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.
Getting hired as a software developer at CGI can be a highly competitive process. As one of the world’s largest IT and business consulting firms, CGI receives thousands of applications for software developer roles every year. Standing out requires thorough preparation and insight into the types of interview questions you’re likely to encounter.
In this article, we’ve compiled 15 of the most common CGI software developer interview questions along with tips on how to ace your responses. With the right preparation, you can enter your interview with confidence and land your dream job at this top employer.
1. Why do you want to work as a software developer at CGI?
This is a common opening interview question aimed at gauging your interest in CGI and understanding your motivations. When answering, emphasize your passion for technology and desire to take on challenging meaningful projects. Discuss CGI’s reputation as an IT leader and highlight specific things that attract you to their developer roles such as the opportunity to work on innovative solutions. Convey your interest in continuous learning and development which aligns well with CGI’s training programs and career growth opportunities.
2. What experience do you have working in a fast-paced agile development environment?
CGI utilizes agile methodologies for many of their software projects so they want candidates who can thrive in this type of setting. Discuss experiences of working in an iterative, collaborative agile framework. Give examples of projects where you successfully delivered quality results on tight deadlines. Emphasize skills like adaptability, effective time management, and communication which are essential when working on agile teams.
3. How do you ensure quality when working on complex software applications?
Testing and quality assurance are a big part of the development process at CGI, so this question looks at your approach to building robust, high-quality solutions. Discuss techniques like test-driven development, automated testing, code reviews, and staging environments to catch bugs early. Outline processes around planning, documentation, user acceptance testing, and version control. Demonstrate how you incorporate quality principles throughout the development lifecycle.
4. How do you stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and programming best practices?
CGI seeks developers who are eager to continually expand their skills Discuss how you spend time outside of work hours to upgrade your knowledge through resources like online courses, tech blogs, meetups, and personal projects Give examples of new languages, frameworks, tools you’ve recently learned. Show your motivation to constantly master new technologies that help you tackle challenges and build great solutions.
5. Tell us about a time you faced a blocker during development. How did you resolve it?
Here they want to assess your approach to overcoming complex coding challenges. Walk through a specific example demonstrating how you carefully analyzed the problem, researched potential solutions, reached out to colleagues if needed, and eventually resolved the issue through debugging skills or creative problem-solving. Emphasize technical aptitude, persistence, and collaboration.
6. How would you explain a complex technical concept or software solution to a non-technical stakeholder or team member?
CGI developers frequently interact with clients and colleagues who don’t have deep technical knowledge. This question looks at your ability to break down complex details into simple, easy-to-understand explanations tailored to the listener. Share examples of analogies or visual aids you’ve used to simplify technical concepts for non-technical audiences. Discuss the importance of patience and understanding different perspectives.
7. Tell us about a time you made a design recommendation based on performance or security considerations.
Here they want to understand how you apply technical expertise to make sound design choices balancing various factors like performance, security, and end-user experience Describe a scenario where you recommended a certain technology, tool, or approach based on technical analysis around things like speed, scalability, or data protection Explain your rationale and the ultimate impact of your recommendation.
8. Have you worked on software projects that required integrating with legacy systems? What challenges did you encounter and how did you handle them?
CGI works with many large enterprises having complex, older technology landscapes so they need developers able to handle legacy system integration. Discuss projects where you had to build new applications or features on top of older platforms. Share technical challenges faced and solutions implemented, demonstrating tenacity and creative problem-solving.
9. Tell us about a time you had to collaborate with team members in another location or time zone. How did you ensure effective communication?
Collaborating across distances is common at CGI given their global delivery model. Highlight experiences working with remote team members, perhaps overseas. Discuss tactics like status calls, instant messaging, and project management platforms to collaborate effectively despite geographic separation. Emphasize that communication and availability are just as important remotely as when co-located.
10. Describe a situation where you had to research and learn a new technology, framework, or programming language for a project. How did you go about it?
CGI needs developers who can quickly ramp up on new and emerging technologies. Discuss an example of being assigned to a project requiring skills you didn’t yet have, but were able to successfully learn. Share the steps you took to rapidly get up to speed such as reviewing documentation, taking online courses, building sample apps, and reaching out to colleagues with experience.
11. How do you balance delivering features quickly with writing high-quality, maintainable code?
This looks at your ability to manage competing priorities of speed and sustainability when building software. Discuss best practices you follow like standardizing code structure, optimizing performance, refactoring, and implementing automated checks to catch issues early. Share examples of how you’ve effectively navigated these tradeoffs to build fast, yet robust solutions.
12. Have you worked on projects using cloud platforms or infrastructure like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud?
Given CGI’s strong capabilities in cloud, they seek candidates with hands-on experience in this area. Discuss specific cloud projects you’ve worked on, highlighting skills like: provisioning resources, deploying apps, ensuring security and compliance, monitoring performance, automation. Show how cloud improved factors like scalability and reliability.
13. How do you evaluate and incorporate security considerations when developing software applications?
Security is highly important given CGI’s many government clients. Discuss adding security from the start through steps like threat modeling, authentication, encryption, and access controls. Share examples where you developed secure components, performed testing like pen testing, and implemented fixes. Demonstrate solid security knowledge and conscious, proactive practices.
14. Tell us about a time you took initiative to improve your team’s development processes or practices.
Here they want to understand your ability to drive positive change, which is valued at CGI. Discuss instances where you spearheaded improvements like implementing CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, code review processes, or anything that boosted productivity and product quality. Share the impact your initiatives had on team performance.
15. Why do you think you would succeed as a software developer at CGI?
This is an opportunity to summarize why you’re a great fit for the role and company. Tie together your prior experiences and passion that align with CGI’s needs and culture. Convey strong interest in the employer, enthusiasm to take on challenges, and potential to deliver high-quality solutions that make a difference. End on a high note emphasizing you have the technical and soft skills to thrive at CGI.
Preparing strong, well-thought-out responses to questions like these will prove you have the technical abilities and professional traits CGI seeks in software developers. Use these tips and examples to craft your own unique answers, highlighting your background and fit for the role. With the right preparation and interview skills, you can outshine other applicants and launch an exciting career at CGI.
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?
It’s okay to use humor during the conversation; it breaks the ice between the interviewee and the recruiter. Don’t be afraid to use it!
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 wide eyes, building suspense. I went on to explain, “Yes, they said I’m a very lazy person because I always find the quickest and easiest way to do something.” They said I didn’t want to work for hours, so I figure out the best way to finish it early. ”.
As I said, sometimes a little humour helps!
CGI Interview Experience | Python/Web Developer – AWS Interview Question Answers | Software Engineer
How many CGI interview questions are there?
Share Your Experiences 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. CGI interview details: 3,382 interview questions and 3,155 interview reviews posted anonymously by CGI interview candidates.
How long did it take to get a job at CGI?
Your trust is our top concern, so companies can’t alter or remove interviews. 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.
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.
