How to Get a Software Engineering Internship at Mastercard
The Ultimate Guide to Landing and Thriving in a Mastercard Software Engineering Internship
If you're an aspiring software engineer looking for an internship that will jumpstart your career, look no further than Mastercard. As a global leader in payment technology and innovation, Mastercard offers a world-class internship program that immerses students in real-world projects, cutting-edge technologies, and a collaborative, inclusive culture. In this ultimate guide, we'll take you through everything you need to know to not only land a coveted spot in Mastercard's software engineering internship program, but to thrive and make the most of the experience. From understanding what Mastercard looks for in candidates to preparing for interviews, making an impact as an intern, and leveraging the experience for future opportunities, we've got you covered.
Why Intern at Mastercard?
Mastercard is more than just a credit card company - it's a technology powerhouse that is shaping the future of payments and advancing financial inclusion worldwide. As a software engineering intern at Mastercard, you'll have the chance to:
Work on impactful, global-scale projects that process billions of transactions securely and efficiently
Collaborate with and learn from brilliant engineers, product managers, and business leaders
Gain exposure to a wide range of technologies, from APIs and web development to artificial intelligence, blockchain, and more
Contribute your ideas and skills to innovative products and platforms
Experience a culture that values diversity, inclusion, innovation, and social impact
Earn a competitive salary (around $29/hour on average) along with perks like housing stipends
Participate in fun events, community service, speaker series, and professional development workshops
Potentially land a full-time return offer and launch your career at an industry-leading company
Past Mastercard software engineering interns have worked on projects like building APIs for validating card numbers, integrating with Jenkins pipelines for CI/CD, implementing core backend services in Java and Spring MVC, creating frontend experiences in React, and more. You'll be treated as a full member of an agile team and go through the entire software development lifecycle from design to deployment.
In one intern's account, their main project was building a "PanBinVal" API for clients to validate card numbers. This involved learning Spring Boot for the API framework, Jenkins for CI/CD, and Luhn's algorithm for the validation logic. The intern also got to contribute to other projects across teams. So you can expect to not only dive deep on your main project but also collaborate cross-functionally.
What Mastercard Looks for in Intern Candidates
Mastercard welcomes a diverse range of candidates for software engineering internships, but there are some key qualifications and skills that will help you stand out:
Current enrollment in a bachelor's or master's degree program in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field
Strong programming skills in languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, C++, etc.
Solid grasp of data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented design principles
Familiarity with web development technologies like HTML/CSS, REST APIs, databases/SQL
Experience with common development tools and practices like Git, Agile, testing frameworks
Excellent problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills
Passion for technology and eagerness to learn
Leadership experience, personal projects, or prior internships are a plus
While relevant coursework and technical skills are important, Mastercard also values unique perspectives and strong soft skills. Showcase projects where you've taken initiative, worked collaboratively, overcome challenges, or made an impact.
Acing the Interview Process
The interview process for Mastercard's software engineering internship is highly competitive, but with the right preparation you can set yourself up for success. Here's what to expect:
Online application in early fall (typically August-September)
60-minute online coding assessment with 1-2 technical questions
30-45 minute behavioral and technical phone screens
Virtual onsite interview with 2-3 technical rounds and a behavioral round
To prepare for the coding assessment and technical interviews, practice a wide variety of data structures and algorithms questions on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, etc. Focus on medium-level problems related to arrays, strings, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, and other common patterns.
Here are some examples of actual coding questions asked in Mastercard interviews:
Given a list of strings, determine if they can be chained together to form a circle. Each string can be chained with another if the last character of one matches the first of the other. (Graph problem)
Implement a function to check if a Binary Search Tree is balanced. (Tree traversal)
Calculate the angle between the hour and minute hands of a clock. (Math/geometry)
Generate all valid IP addresses from a given string of numbers. (Backtracking)
Find the longest palindromic subsequence in a string. (Dynamic programming)
To do well on these, make sure you brush up on core CS fundamentals like time/space complexity analysis, object-oriented programming, databases, and operating systems. Crack the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews are great resources. Be ready to talk through your approach out loud, explaining your thought process and discussing tradeoffs and optimizations. Use a whiteboard or collaborative code editor to practice this skill. Review key concepts in your strongest programming languages and be prepared to implement solutions quickly.
For system design interviews, practice breaking down complex problems and talking through your architecture and API design choices. Some sample questions include:
Design a system for restaurant reservations
Architect a Twitter-like social network
Discuss how you would build a real-time dashboard for credit card transactions
Focus on things like data models, API contracts, modularity, scalability, reliability, and security. Draw diagrams to illustrate your design and talk through how the components interact.
On the behavioral side, prepare several examples of projects or experiences where you've demonstrated relevant skills, leadership, and collaboration. Interviewers may ask about:
A challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles
A time you had to influence others or resolve a conflict
How you approach working in a team and managing stakeholders
Why you're passionate about technology and interested in Mastercard specifically
Practice concisely communicating these stories using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Convey what you learned and how you grew from each experience.
While the interview process is rigorous, it's also a great opportunity to showcase your potential and learn more about Mastercard. Remember to stay curious, be yourself, and let your passion for technology shine through.
Making the Most of Your Mastercard Internship
Congratulations, you landed the internship! Now it's time to make the most of your 12 weeks as a Mastercard software engineer. Here are some tips:
Set clear goals with your manager and mentor early on. What do you want to learn or accomplish? Check in regularly on your progress and growth.
Dive into your project and take ownership. Ask questions, offer ideas, and don't be afraid to tackle challenging problems. Your team is there to support you.
Write clean, well-documented, and tested code. Follow your team's best practices and style guides.
Participate actively in agile ceremonies like stand-ups, planning, and retros. Communicate proactively.
Get to know your fellow interns and colleagues. Set up coffee chats, attend social events, and join employee resource groups. Building relationships is key for learning and future opportunities.
Take advantage of Mastercard's speaker series, tech talks, and training sessions. They're a great way to explore new topics and technologies.
Give back through community service events and mentoring opportunities. Mastercard values making an impact beyond the office.
Take care of yourself! It can be tempting to work around the clock, but set boundaries, take breaks, and spend time exploring your internship location.
Clarify what a successful internship looks like with your manager. Set yourself up to earn a return offer by delivering excellent work, being a strong team player, and demonstrating leadership.
As your internship wraps up, update your resume and LinkedIn with your experiences and skills. Keep in touch with your new network. Reflect on your achievements and learnings to define the next steps in your career journey.
From Intern to Full-Time: Leveraging Your Experience
Whether you earn a return offer from Mastercard or decide to explore other opportunities, your software engineering internship experience will be a valuable launchpad for your career. You can leverage it to:
Strengthen your resume and portfolio with real-world projects and technical skills
Boost your confidence in your abilities to collaborate, problem-solve, and create impact
Expand your professional network for references, advice, and potential job leads
Clarify your career interests and goals based on your hands-on experience
Demonstrate your leadership and growth potential to future employers
Potentially secure a full-time role at Mastercard or a similar top tech company
As you navigate the full-time job search and interview process, draw upon the experiences, skills, and relationships you built during your Mastercard internship. Continued learning and preparation will also serve you well, so keep practicing coding problems, exploring new technologies, and refining your professional skills.
Key Takeaways and Resources
Earning a software engineering internship at Mastercard takes preparation, passion, and persistence. To recap:
Mastercard offers a paid, project-based internship program that exposes you to cutting-edge technologies, innovative products, and an inclusive culture
Successful candidates typically have strong technical skills, leadership experience, and a passion for problem-solving and collaboration
The interview process involves a coding assessment, phone screens, and virtual onsite interviews focused on technical and behavioral skills
As an intern, you'll work on real-world projects like building APIs, backend services, web applications and more while learning from experts
Leverage your internship to strengthen your skills, network, and career prospects for future opportunities
Here are some key resources to support you in your Mastercard internship journey:
Mastercard's university and internship programs: https://careers.mastercard.com/students/
Preparing for coding interviews: Cracking the Coding Interview, Elements of Programming Interviews, LeetCode, HackerRank
Brushing up on software design: System Design Primer, Grokking the System Design Interview
Learning more about Mastercard's business, culture and technology: Mastercard blogs and press releases, informational interviews with employees
Remember, a Mastercard internship is not just a line on your resume - it's an opportunity to grow as an engineer, create real-world impact, and launch an exciting career in technology. By following the advice in this guide and bringing your unique skills and perspective to the table, you can make the most of this Priceless opportunity. We can't wait to see what you'll build!