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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.
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...
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
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 :)
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."
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?
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.
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.
I really wouldn't want to work somewhere that has 20 year olds doing interviews. A 20-something "senior engineer" is a fallacy they are what "expert beginners" and they often make mistakes someone with more experience will not make, and that includes the hiring process.
I've been shown the door in an interview by 20-somethings after not answering their vague questions exactly the way they wanted them answered. My current company gave me the highest marks they've ever given an employee and they've been around 15 years. They have experienced people giving interviews and performance reviews.
But isn't it also age discrimination not wanting to work with 20-something "senior engineers" or worse, 20-something CTOs who will be your superior when you have 30 years of experience?
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!
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 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?...
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?
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
... if someone tells you something is broken don't tell them that it was working earlier, say "I'll find out what's happening and get back to you ASAP" and maybe something like "... I should have been notified if it was a server crash, hopefully it's not too serious and we can get everything back in order a soon as possible, to minimise the downtime".
Never tell someone who comes to you with a problem that there is/was no problem.
I disagree. Bears take a lot of time and energy to care for, and they occasionally attack their owners. Furthermore, bear owners say they will not bring their pet to work, but every one I have worked with has eventually brought the damned bear to work, usually because it was sick and he couldn't get day care. Then you have a sick and usually upset bear in your workplace and yes, it DOES affect everyone's productivity, always. If the candidate has a bear, I'm sorry to say I will usually pass.
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