FORESIGHT(2025) | Placement at InMobi | Jogu Bhanu Teja

1) Brief introduction and description of the offered role

I’m Jogu Bhanu Teja. I was a Dual Degree student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kharagpur(2020–25). The role I was offered is Software Development Engineer-1 (SDE-1) at InMobi. The role description will be mentioned in the ERP.

2) How did you get into InMobi? What was the selection procedure?

InMobi’s selection procedure had 4 steps. The first was a coding OA consisting of 3 questions to be solved in 90 minutes, and I solved all three. Then there were 3 interview rounds. The first round was a DSA round. They asked linked list standard questions like finding a loop, locating the start of the loop in the linked list, and mathematical proof for the procedure, etc. The second round was CV grilling. They asked me about my projects; it was around 35–40 minutes of interaction focused on my projects, which went fine. I answered almost all the questions. The last round was HR, which had questions like “If given a chance, would you start over from any earlier point in life?”, “What do you know about our company?”, etc. Even though the process was over, I don’t exactly know why they again took an extra DSA round for me after the HR round. It was a 45-minute round. Questions from DP, code for calculating combinations (nCr), and a question based on the graph MST were asked. I was stuck in between, and the interviewer helped me through it. Finally, I answered almost all of them.

3) How to prepare for them?

You can start preparing for coding as early as you can. Better do competitive programming. Even though most of the software companies ask basic DSA in interviews, the OA round will have advanced questions from DP, graphs, segment trees, tries, etc. So, better prepare an in-depth DSA. Solve different problems. Learn concepts well. Also, prepare CS fundamentals like OS, DBMS, and basic system design concepts.

4) When did you start preparing for this role, and according to you, what is the ideal time for aspirants to begin their preparation?

I started preparing for coding in my 3rd year. I didn’t have continuous preparation. I started and stopped coding multiple times in between. But a few months before placement, I started seriously preparing and revising all the coding concepts and solving problems. I suggest you be consistent and start preparing as early as possible if you are aiming for top software companies, although a few gaps in between are okay.

5) What difficulties did you face while preparing for this Company/Profile? How did you overcome them?

I did not particularly prepare for this company. I didn’t have a dream company or anything like that. I just wanted to get into a decent company. So my preparation scope was broad. I did coding, studied OS, DBMS, and basic system design concepts. Every company has its own way of interviewing. Some companies focus on DBMS concepts along with the DSA round — DSA is almost common for every company — and some others focus on system design concepts or OS concepts, depending on the company and the role.

Before this company’s interview, I looked over the internet and found that InMobi mostly focused on DSA and sometimes system design. So, I solved some previously asked DSA problems and revised system design and OS concepts.

6) Are there any specific requirements, such as department, CGPA, or other criteria, for this position? Additionally, do certain PORs or EAAs enhance one & chances of securing this internship?

Although some companies give priority to circular departments and higher CGPA, InMobi was a bit fair to all departments and CGPA. It is mostly selected based on test and interview performance. I’m from a non-circuital department, and my CG was 7.98 at that time, and I could crack this one. I think PORs and EAA don’t matter much in the software profile.

7) According to you, who should ideally apply for this job?

Anyone interested in coding and developing websites or apps, etc., should apply for software roles.

8) Kindly attach your CV/Resume. What are some of the major points you think would be valid to mention in the CV, while targeting this profile?

You should have decent projects involving DSA or development technologies. Projects from OS, Networking, or DBMS are also good. But you should definitely have a clear understanding of the project you’ve done, and you should be able to answer what/why questions. Do not include any projects you are not confident in on the CV. You may think, “I’ll include it now and learn it later,” but if it is a complicated project, you won’t get much time to properly prepare afterward. So, better include projects you’ve done and start your CV with your confident projects on top.

9) Lastly, what advice would you like to give to the students, aiming to grab CDC placements this year?

Start preparing early. As the placements come near, you will be under a lot of stress, and most of the time (2–3 months) before interviews will be spent on the OAs and discussions.

CV-Software-Jogu Bhanuteja