yours

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Tomorrow?

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:39 AM

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me?

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:39 AM

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Yea

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:39 AM

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rustic ginkgo but don’t overdo it to the point where you seem like a pure vibecoder

^

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:39 AM

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Did you get offer

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:39 AM

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talk about how you structure your prompts

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:40 AM

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Alright bet

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:40 AM

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you’ll be fine

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just glaze the interviewer

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:41 AM

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Ok so resume stuff, and random CS trivia, and random common sense questions

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That shouldn’t be too bad

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Can you guys drop here the questions you were asked

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As many as possible off the top of your head

rustic ginkgo Apr 7, 2026, 2:41 AM

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no alpha trading buddy

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:45 AM

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Wha

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:46 AM

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finite zephyr Wha

my interviewer wanted me to throw it in a circle

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on camera

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for the last 5 minutes

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you should prob prepare for that

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:47 AM

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Aight bro

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That shit is free😂

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:47 AM

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you a pro huh

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i know you a pro

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:50 AM

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Ansh I need this, my summer plan is looking empty

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:51 AM

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u got this bro

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good luck

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my questions were

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how do you leverage AI tools

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where do you draw the line between optimization and shipment

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stuff like that

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:52 AM

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grave pagoda where do you draw the line between optimization and shipment

That’s lowk not an easy question

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:52 AM

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yeah

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thats why i would have preferred the resume grill cuz some questions were def annoying

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:52 AM

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Wait I’m sorry if I’m doing the most, but can you send as many as you remember

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:53 AM

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nah ur good bro

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:53 AM

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It’s so late in the cycle, I need ts

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 2:53 AM

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lowkey dont remember much tho, its been over a month since my interview

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 2:53 AM

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Dang

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was your interviewer an engineer or a PM

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:08 AM

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Engineer

somber field Apr 7, 2026, 3:22 AM

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LMAO they will not pull up your code

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 3:25 AM

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grave pagoda Engineer

oh it lowk makes sense why your questions are tougher than sicario's

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:28 AM

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grave pagoda cuz full stack crud AI project gonna turn ppl off

wait whats a good project for resume 😭

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i have ts 💔

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:28 AM

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royal fossil wait whats a good project for resume 😭

Well firstly you gotta build some sort of niche

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Generalizing or being too spread with ur projects (keep it to 3 ish depending on how many internships you have) is bad

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And good projects depend on the niche but generally making something that actually solves some kind of problem and has users is usually pretty strong

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If ur able to get like a 1000 ppl to try ur app and its decently technical, uses a relevant stack etc its solid

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You need more relevant stuff nowadays tho for sure

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:30 AM

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grave pagoda If ur able to get like a 1000 ppl to try ur app and its decently technical, uses...

i feel like its hard asf to get users

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:31 AM

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Some kind of AI agent (or use of API ig) / CI/CD pipelines and docker helps pass ATS

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:31 AM

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royal fossil i feel like its hard asf to get users

Definitely but

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You gotta push it out

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It takes time tho but thag makes a project good

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:31 AM

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alr i will try soon for next cycle

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:32 AM

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LinkedIn post + Twitter spam + hacker news + product hunt

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Usually can get a good amount of users like

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:32 AM

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which loc are u incoming for ibm?

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:32 AM

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I basically have 0 following but was able to get like 80 ppl to git clone my open source project in the first 2 days

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:32 AM

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royal fossil which loc are u incoming for ibm?

I'm interviewing for SJ still in proc

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Hopefully this week il know 🙏

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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nice nice

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ng or intern?

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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Intern

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I'm a current freshman larped 2027 tho

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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ohh ok, good luck

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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Or 2028 for ibm don't remember

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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im a soph for ibm durham

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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Thank you

royal fossil Apr 7, 2026, 3:33 AM

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but getting interview as freshman is tuff

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i had no procs goin on lmao

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:34 AM

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Oh yeah I'm just lucky cuz I had a prev at Roku as a SWE intern so it opens doors

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 3:34 AM

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royal fossil i had no procs goin on lmao

You got IBM so no stress

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 4:04 AM

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damn freshman IBM + Roku, bro what school do you go to

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 4:20 AM

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finite zephyr damn freshman IBM + Roku, bro what school do you go to

Still in proc for IBM

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But I go to umass not a great school LOL

finite zephyr Apr 7, 2026, 4:20 AM

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grave pagoda Still in proc for IBM

i mean its not like youre gonna get another round right

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youre just waiting for accept/rej

grave pagoda Apr 7, 2026, 4:22 AM

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finite zephyr i mean its not like youre gonna get another round right

Yeah exactly

finite zephyr Apr 10, 2026, 5:49 PM

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yo apparently IBM is rescinding offers

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are we cooked guys

finite zephyr Apr 13, 2026, 1:45 PM

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Guys is it worth emailing and tell them that j have an outstanding offer to expedite

finite zephyr Apr 13, 2026, 11:00 PM

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Guys

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What do you guys know about ibm background check

#IBM swe intern summer interview questions