Dell Recruitment Process

6 min readSep 13, 2021

Recently when I posted about my job status on Linkedin about joining Dell Technologies as a Software Engineer, I received 1000+ follow requests and 100+ messages from students, software developers, business strategists, recruiters, Directors, etc. I was and still am overwhelmed by the response I got on my post. Having received so many messages, I noticed one peculiar thing in all the questions and that was their curiosity to learn about Dell’s recruitment process, my internship experience, resume tips.

As much as I was happily answering the questions and helping my juniors out but at the same time, honestly, my fingers got tired from all the typing. Then this idea hit me that why not write a blog and have everything in one place. So, here I am writing my third article for my fellow juniors or anyone interested to know more about Dell’s recruitment procedure and my wonderful internship experience.

ON-CAMPUS PROCESS

How Did I Come to Know About This Opening At Dell?

I got to know about this opportunity through the placement cell at my college. Dell visits our campus every year and hires third-year students for the internship role. Once the internship is complete, some students are offered the PPO (Pre Placement Offer) for the Software Engineer, Analyst, Designer role at Dell.

Let’s get started with our 4 rounds

CS INTELLECT

The first round tests your knowledge of Computer Science, hence students need to note that they should get their concepts clear from the very beginning and never keep anything for the last day, the day before the interview. It will be an MCQ round with a total of 45 questions which are to be answered in say, 60 minutes. It would mainly have questions about Data Structures, OS, RDBMS, Computer Organization & Architecture, time complexity. The result is announced on the same day itself and, qualified students proceed towards the second round.

THE HACKATHON

The second round is more of a step in the recruitment process; a Dell Hackathon. This round assesses your problem-solving skills, teamwork, innovation, creativity, and most importantly, the solution you will be presenting to the executive leaders of Dell. All the qualified students are asked to form a team of 4 or 5 people at max and, pick one of the problem statements given by dell.

What are the problem statements?

Two years back, when I was appearing, the problem statements presented before us were on Product Recommendation, Service Recommendation, Supply Chain Management, and Chatbot Development. The teams have to be quick enough in picking the problem statement as this whole thing works on the FCFS principle. Once all the teams are assigned the problem statement, two weeks are given to work on the solution.

What happens before the final show?

Before the final presentation day, the executive leaders arrive at the campus and, each team is allotted one leader who reviews the solution the team has worked on for the past two weeks and helps in formulating a better way out for the problem. An important thing to note here is the leaders will reward points to each team member that day, so remember to answer the questions confidently and calmly.

IT’S SHOWTIME

The third round is the final day for teams to present their solution before the panel. Who will be in the Panel? The panelists will mainly be VPs, Global Heads, Principal Software Engineers and, HR. Looking at the esteemed panelists, it becomes clear that one has to showcase a professional presentation.

How should my presentation look?

It should have minimal content because the audience is more interested to know how you display the product. Be creative with your presentations and, if you have any idea about illustrations then, definitely add them as it will attract the audience, keeping them all ears to you. Including the system architecture is a great way to give a clear-cut picture of the product’s functioning from backend to frontend.

What should I keep in mind?

The panel will grill you with a lot of questions but remember to be calm and patient. Think before you answer and be confident because it is you who worked on the solution it is you who knows the product so, there is no need to get nervous or stressed. Always allow your teammate to speak as it will showcase your teamwork skills and, that is the key part of entering the corporate world — working with teams. Lastly, be respectful; always give respect to your seniors. The panel will select team members from each team who will proceed to the HR round. There are chances that the whole team gets qualified if they give a brilliant presentation, a brilliant solution to the problem therefore accordingly develop the solution.

THE HR ROUND

Finally, the HR Round. Frequently asked questions by HR are Introduce yourself, Where do you come from, Any plans of higher studies. He might ask you about the state/culture you belong to, especially if your state was in the news at that moment. For example, two years back, the Indian government had recently made the monumental decision to change the status of Jammu and Kashmir and, since I belonged to J&K, he wanted to know my views. Therefore, it’s always better to keep yourself updated with current affairs. He would ask if you are willing to relocate; always answer yes to this question as it will reflect your flexible behavior in handling these situations.

Here’s a tip for you —

Imagine the interviewer to be your friend who is keen to learn more about you. Hence, just be yourself and answer honestly but professionally. Now that I have mentioned this, please don’t try to be cool with the interviewer as he is still in a higher position and is there to hire you.

The aforementioned are the rounds for the Campus Placement. It may vary from campus to campus but, the overall layout remains the same. I know many of you who would be reading my article won’t have the on-campus opportunity.

But don’t you worry, I got your back.

OFF-CAMPUS PROCESS

Off-campus will have the same number of rounds as on campus.
It starts with an online test which consists of 3 sections general aptitude, verbal ability, and programming section. General Aptitude Test has mathematical reasoning and logical reasoning questions. The programming section contains questions from C/C++, Networks, Operating System, DBMS, Software Engineering.
The second and third rounds will be technical interviews. To clear this round, you should be clear with your basics. Be well prepared with Data structures and Algorithms, DBMS, Operating systems, Networking, OOPs concepts. The interviewer will present some problem statements for which you will have to provide the best optimal solution. You can expect discussion on projects mentioned in your resume and questions related to them. You may be asked puzzles in this round.

Resume Tips

Adding projects is a great way to highlight the practical use of your knowledge. Projects could be research work, Capstone Project, Class Project, and even the work you did under a Professor or a senior. But, Students need to note that they should not dump every project of theirs, thinking it would attract the interviewer. It’s not the case. Add projects which will be relevant to the role you will be applying for. Hence, carefully go over the job description and if any of your projects would be the best fit for it then only add.

The main benefit of having internship experience on your resume is that it will attract the interviewer/recruiter more and, there will be higher chances of landing a job. It showcases that you have the exposure to work in a corporate atmosphere and with different teams. It gives you first-hand experience of working on real problems. College internships are the building blocks of your professional career. Doing an internship enhances your technical skills, shapes your personality, develops your teamwork and communication skills.