Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Re-Learning How To Interview As a Developer?
An anonymous reader writes "Earlier in my career, when I switched jobs every year or so, I was pretty good at interviewing. I got offers about 75% of the time if I got to a in person. But times have changed... my last 2 jobs have been, longer term gigs.. 5 and 3 years respectively, and I am way out of practice. My resume often gets me the phone interview and I am actually really good at the phone screen.. I am 12 for 12 in the last 6 months phone screen to in person interview. It is the in person interview where I am really having issues. I think I come off wrong or something.. I usually get most of the technical questions, but I am not doing something right because I don't come off very likeable or something. It is hard to get very much feedback to know exactly what I am doing wrong. I have always gotten very good performance reviews and I am well liked at work, but if there is one area for improvement on my reviews it has always been communication. So I ask, can anyone give out some advice, I have tried toastmasters a few times, but does anyone have other tips or ideas? Has anyone else had a similar experiences?"
Maybe it's not about you, but that the job market isn't flourishing that much anymore.
don't try for H1B jobs where the person is for show and you have no hope of getting the job.
Make eye contact with the interviewers, but then they might notice your crows feet, which could be the real problem.
but it might help to improve your English.
Listen and watch. If you are answering the question you thought they asked, instead of the question they thought they asked, they will probably be somewhat annoyed.
Try to pick up on that, and either figure out what they were asking, or ask for clarification. Let them get in a few words, too.
Sounds more like the proverbial age discrimination that exists in the tech world.
Resume - great; phone interview - great; but then the interviewers get one look at you...
The problem is that when you're there in person they see that you are not in your 20s and that you probably won't unhesitatingly work 70+ hour weeks in exchange for having access to an in-office foosball table. You probably have certain expectations regarding benefits, 401(k) funding, and taking time off for family emergencies. You might not be the sort of person who takes being managed by someone younger than you well. Thanks for coming, we'll call you back if we have any more questions.
Age discrimination is real.
As cliché as it sounds, you probably don't want to work somewhere that requires a whole dog and pony show.
I read about age bias in IT kicking at about age 35 all the time now. Are over the hill?
I don't know how friendly and open you are, anonymous person, but I've done pretty well in my last couple of interviews; Accepted immediately, first (face-to-face) interview.
Prior to those last two jobs, I hadn't had an interview for 8 years. It took me 12 interviews before I managed to get a job.
Basically, be more friendly, relaxed and relatable. Complain a bit about previous employers and how this new job will fix those problems (you may have to use your imagination), everyone has problems. A lot of the time, what puts perfect candidate A before candidate B is that "they could have a beer with them". Nobody wants to hire someone they're not gonna enjoy having around the office.
Since drinking heavily, I'm a lot more approachable, and apparently, a lot more employable.
Hope this *hic* helps.
To employers, it's of secondary concern that you're more competent than the other guy.
Primary concern is whether you can be a cog, e.g. will you get along with other team members (which they translate into "enthusiastic, cheerful and forgiving") and will you be able to understand, cooperate with and stay out of the way of your superiors. A big part of this is trying to avoid hiring an employee who also creates problems in addition to doing his/her job.
I suggest thinking vapid and friendly, like a labrador retriever, when you go into a job interview.
Futurist Traditionalism
I typically get job offers from almost all of my in-person interviews. What works for me is being very engaging in the interview. Appear genuinely interested in the company. Don't wait for the "do you have any questions for us" part of the interview before asking questions, ask questions throughout the entire interview. Ask questions about the corporate culture, ask questions about their internal workflow, ask questions about parts of the company other than the one you'll be working in.
Also, come off as very human during the interview, especially when they ask you about yourself. When they ask you about yourself, don't just rehash your resume, they can read that for themselves. Instead, talk about your interests, your hobbies, your life. "Well, I've been a programmer for 13 years, I have a BS in computer science from the U of M, I've been married for 3 years, I play softball and pain miniatures."
The interview is way less about them gauging your technical ability, and way more about showing your interest in the company and how you will fit in with their current team.
Yes, be prepared for the technical questions too, but that's really the minor stuff
Call them the next day. Thank them for the interview and let them know you look forward to hearing from them.
This has a couple of benefits.
A) It lets them know you're really interested in the position.
B) It gives you the opportunity to possibly get some feedback.
Also:
Ask questions during the interview, be interested in what Tech Stack & Tools they're using and what their dev process is (What's the product? What is there to do on it? What IDE do they use? Do they do Agile Development? What Sprint Length? What SCM do they use? Do they do CI? etc..). One of the things I've learned from Project Leads & Managers is that people who seem genuinely interested in the product, the tools, and the team are the ones that usually rise to the top of the lists.
Network. Network. Network. You never know when you'll need to call up that guy you worked with 5 years ago to see if they're hiring. This has saved my job several times. Project A ends and I'm on the chopping block to be laid off, but then a manager I worked with a couple years earlier hears I'm available and boom... new job working Project B...
I like to ask probing questions to get a feel for what the work environment is like, the stability of the business, and other peripheral topics not directly related to the specific job opening. Take the mindset of being the one evaluating them to see if they will be a suitable employer.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
...you got fat.
Ageism is rampant in tech. It may just be that they are looking for someone younger/cheaper.
Dress as a CEO
Cut your hair and shave your beard
empathie with the people in front of you
you are there to make them feel you the right one
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
What I always do is to ask for feedback after they decided not to hire me, or if I don't hear from them within a week.
What was it that decided against me, what could I have done differently.
Ask kindly and explain to them you want this information so that you can improve your own interview process. This worked very well for me, especially when it wasn't obvious why I didn't get the job. One time I did this I was even offered a job just because they had forgotten about me.
Also. Always look for jobs. It is never illoyal to go on interviews, just don't lie or take a sick day, plan for it. I am always on the watch for the dream job and everybody should too. Going on job interviews has many benefits, particularly you get to find out what you're worth, and if you get a good offer you can use it as leverage next when discussing your current salary :)
You're asking us about your personality, over the internet? Uhm. That doesn't work... My advice? Don't ask us, you'll get generic advice. Go spend a few hundred bucks and see a therapist, just in case. If the concept of therapy bugs you, call it professional outside perspective. Their whole job is reading people and digging at the underlying issues...
It's not you.
I've had some odd interviews over the years. One in which the head of IT was a Luddite - and proud of it. One in which the phone and HR interviews went well, but the interview with the manager left me wondering if she had psychological problems ... later, from my headhunter, I learned her sister was going though a very bad breakup, including stalking, and I was very similar to the ex.
And, of course, sometimes the interview is for show. They've got someone they want, but have to keep HR happy, and demonstrate they considered other candidates.
My best advice is a) research the company/position, b) be honest, and c) try and be positive. Note that 'being honest' doesn't preclude omitting horrendous things. e.g. "I made an internal transfer as soon as I realized my boss was a lying, backstabbing hypocritical s.o.b., and was much happier with my new position." can be reworded as "I made an internal transfer, after achieving some great things in my first position, because the new job offered more opportunities for professional development."
Possibly it's ageism. I'm turning 38 in a few days. But I haven't actually tried to change jobs for about 3 years now, because I like where I am.
The one exception to that was when I interviewed for Amazon about a year ago, in their Cape Town office. I was rejected, and I think it's probably because I have 25 years experience. (not a typo, I was doing contract development before I left high school.) Also possibly I was perceived as being inflexible: I don't much like unit tests, over-engineering (like the excessive use of dependency injection that's been fadding for a couple of years), or web development in general (it's really messy). I prefer high-octane c++ engineering, funky algorithms, and generally doing cool stuff. Amazon doesn't really do cool stuff, and they don't like maverick programmers. To be honest I didn't really want the job, and in retrospect I'm so glad I didn't go to work there.
A couple of tips: 1) When you leave an interview, spend some time immediately after and write down the questions they asked and give yourself an honest evaluation of how you answered them. What did you miss? What could you have said better? 2) Before you go to the interview, do a search for "behavioral interview questions" and pick several different topics. Come up with good answers to those questions. Use the "STAR" response (Situation/Task, Actions, Results) and really plan out your answers 3) This sort of goes hand in hand with #2, but think of your top achievements. Make a list of great things that you did as they relate to communication, managing a project, leading a team, etc. etc. You know what kind of job you're applying for, plan for the interview and have your stories ready to go. They're not going to ask those exact questions, but if you have a list of possible answers, you'll at least nail some of the questions.
You shouldn't be asking Slashdot why you're not interviewing well, you should be asking the people who didn't hire you. When you get the phone call saying "no thanks", ask them why you weren't hired. You'll probably get a non-committal answer from most, but there are some will tell you what they think you did wrong.
Good luck.
"Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
Read up on defensive or aggressive versus relaxed/friendly postures (position of arms, leaning too far forward or back etc).
Also, actively listen, and try to understand what is behind some of the questions they ask. Make sure your more opinionated answers are not the kind that risk offending someone who is in the room.
Oh, and as toastmasters probably taught you, avoid saying ummm ahhhh, and keep your answers brief and to the point.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
Read "What Color Is Your Parachute." The author lists several particular problems you might be having with interviews (do you pick your nose? do you smell funny?), and also discusses how to analyze what went wrong in the interview.
If the problem really is lousy interpersonal skills, that can be improved.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Two things.
First, don't make the mistake of pushing off discussion of salary to the end of the process - Check the price range they want to pay right up front, before you even waste your time with an in-person interview. It doesn't matter if the job listing describes a senior software architect with a combination of skills that would easily take 20 years to master - If they want to pay intern's wages, they don't want you.
Second, you got old. It happens. We can, however, take a tip from our better halves (presuming you as male) to partially remediate that on a temporary basis. Dye your hair, dress considerably little less formally than you learned to do decades ago (if you can't stand the idea of going to an interview without a suit, at least go for a colored, relaxed-fit sport coat rather than the good old standby of black or charcoal), and you might even consider letting the missus help you with just a hint of makeup (don't worry, it won't stick out unless done horribly - Many younger guys have actually started wearing makeup regularly).
Once your coworkers see you in action, your skills matter more than your age. But that requires getting in the door first.
At least you're asking, and I suppose that's a start. Ask your colleagues, friends, and family. You won't get anything good here because we don't know you.
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
Here's my $0.05. I've been a hiring manager for a number of developer positions.
i) Practice: Have a few pat answers for open ended or probing questions. Like when you get asked "Can you give me an example of..." pick a good example - one where you look good (I can't tell you how many times someone picked an "example of resolving a conflict with their coworker where they looked pretty bad"). Then bounce it off your NON-tech friends. Take their advice, even if it sounds weird or not how you would naturally talk. Then practice until you can make it sound natural.
ii) Question. It pays to ask a question or two about the questions being asked of you. Not every question but it shows you are listening and can be even used to show off knowledge you have but haven't been asked.
iii) Listen when they are talking. Try to get an idea of what these people are looking for.
iv) At the end you are often asked if you have any questions. Use the information about iii) to get them talking. Find something you have in common. Suggest some solution. i.e. get them talking about their biggest problem areas for software, hardware (whatever you're being hired for and ask them "Have you tried..."). Don't go on too much about a single technology. I don't mind it when someone slips an extracurricular into their interview but it should be a one off. For example, I interviewed a person who did some Ada programming in his spare time. Which is cool but he referenced it two or three other times and it started to sound like an attempt to distract from the question.
Bonus: Avoid jokes. Seriously. Unless you really can take the temperature of your audience it's hard to pull off and it can easily be taken the wrong way and counted against you . Remember that when you tell jokes to your peers at work they already know you (to some extent) and are attempting to think the best of you. An interviewer is trying to differentiate between you an everyone else. If someone from HR is on the interview panel and you tell a joke (or relay an experience) that makes you look like you have a problem or might be mildly sexist, ageist, racist. You can easily find yourself on the bottom of the pile when it comes to a decision.
Are you over 35?
If you are you are not likeable.
Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
Now this is a post that I never thought I'd see on Slashdot.
Somebody, in all seriousness, suggesting that someone wear makeup.
Would that Commander Taco see this.....
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
A manager of mine once told me he hired me because of this. Of course, you have to nuance it a little. I told him something like "I'm good at communicating the ideas of the project in ways that non-technical people can understand and appreciate the value of it. A lot of times in these positions if you're doing your job perfectly, nobody notices because the system just works. It's important to make sure we get credit for this as a team."
I understand your last two jobs were longer, but you have a trend.
The problem with being eight years older is that you are, indeed, eight years older. Past a certain age it seems that the only jobs you will be able to get is through your network. All else being equal, a complete stranger who has to evaluate you against someone eight years younger (heck, you were a good developer at that age, right?) will definitely chose the younger person. More agile, easier to morph.
Work your network. If you are as good as you say you are, use your reputation instead of your skills.
To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
When I interview someone, I ask them to explain something to me. A good candidate can provide a concise overview of the topic and then work through it in a coherent manner, seeking and taking in feedback from me to see if they're explaining things at the right level. Just wandering around the topic isn't so good. It's okay to say what you know and what you don't know.
Another thing I do is to ask them to solve a problem (either a simple but slightly tricky coding problem or a problem about a technology we've discussed). What I like to see is someone who can explain their thought process as they go. If they get stuck, they should be asking questions. But just sitting there thinking quietly isn't a good sign, especially when they don't come out with a good answer eventually.
You do need to find a good balance between talking too much and being too quiet. To do this, it is important to seek feedback and take queues from the interviewer. This kind of interaction is key to "working well with others".
I just quoted that because it's true. It should probably be cut 'n' pasted a few dozen more times for effect, maybe in bold 24pt Times New Roman with a red shadow effect.
However, I can see their perspective too. They're trying to cut out the antisocial types who are a drag and can often be little saboteurs in the midst of otherwise normally functioning employees.
Those types do exist and they're extremely toxic.
On the other hand, too much labrador and you do have the day care mentality you describe, which is usually a sign that nothing will get done and yet everyone will stay "work" 60 hour weeks to prove how cool they are.
You might just bring this up with the interviewer. Tell them you have a positive work outlook, and like socializing with other people, but you don't like adult daycare and if that's what they're looking for, you're not interested. You'll get some interesting (and not all unfavorable) replies. If you do get an angry reply, you've found Douchebag, Inc. and you don't want to work there anyway.
Futurist Traditionalism
don't try for H1B jobs where the person is for show and you have no hope of getting the job.
For those that don't know yet, H1B jobs are the job ads that largely appear in tech journals or on tech journal web sites.
"How To Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.
Buy it, read it, practise, read it again, practise, read it again, etc.
Seriously, there's a reason this book is the on *every* list of essential sales and business books. It ought to have been called "how to get along with people and communicate with people" but it was written a long time ago when such titles didn't sound so ridiculous.
HTH.
I consider interviewing to be similar to sales. You're selling yourself and you need to be able to effectively counter objections. It's a skill that very quickly becomes rusty.
One book I found helpful is the Adams Job Interview Almanac as it helps identify the reason why questions are asked.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Adam...
Doing so isn't easy and is a skill that must be practiced. In the current commercial for AT&T with the 4 women and 1 man professionals, would you be able to understand why each question is asked and be able to answer effectively?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Being old has nothing to do with being cool.
These younger IT types are nerds through and through. They want to make sure you still play Xbox and like the occasional beer on a Friday night out with the boys.
Let them know that although you are seasoned, that you still enjoy the occasional round of Team Fortress Classic, while letting them know your headshot skills aren't what they used to be. LEt them know you have some cool nerd hobbies, either building electronics, hacking stuff, or collecting firearms or commic books.
I've found the age discrimination thing is BS. They just want to be sure you are humble, nerdy, and can still hang with the boys. Eventually they will respect you and start asking you for advice.
Letting them know you still have a pulse will help a lot. The hard part is that you really need to know your sh!t. They aren't looking for people ready to retire who never kept their skillset updated.
There are twenty personal pronouns in the request for feedback ... I, I, I, my, I, I etc.
Personal pronouns are guaranteed to bore the life out of listeners. References to one's self such as, "I, me, my, you, your," can be replaced or just skipped in normal conversation with a little practice.
Think of it this way: "Small people talk about people (including making reference to one's self), normal people talk about things and great people talk about ideas."
Using "I, me or my," implies a certain preoccupation with guess who!
Recruiters are looking for team players and those who can fit in with others.
YOU ARE OLD
Try to find someone (through linkedin, facebook, meetup, craigslist?) who interviews candidates at one of these companies for the sort of job you want. Have that person interview you, with all the trimmings of a real live interview. And then get honest feedback on why you're not getting the hypothetical job. It's probably best if you don't already know this person and you just have your one-time meeting or a business mentor relationship.
My thought is that once you get a face-to-face interview they have already selected you, and the other 5 to 10 candidates, based on their technical skills. The whole purpose of an in-person interview, then, is to determine how well you communicate, how friendly you are, and whether you have anything in common with the interviewers. While technical questions may be asked, it's more of how you answer that matters.
Do you ask follow-up questions?
Do you ask the interviewer, if a peer, how they would handle the same problem?
When speaking to the interviewer, do you try to find common ground? (i.e. golfing, movies, family, American Idol, latest sport trades, etc.)
Do you show interest in the problem? or do you have a been-there-done-that attitude?
Are you showing a willingness to learn? Despite the old saying, even an old dog can learn new tricks.
Did you prepare? Did you find out as much about the company as possible (i.e. national vs international, HQ locations, latest products, etc.)?
Perhaps none of these are the problem. It could simply be that you are not up on popular culture. Nothing shows your age more and isolates you more from younger colleagues than not being current. Do you get asked modern cultural questions? Can you answer them?
Read the book Knock 'em Dead. Seriously, it's a great book.
The other thing is to remember that an "interview" is just a meeting. You are both deciding whether you want to work together, for years ... pretty important. Makes sense to have a meeting about it. But that's all it is: a specialized type of meeting.
Stop saying things like "I am really having issues" People will think you are an idiot if you can't even use english properly. The word is problem. Learn it, use it. Impress people by how literate you are.
01/01/01
The only young guys I've ever seen wearing makeup are actors.. or it's Halloween.
That said, competently applied makeup is difficult to spot, and the interviewer is probably not expecting it. People usually don't notice things they don't expect.
I was a self-employed software contractor during the dot-com boom. I had lots of great technical gigs, but one of my favorite clients was a recruiter who would hire me an hour or two at a time to send me out for "fake" interviews with "difficult" clients after too many well-matched candidates had been rejected. My job would be to participate the interview, gather as much information as possible (interview the customer), then help the recruiter generate a more accurate job description during our post-interview debrief.
You would be surprised at how often the job description is dead-wrong, the interviewer can't interview, and everything feels like a train running off the tracks.
The most important thing I learned from this process was to realize is that an interview is THE FIRST DAY ON THE JOB! You need to think of yourself as a member of the interview team right from the start, with the goal for all involved being to find the right person for the job. Sometimes, this means you may need to run the interview (similar to "leading from behind").
This attitude got me more job offers than I could shake a stick at. Quite often, a startup would be working on technology so new that NOBODY could possibly know much about it, so after basic technical competence is minimally established, the interview became more about attitude, team fit, and other non-technical issues. Technical leaders and managers can be terrible at doing that side of the interview. But it pays for you to be good at it: Though I'm an embedded software engineer, I had one offer from a superconducting startup who literally told me "you can learn the technical stuff on the job".
Being committed to the group goal, beyond your own self-interest, really matters.
More importantly, I applied the same process to the interviews for my technical gigs. Surprisingly often, I'd have to explain to a potential client that they had completely missed the target by interviewing me. We'd shift the interview to discuss what the gaps were, and how they allowed them to persist. (This was during the peak of the dot-com boom, when "warm technical bodies" were needed.)
One time, this led to a 2-week contract (at my top rate) to help them create a better job description (by having me interview the technical folks and managers), and to consider other candidate finding processes (sometimes I'd refer them to my recruiter friend or other recruiters specializing in their area).
The word soon got around that I was there to help, and when small companies or groups got stuck they'd literally say: "Let's interview Bob". This was their way of getting a couple free hours of my time, and I never minded (it was the kind of PR money can't buy). This snowballed to the point where I was offered a partnership in a technical recruiting firm! But I'm an engineer first, last, and always, and really didn't want to spend my day reading job descriptions and resumes, filtering candidates, or spending endless hours on the phone or writing emails.
It's not that I was in any way good at this stuff (I know very little about HR): It is simply that I care about the process, was aware of my place in it, and was able to tell if it was on-track to its goal. That's what was rare, and was often valuable to those on the other side of the desk.
So, what do you do if it becomes clear during the interview that either a) you are the wrong candidate for the job, or b) you don't want the job? It's the same as when you want the job so bad you can taste it: You try to leave the interviewer better off at the end of the interview than they were at the start. Either way, it's the professional and ethical thing to do.
And it makes one hell of an impression.
You're probably more specialized than before, straight out of college most assume you'll do well at "general development" and the assignments they have in mind are more of that nature too. Now they're looking at someone with many years of experience working with X, how is X relevant to them? I've jumped "subject matter" quite a bit and I feel it's because I've been able to make my experience seem relevant. Personally I feel I've stretched it very thin at times, but I guess a little is better than nothing. And I've tried to keep a positive spin on the things I don't know, as in this is the part of the job I know well and these are things I hope will challenge me and expand my horizons. It sounds awfully cliche but the number one thing you need to show them is that you're still hungry. I'd work on what do you do and say when you don't know the answers.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Practice behavior-based interview questions out loud. Have a friend ask them and give feedback if possible. They will help you give a great interview. If you still don't get the job, you may not be a fit.
calling all destroyers
After programming for just shy of twenty years I got the opportunity to get into management. I was good at it, which both the management above me as the people below me attested to. Still, I hated it.
Management is a weird job. All day you get to deal with whiny people. Some are your boss, some are people you try to lead. And no matter how you do things, some are unhappy.
I'm back in development. I program things. I'm much, much happier now. Even considering the pay cut and the lack of perks, I'm much more happy developing software then managing people.
In fact, I hope to reach my pension doing software development. I can solve complex technical issues, I'm not at all prepared to solve human issues.
Be younger!
Getting your resume read by HR and then passing a technical phone screen is all about your resume and experience. Once you get to a face to face the truth is that most people are just trying to decide whether they want to work with your over the next couple of years.
In our company, the people doing the face to face interviews aren't trained and really have no big picture view. They work their job and all they care about is hiring someone that will go along with their program. I've found that making a connection with face to face interviewers is far more important then any answer to a question or skill.
"...I usually get most of the technical questions, but I am not doing something right because I don't come off very likeable or something. It is hard to get very much feedback to know exactly what I am doing wrong. ....... Has anyone else had a similar experiences?"
Yeah. Piss off, cunt-face...
... and the problem should be obvious if you have an ounce of people skills. You say you did well in the past. That's likely because when you interviewed places they were so desperate they'd take anyone with a pulse. Soft skills don't go away. And either you have them or you don't. An interview is a conversation between people, so you need to be able to ably communicate. The only way you're gonna get those skills is by trying. So what I would do is get involved in social groups. Tech groups are good, but so are non tech. Communicate with as many different kinds of people as you can. Volunteer. And you don't lose soft skills, same as you never forget how to ride a bike.
I feel so bad for who gets hired by you
HR idiots hire people who are good at interviewing, and keep the workers from ever getting a job.
I spent years of study hunched over books and computer screens, and now you tell me that posture is important? Well that certainly explains why I've never passed an interview. Now what am I going to do with my useless degree in computer science? I'd try using my skills to replace cathedral bell-ringers with automation but those jobs has been automated already.
If I interview someone with 1-5 years of experience, I am looking at fundamentals (algorithms and data structures), with potential (open minded, ready to listen and learn) and the last come his programming skill (Java, or C++, or whatever).
In someone with 10-15 years of experience I start to look more at field expertise. I want someone who knows financial, or medical, or kernel, or compilers, whatever I need. Several technologies under the belt, so that you can choose the right tool for the job. But I don't care if you are a C++ expert (unless my business is making compilers :-)
Beyond 20 you need something to show in your field. Conferences, a major open source project, a popular book. Major projects, interaction with other fields, guiding others, architecture, communication, big picture, know how and when to cut corners to make things happen instated of blindly following "the perfect solution", thinking outside the box. And more.
And all this without being a smug a*hole who knows it all.
BTW, I suspect this is the problem with many who complain here about age discrimination. I have seen to often guys who think 15 years doing the same thing at the same level means 15 tears of experience. No, it is one year of experience repeated 15 times.
I've seen a lot of job openings for HR lately. Seems HR idiots are hiring more HR idiots. There's a bright future in HR.
If you're changing jobs every year, then the problem probably isn't with your interviewing skills.
No seriously, the good ones are really great at getting solid feedback. They are often given quite a bit more information than the average guy walking in the door, especially the ones that are regular recruiters for the company you're applying at.
Time reconsider if that facial tattoo really was an good idea
As empires age, truth becomes secondary to working the system. Then just as the proles-turned-kings think they have it all figured out, it collapses around them and they end up in a third world wreck. It surprises them every time.
Futurist Traditionalism
Are you out of shape? Put in a little effort toward a p90x type program (or whatever fits your fitness level). You will look and feel a little younger and it will affect the way you are perceived. You don't have to be Ryan Gosling, just a little improvement will help. In fact, if you are too in shape, it may actually hurt.
The title of this post could be interpreted as sarcastic, but it is totally possible to improve your people skills, especially if you think that's where your problem is. Early on, I considered myself a total socially awkward introvert, but turned that around by reading books like this and working on my social skills. Sounds corny, but it works. Classic advice, good book: http://www.dalecarnegie.com/da...
Sometimes it's a commitee and every member decides to put a criteria into the mix just to show they have contributed something. While that's not an ideal workplace either it's different to having a person already that ticks those bullet points and a stupid policy of advertising for everything even when it's going to be filled internally.
Step 0: Have a friend do a mock interview with you.
Tell your friend to pick a question like the ones you've been getting.
Solve it on a whiteboard.
In addition to getting some scenario practice, your friend can point out if you're coming across in an awkward way.
Step 1: Listen
Listening is more important than talking in good communication.
I interview a lot of software engineers. Sometimes candidates get so excited about an idea they have that I can't get a word in edge ways to point out they missed a requirement or to suggest there's an easier solution. They may leave the interview saying "I cranked out some great sorting code," but in my notes is written "Implemented bubble sort."
Before diving in to code, verify that the interviewer wants you to implement something. If they say "How would you sort the data," you might not need to implement a sort algorithm.
Step 2: Think Out Loud
If a solution to a problem occurs to you, say it so the interviewer knows where you are.
If they ask questions about your thought, follow their line.
If they just acknowledge what you said, analyze it for a minute and see if it's a good solution, or if there are interesting caveats.
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
Hipsters are actually using make-up on their faces.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I've been hiring technical staff for years and have networked with many companies and individuals that do the same. Age discrimination is largely a myth but there are often other factors at play. First and foremost is pay. Just because you've been in the workforce for 15+ years doesn't mean you are going to be able keep bumping your pay upwards. Only the top architects and leaders can keep increasing their pay as they age through their 40's. It's entirely possible that you've maxed your earning potential by 35 unless you are willing to grow your skill set in non-technical ways. It happens in other fields as well and software engineering is no different. Second, you need to be willing to leverage your experience to justify your pay grade. It's a myth that a technical person that doesn't want to go into leadership can get paid the same as somebody that does go into management. Someone that is willing to put their reputation on the line and lead teams of people is going to be rewarded better than somebody that is only willing to take on technical tasks. Sure the latter is extremely valuable as well, but there is something to be said for someone that is willing to put their neck out, lead and teach. When given the choice between bringing in two "green" developers or one senior developer that is allergic to management, companies are going with the greenies. Third is loyalty. While jumping jobs helps technical people when they are younger, it burns you when you are older. Some of the highest paid developers I know have been with their companies for 15+ years. They can more naturally grow into leadership positions and become invaluable to projects/companies. If you're an older technical expert, talk to employers as if you want to retire with them and that you are looking for your last job. This is something that will resonate and isn't something they will hear from the younger candidates.
As an older developer, even though it might be difficult to believe, I have come to learn that many in the software industry equate age with being out of touch with technology. Think you have lots of experience and that this should be an asset? Well, others may believe that you are stuck in your ways and experienced in outdated methodology.
Once you accept that this is a fact about our computing culture today, you can move forward again. The truth can be difficult to take, but it can empower you. There may be nothing wrong with you except that you are not 25 anymore. Don't be angry, don't get a lawyer, just smile and move forward or you risk losing years banging your head against something very ingrained in the computing culture. Other professions have to deal with this as well but I believe that this is probably the worst in computing science as things change at a very rapid pace.
In the US, it is also more expensive to hire older developers because of increased exposure to healthcare costs (not an issue in Canada). As well, older devs are less likely to work 60hr weeks as they have children and have learned not to be taken advantage of. Young devs, with higher levels of testosterone, often push further to show how awesome they are and the incredible things they can build while older debs may not be pumped in the same way. Just a couple of things to think about.
How bad does this get?
+Fact: I attended a recent recruit session at my university from Intel. The senior manager said "you can only be hired if you have never worked for another company." I was stunned, I simply sat there stunned and didn't know what to think anymore. You think that I just made this up right? Well I was stunned to the point I wrote it in my notebook right then and there. Many companies very much want only the youngest and brightest straight out of university.
+Fact: Microsoft often comes to my university as well and I have attended multiple sessions there. Every time they say, if you apply during the first 6 months after you graduate, you get put on a special preferential hiring track (basically a separate pile). Wait just 6 months and you're in another pile with the rest of the world's resumes. This is how things are now. I can barely believe it myself sometimes.
Point: Experience can often be viewed as a negative. If someone would have told me this years ago, I would not have believed them - I would have thought they were nuts. If you're younger and reading this, I know, you think I'm nuts - I understand since I've been there.
+Tip: Do something very current like develop an app for google glass to show how up to date you are and make a vid of your project to show during your interview. Learn Hadoop, some computer vision, object recognition, machine learning... something very current to show you still got it. This can offset this very common bias.
Keep at it, not everyone hiring thinks like this. Just keep trying, and you will get another job despite how unbelievably unfair you might think this is. It will work out fine in the end (it did for me).
Start a company, and make it your mission, to put all those mf's who didn't hire you out of business. :D
You did not give much to go on. Maybe you probably don't come off as a 20 something. How old is the current staff employees? Yeah age discrimination exists. I just heard one recruiter come right out and say how social you are matters. Not the kind of "guy" they want to go out drinking with, you are not going to get the gig. So right age, but not a "bro," sorry.
Get a head hunter that will give you a test, work with you if you have a deficiency in some area and then sell you to the highest bidder. Have that stamp of approval and the financial commitment the hiring company has made to keep good recruiters in your back pocket.
Or maybe it really is "communication" skills. If your job requires presentations, video yourself. Maybe "communication" is a code for something else -- do you have any nervous ticks, seen a dentist, wear clean clothes *and* shower. (For that last one, you would not believe how many people I come across who dress nicely, but seem to have dodged soap and water). Not saying this is you, but if people have trouble being near you, a more polite euphemism may be used.
You say you think you might come off as not "very likeable or something." Explore that more. While others here may have good general advice. I think you may already know what your problem is. Sorry, if this sounds like psychoanalysis, but you answered your own question so maybe that really is the answer.
Be friendy, humorous and honest. Play the senior card. Practice interviewing. That is, have many, apply for all jobs that could fit somehow. 90% of the specs in the ad are bogus anyway and are collected and written by people who can't even abstract a desktop icon from a file on the harddisk, let alone acutally know what they are talking about or asking for in a hire.
Display self-worth by not having to prove yourself anymore.
When you're losing your inner game just think: "If you don't hire me, that's your problem, not mine. I'm just being nice to you."
If you're in your mid-fourties, start wearing shirts and perhaps even ties (I'm going to start wearing my first tie soon), along with the matching pants and shoes and maybe a jacket to match. Skip the next 2-3 generations of high end grafics cards or other geek gadgets for a quality wardrobe. Get a good book on dressing well and perhaps pay a professional tailor to give you some advice if you are a total fashion n00b. It may even be time to give those printed t-shirts to the red cross or use them as oil rags.
Get and maintain a good haircut and pimp your grooming skills. Talk smart and less that a usual nerd and keep your voice calmer that you're used to. This all works particularly well if you've already got some gray hair to show. I call this 'the gray hair bonus' - played well it has a solid direct positive impact on your salary.
I got my last job by being friendly and honest and telling some interesting war stories about my times as a developer. We talked for 1,5 hours, had a lot of fun and in the end I got the job. 1 phonecall, 2 short emails (one being the contract for me to review) and a nice long chitchat. They didn't see a single piece of official paper from me. That's how interviews should go at 40+ when you've started programming in 1986 as a 16-year old.
If you're an IT expert you'll get a job, one way or the other. Don't worry to much. Take the edge of age discrimination by being approachable but with a senior aura. Your boss should to feel safer and better understood when you're around, because you're 'the experienced guy' on his team. That works best when you're around his age and are friendly and forthcoming when pointing out flaws in his software production.
My 2 cents.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Google, how ironic. I had interviewed there, was unimpressed and now absolutely hate the company, as well as Facebook, and I live nearby but wouldn't think of working for either even if I had the skills. So, talking about very technical interviews must either indicate a ruse or a deception because the way these two companies face the outside should rank as a major shock to any one with a computer science degree who wants to do good deeds, or that person is a total sell out
You would be putting comp. sci. expertise to the most banal of missions to support the low pursuits of social media, of using Python to squeeze garage out of analytics data. What an ignobile use of time, about as bad as microtrading on securities markets letting institutions speculate in stock prices. Both are abominations, quants and quants.
My MBA professor recommended starting a network marketing company to improve social and communication skills beyond those you can pick up in the tech industry. Hard to find a good one with a decent education and training support system but overall worth looking.