Senior Java Engineer - job 1 of 2

To be considered for the Senior Java Engineer position at Apexon, you should have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent work experience. It's important to have extensive experience with Core Java (JDK 8 and above), object-oriented design, and RESTful web services. Familiarity with RDBMS, particularly DB2, will also enhance your application. Although it’s great to have knowledge in financial markets or UI skills like HTML5 and JavaScript, we encourage all interested candidates to apply, even if they don’t meet every single criteria!

At Apexon, we pride ourselves on fostering a positive and inclusive work culture. As a Senior Java Engineer, you'll discover a collaborative environment where diverse talents come together to innovate and solve challenging problems. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is highlighted by our Great Place To Work certifications in multiple regions. Employees are encouraged to share their ideas and participate in continuous learning, making it an ideal environment for growth.

As a Senior Java Engineer at Apexon, you'll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes up to a 10% bonus based on personal and company performance, a pension scheme, and 25 days of holiday, along with statutory bank holidays. We also prioritize your well-being with access to wellness platforms, life insurance, and enhanced parental leave. Additionally, our continuous learning offerings, including free Udemy courses, are designed to support your career advancement!

While experience with financial markets is desirable for the Senior Java Engineer role at Apexon, it is not explicitly necessary. We value a diverse range of experiences and skills, and candidates are encouraged to apply even if they do not have a background in financial markets. What matters most is your proficiency in Java development and your eagerness to learn and grow in this field.

Apexon offers a robust support system for professional development specifically tailored for Senior Java Engineers. You'll have access to countless resources such as free unlimited Udemy courses to upskill and advance in your career. Furthermore, we encourage our engineers to obtain relevant certifications, and we provide the necessary support to help them achieve these goals.

As a Senior Java Engineer at Apexon, you will engage in a variety of exciting projects across different industries, including BFSI, healthcare, and life sciences. You'll be working on core Java development, RESTful services, and complex data interactions with RDBMS. This role enables you to tackle real-world challenges using innovative technologies and contribute directly to digital transformation initiatives.

The recruitment process for the Senior Java Engineer position at Apexon typically involves an initial review of your application, followed by interviews that assess your technical skills and cultural fit for the organization. Candidates may also participate in coding assessments or technical discussions relevant to Java development. Throughout the process, we ensure open communication to keep you informed and engaged.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of 'objects,' which encapsulate data and behavior. The main benefits of OOP include improved code reusability, easier debugging, and enhanced maintainability. When asked this question in an interview, you should highlight these benefits, giving examples of how OOP principles such as inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, and encapsulation can lead to more efficient coding practices.

Java 8 introduced several significant features, including lambda expressions, the Stream API, and new Date and Time API. When discussing this, emphasize how lambda expressions simplify writing functional-style code and how the Stream API provides a powerful way to process collections of data. Be ready to discuss examples of using these features in your projects.

In Java, exceptions are handled using try-catch blocks. When preparing your answer, explain the importance of differentiating between checked and unchecked exceptions, and discuss best practices such as logging exceptions and creating custom exceptions when necessary. Providing a code example can help illustrate your point effectively.

A HashMap and a Hashtable are both used to store key-value pairs but differ in their implementations. HashMap is not synchronized, making it faster than Hashtable, which is synchronized and thread-safe but incurs more overhead. When discussing your answer, include scenarios where you might choose one over the other to showcase your understanding of their performance implications.

RESTful web services follow the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST), using standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. They are stateless and can operate over various formats, typically JSON or XML. Discussing how REST enables efficient communication between client and server while adhering to these principles will demonstrate your understanding of web service architecture.

The 'main' method in Java serves as the entry point for any standalone Java application. It must be declared as public, static, and takes a string array as arguments. During the interview, you should explain its role and ensure you highlight its significance in JVM execution and lifecycle management for Java programs.

To ensure code quality when developing applications, I adopt practices like code reviews, unit testing, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD). Discuss the use of tools such as SonarQube for code analysis, and provide examples of how you've implemented these measures to improve the robustness and maintainability of your code.

The 'volatile' keyword in Java is used to indicate that a variable's value will be modified by different threads. It ensures visibility of changes to variables across threads, preventing issues like stale data. When answering this question, explain when to use 'volatile' and its limitations compared to synchronization mechanisms, incorporating relevant examples to showcase your understanding.

Optimizing the performance of a Java application can involve a range of strategies, such as profiling the code to identify bottlenecks, using efficient data structures, implementing caching mechanisms, and minimizing object creation. In your response, share specific tools or techniques you’ve used in past projects to enhance performance, showing your practical experience in this area.

Dependency injection is a design pattern used to implement Inversion of Control, allowing a class to receive its dependencies from an external source rather than creating them itself. This promotes loose coupling and enhances testability. In your answer, consider mentioning frameworks like Spring that facilitate dependency injection, alongside a specific example where you've applied this concept.