What is Team Black Box?
Hello there! Team Black Box was created to build unique products (software and hardware), open-source code, and content. They call it "Building the Amaze".
TL;DR
The internship interview process at Team Black Box involves several stages:
- an initial application form
- a video interview
- a take-home project (React Native app + React JS web app)
- a final video interview
The process is designed to assess technical skills, creativity, and overall personality — not just code.
How did I discover Team Black Box?
I learned about Team Black Box through a LinkedIn post and applied for their 2023 batch 1 internship program — a six-month internship. I was pleased to discover that the application form focused on my overall personality rather than just my technical skills, which I found to be a unique approach.
How does the internship interview work?
Application
I applied for the internship by filling out a Google form on their website. The form asked me about my background, my recent projects, how I learn new things, and what excites me. A clever way to get to know me beyond just my technical skills.
Video Interview 1
In about 10 days, they scheduled a video interview with me. Subbu and Aditya were my interviewers, and both kept the conversation engaging and interesting.
They asked me about my background and my thoughts on different tech stacks — particularly Flutter and React Native. They also asked about my interests outside of technology: food, travel, and video games. Overall, it felt more like a friendly conversation than a typical interview.
Build a simple app and a website
The next step was to build a React Native app and a React JS web app in just two weeks. I had never worked with JavaScript or TypeScript before, let alone React Native or React JS, so I had to learn on the fly and build the apps as I went.
Guidelines
- Share a GitHub repository for the code.
- Give regular updates throughout the two weeks.
They were looking for consistency and creativity — I tried to demonstrate both in my work.
In the first phase, I was tasked with building a React Native app using TypeScript. I decided to make an app that displays Valorant weapons and their statistics — perfect for someone like me who loves video games, especially Valorant.
I used the Valorant API to power the app, and it turned out great.
In the next phase, I built a similar web app using React JS, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS, and hosted it on Vercel.
Check it out: Valorant Weapons.
Video Interview 2
In this final interview, we discussed the feedback from the entire process and I had a chance to ask a few questions of my own. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the experience and learn more about the company.