Hitachi Rail Interview Questions
& Process

First, there was an HR round where we did introductions and they asked questions about my CV. Then, I had an onsite interview for a technical and team fit assessment with the project manager. The whole process was in German, but in the second interview, the manager switched to English because the project language was English.

First there was an HR round where they asked basic behavioural questions and more about my prior experiences. Then a Managers round where they asked about my familiarity with the relevant programming languages and projects that used them, and gave me 2 coding problems (leetcode style easy and medium/hard). They didn’t really reach out to update on the application.

The interview was in their London office, starting in the morning and going until the afternoon. It began with a large group activity with all candidates, focused on a leaderless abstract task where collaboration was key. Following this, there was a break for refreshments and informal chats with other candidates. After the break, candidates were no longer in the same room together until the very end. For the technical interviews, it's advised to research what Hitachi Rail does beforehand. While they might not expect in-depth daily operational knowledge, some questions will be challenging if you're not somewhat familiar with their business. However, demonstrating your problem-solving process can be sufficient even if you don't know the exact answer. The behavioural interview was quite standard, asking for examples of teamwork, meeting targets or expectations, and how you handled difficult situations. Ensure your examples directly address the questions asked. The group task involved a planning exercise done in pairs. There are various exercises, and they select one; my task was to plan a multi-site journey within a set timeframe using only public transport. I found it manageable, but based on my feedback, it's unclear if there was a misunderstanding or mix-up, as the feedback didn't seem to accurately reflect my input or contribution.

The interview process started with a 30-minute chat with HR. This was followed by a 30-minute meeting with 4-5 managers. They didn't ask any technical questions but focused on my past experiences, relocation preferences, and how often I travel. After the interview, I followed up for two weeks and got feedback from both HR and the manager that things were still moving along and they'd be in touch soon. Then, they went silent for three months before I finally got the rejection email.