Top 25 FactSet Software Engineer Interview Questions & Answers

Getting hired as a software engineer at FactSet is no easy feat. With its reputation as a leading provider of financial data and analytical applications, FactSet maintains rigorous standards when recruiting technical talent

As a highly sought-after role you can expect the FactSet software engineer interview to thoroughly assess your technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities and communication skills.

To help you tackle this challenging process and land your dream job we’ve compiled a list of the top 25 software engineer interview questions frequently asked at FactSet along with tips on how to craft winning responses.

1. What experience do you have with developing financial software?

With FactSet catering specifically to the financial sector, they want candidates who understand the unique requirements of developing fintech solutions.

Emphasize your knowledge of industry regulations, data security standards, and experience building tools that aid financial analysis and decision-making. Discuss relevant projects and the specific languages, frameworks and methodologies used.

2. How would you design a tool to improve data analysis for FactSet clients?

Here they want to assess your understanding of the key challenges faced by FactSet clients and your approach to solving them.

Highlight the importance of gathering client input to identify pain points. Discuss how you would use techniques like data visualization, predictive modeling and automation to streamline analysis. Emphasize designing for an optimal user experience.

3. How have you utilized C++, Python or other languages on relevant projects?

With FactSet relying extensively on languages like C++ and Python, they want to gauge your hands-on expertise in applying these languages to real-world fintech scenarios.

Discuss projects where you used specific languages and frameworks to solve problems similar to FactSet’s core business offerings. Demonstrate how your experience can translate to their technology stack and industry.

4. What do you know about FactSet’s products and business model?

Here they want to assess your understanding of their offerings and how they generate value for clients.

Discuss FactSet as a provider of financial data, analytical tools and software solutions for investment professionals. Highlight how your work as a software engineer contributes to factors like product quality, client satisfaction and ultimately revenue and growth.

5. Do you have experience integrating diverse data sources into a unified system?

Handling large, disparate datasets is core to FactSet’s business. They want to know if you can effectively integrate data from various sources into a cohesive system.

Share examples of projects where you combined SQL, NoSQL, APIs and other sources into a single database or application. Discuss the ETL process, data mapping, validating consistency across sources etc.

6. How would you ensure FactSet’s diverse client needs are addressed in the software development process?

With a vast clientele, FactSet needs engineers who can create customizable solutions and understand accessibility.

Highlight the importance of gathering client input to understand individual needs. Discuss implementing features like role-based access, configurable settings and modular architecture to allow flexibility. Emphasize thorough testing for quality and usability.

7. What experience do you have with Agile methodologies?

FactSet leverages Agile principles for efficient collaboration. They want to see that you understand core concepts like iterative delivery, user feedback, daily standups etc.

Discuss successfully managing Agile projects. Share how Agile improved your focus on the customer experience, ability to respond to changing priorities and collaborate cross-functionally.

8. Have you worked on developing or maintaining APIs?

As an API-driven company, FactSet wants engineers with hands-on API experience relevant to financial data integration and delivery.

Share examples like building REST APIs for banking systems or developing APIs to retrieve real-time financial market data. Discuss challenges faced and optimization techniques used.

9. How did you troubleshoot and optimize slow code in a project?

FactSet expects engineers to continuously monitor and improve system performance. Discuss your approach to identifying issues through profiling tools and resolving them using methods like caching, query optimization etc. Share specific examples that demonstrate your proficiency.

10. How would you resolve urgent bugs in client-facing applications?

FactSet prioritizes delivering an uninterrupted service experience to clients. Discuss best practices like reproducing the issue, isolating the cause through debugging, developing and testing fixes, controlled deployments and monitoring. Highlight communication.

11. Share an example of solving a complex problem using data structures and algorithms.

This demonstrates your ability to apply academic computer science concepts to real-world scenarios. Discuss how you used specific data structures like hash tables and algorithms like binary search to build an optimal solution tailored to the problem at hand.

12. How has your understanding of finance helped you build better software solutions?

Domain knowledge is invaluable for context-aware design. Share examples of developing fintech tools where your grasp of financial concepts led you to incorporate relevant features, data visualizations and workflows that better suited end-user needs.

13. Share a time you made a critical SDLC decision that impacted the project outcome.

FactSet wants to understand your judgment and decision-making ability when navigating project uncertainties. Discuss a scenario where you made a call on changing course, tools, methods etc. based on emerging requirements and how it paid off despite being high-risk.

14. How have you leveraged test-driven development in your work?

Discuss your hands-on experience with test-driven development. Share a project where writing test cases upfront helped you build more modular, less error-prone code. Highlight how it improved quality and led to more robust software.

15. How do you balance speed and quality when working on tight deadlines?

Keeping tight schedules while maintaining high quality is imperative for FactSet. Share how you prioritize effectively, ensure diligent documentation, utilize productivity tools, and incorporate regular testing and reviews to produce defect-free work on time.

16. Share an example of implementing security measures to protect sensitive data.

Data protection is paramount, especially in fintech. Discuss measures you’ve implemented like encryption, access controls, vulnerability testing etc. and how they drastically improved application security posture in specific projects.

17. Tell us about your experience collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Software engineering requires seamless collaboration. Discuss working with experts across disciplines like QA, design, product etc. and leveraging collective strengths to build superior products. Highlight communication, problem-solving and project management skills.

18. What strategies do you use for debugging issues during software deployment?

Bugs often arise at deployment despite rigorous testing. Share your systematic approach to quickly identifying issues through logs, replicating errors, root cause analysis and applying fixes. Highlight the importance of documentation and knowledge sharing.

19. How have you leveraged cloud technologies in past projects?

FactSet utilizes cloud infrastructure to enable security, scalability and reliability. Share examples of using AWS, GCP or Azure services to build robust cloud-based solutions. Discuss provisioning resources, deployment, costs, monitoring etc.

20. Can you give an example of writing complex SQL queries?

As FactSet manages massive financial datasets, SQL proficiency is critical. Discuss a project where you used advanced JOINs, analytic functions, subqueries etc. to extract and manipulate complex data at scale. Highlight performance optimization techniques used.

21. How would you explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders?

Communication and collaboration skills are highly valued at FactSet. Discuss strategies like using analogies, visual aids, jargon-free language and inviting feedback to make technical details accessible and easy-to-understand for non-technical team members.

22. Have you worked on big data projects?

Big data analytics is pivotal to FactSet’s offerings. Discuss working with distributed systems like Hadoop, Spark etc. to handle large-scale datasets. Share how you enabled faster processing and gained valuable insights through big data techniques.

23. How do you stay updated on the latest developments in your tech domain?

The ability to continuously learn is highly valued. Discuss engaging with online communities to exchange knowledge, reading publications, taking certifications, attending events etc. to keep your skills sharp and stay on top of emerging technologies relevant to the role.

24. Share an example of refactoring code to improve readability and modularity.

FactSet values maintainable code. Discuss assessing interdependencies, carefully restructuring code in small increments, adding abstractions, utilizing regression testing etc. to iteratively improve existing code without breaking functionality.

25. What techniques and best practices do you follow to ensure code quality?

Round off by emphasizing your commitment to excellence through rigorous code reviews, sticking to style guidelines, enforcing high test coverage, optimizing performance budgets etc. to consistently deliver high-quality, well-tested and efficient code.

By preparing thoughtful responses to these common FactSet software engineering interview questions, you can highlight both your technical capabilities and soft skills. Demonstrate your passion for the role throughout the interview process to stand out from the competition. With diligent preparation using these tips, you can ace your FactSet interview and launch an exciting and rewarding career in fintech.