At CGI, we want all candidates who engage with us to be set up for success. We recently went over our whole interview process to make sure there’s no chance of bias affecting any of the questions we ask. This is because the interview is probably the most important part of the hiring process.
We want all candidates to have the same opportunity to answer the same questions for a role. Sometimes interviewers can be dazzled by great interview skills and forget what really matters. Because of this, we’ve changed the questions to focus on real skills and experiences and on what you can learn at CGI.
We also want to keep improving the process, so after the interview, we give all of the candidates a chance to give us feedback through our satisfaction survey. We got together with some of our new employees to talk about how to do well on your CGI interview like they did.
With over 80,000 professionals worldwide, CGI is one of the largest IT and business consulting firms globally. Landing a software developer or application developer role at CGI can be a great opportunity to kickstart your career and work on innovative projects.
However, CGI’s rigorous interview process means you need to be fully prepared to stand out among qualified candidates. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share insider tips and strategies to help you tackle the most common CGI interview questions for software developers and entry-level application developers.
Let’s start by looking at what to expect in the CGI hiring process
Overview of CGI’s Interview Process
-
Online Application: First, submit your resume and complete an online application which includes questions about your skills and experience. CGI recruiters screen all applications.
-
Technical Test: Shortlisted candidates are invited to complete an online technical assessment focused on coding and programming aptitude.
-
Phone Interview: Next, you’ll have a 30- to 45-minute phone interview with a CGI recruiter to talk about your experience and communication skills.
-
In-Person Interviews Qualified applicants proceed to 2-3 rounds of in-person technical interviews, usually including a coding exercise.
-
Reference Checks: Finally, CGI contacts references to confirm details before making offers.
With multiple interview rounds and assessments involved, thorough preparation is a must. Let’s look at specific interview questions and proven strategies to master them:
Top Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers
The software developer role at CGI involves designing, building and supporting customized applications. Here are some of the most common questions to expect:
Q1: What experience do you have with [XYZ coding language, framework, tool, etc]?
CGI uses various languages and tech stacks depending on client projects. Expect technical questions probing your proficiency with specific programming languages, frameworks, databases and tools required for the role.
How to Answer:
-
Write down projects, classes, or jobs that show you have real-world experience with the tech skills needed.
-
Discuss how you stay up-to-date learning new languages, frameworks and methodologies. Share examples.
-
For lesser known technologies, emphasize your ability to quickly learn new tools. Reference online courses or certifications you’ve undertaken.
-
Convey enthusiasm and passion for coding, problem solving and continuously expanding your technical knowledge.
Q2: How would you go about debugging a complex code issue?
Evaluating your structured approach to diagnosing and debugging coding errors is key. CGI wants to hire developers who can methodically pinpoint and fix problems.
How to Answer:
-
Walk through the logical, step-by-step process you would use to identify the root of the issue.
-
Mention techniques like reproducing the error, printing debug statements, checking logs, validating assumptions, etc.
-
Discuss how you methodically narrow potential causes through a process of elimination.
-
Share real examples of past complex bugs you successfully diagnosed and resolved, if possible.
Q3: How do you optimize web or mobile applications for maximum speed and scalability?
For CGI’s large enterprise clients, application performance and scalability are critical. This question assesses your understanding of optimization best practices.
How to Answer:
-
Demonstrate your expertise in performance concepts like caching, CDNs, compression, asynchronous processing, lazy loading, etc.
-
Discuss proactive choices you make in your architectural design and code implementation to build scalability.
-
Share examples of how you’ve improved speed and scalability in past projects, quantifying improvements.
-
Convey your passion for continuously learning new techniques to enhance application performance.
Q4: How do you approach web application security vulnerabilities?
Application security is a top priority for CGI to protect client data. Expect questions testing your knowledge of security principles and how to implement them.
How to Answer:
-
Discuss best practices like input validation, parameterized queries, encryption, access controls, and others you follow to address common vulnerabilities like XSS, SQLi, etc.
-
Share examples of how you incorporated security throughout the SDLC in previous work rather than as an afterthought.
-
Highlight experience conducting risk assessments, threat modeling, and security testing to uncover vulnerabilities.
-
Convey your dedication to building secure, quality applications, keeping current on emerging threats and how to guard against them.
Q5: How do you ensure your code is readable, maintainable and adaptable for the long-term?
For enterprise systems, code maintainability is critical. CGI wants to see you write robust code with the future in mind.
How to Answer:
-
Discuss best practices like consistent naming conventions, modular architecture, separation of concerns, abstraction, loose coupling, self-documenting code, DRY principles etc.
-
Share examples of how you designed flexible, extensible code on past projects to facilitate long-term maintenance.
-
Highlight experience improving legacy applications, demonstrating ability to decipher and enhance code bases you didn’t originally write.
-
Emphasize taking pride in crafting code that stands the test of time.
Q6: How do you balance delivering features quickly while ensuring robust, high-quality code?
This question tests how well you manage speed versus perfection. CGI seeks developers who can deliver timely solutions without sacrificing stability or security.
How to Answer:
-
Discuss agile processes and continuous integration/deployment workflows to enable rapid delivery while maintaining quality.
-
Describe rigorous code reviewing, testing, monitoring and other quality assurance checks you implement.
-
Share
Sibu Viswanath, Security Architect
What did you do to prepare for the interview with CGI?
It was important to quickly go over the things that were written in the job description and make sure I could connect my experiences to them.
What’s been your favourite question and answer in an interview?
They asked me about my hobbies and long-term goals, which made me think that the job wasn’t for right away but for the long term. This gave me a lot of confidence in the role and made me feel empowered from the start.
Sheena Shrivastava, Senior Security Consultant
What did you do to prepare for the interview with CGI?
I looked into all of CGI’s recent big news, like awards, recognition, clients, or revenue, and then I focused on the job. This helped me have a good idea of what to talk about for the particular role.
What’s your winning tip for preparing for interviews?
This should sound like a conversation. It’s okay to use humor; it helps break the ice between the interviewee and the recruiter.
What’s been your favourite question and answer in an interview?
“What’s one interesting thing a client has said about your work?” was asked of me during the interview. To this, I replied “They said I am a very lazy person”. The interviewers looked at me with shock on their faces. The tension was building, so I added, “Yes, they said I’m a very lazy person because I always find the quickest and easiest way to do something.” They say I don’t want to hold out for hours, so I figure out the best way to finish it early. ”.
As I said, sometimes a little humour helps!
CGI Interview Experience | Java-Spring Boot AWS Coding Interview Question Answers 2023
FAQ
Is a CGI interview difficult?
How many rounds are there in CGI interview?
How hard is it to get hired at CGI?
How long does it take to hear back from CGI?
How many CGI software developer interview questions are there?
Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job that’s right for you. 340 CGI Software Developer interview questions and 335 interview reviews. Free interview details posted anonymously by CGI interview candidates.
How long did it take to get a job at CGI?
I interviewed at CGI (Lafayette, LA) College recruiting interview on campus. Then on site interview in Lafayette. Mostly behavioral questions were asked and technical wasn’t too difficult. Overall fast and simple process. I think the entirety of it was about 3 weeks. Name a difficult project you worked on and how you overcame it.
Why is CGI interested in software development?
Companies such as CGI are interested in this question because it allows them to see how you handle the inevitable challenges that arise in software development. It’s not just about your technical skills, but your problem-solving abilities, resilience, and ability to collaborate with others to find solutions.
What is the interview process like at CGI?
I interviewed at CGI (Fairfax, VA) Very slow and late in confirming joining date Dont respond to candidate and Candiate has to expect very long in confirming joining date and too lengthy interview process please communicate well and CGI is good company and interview process isvery easy. There are 3 to 4 rounds depends on your experience.
