opinion needed for tech. Interview questions

[Harsh Gupta]

hello,

what would be your answer, ideal answer if you are asked why dont you like this particular computer-related subject??

i was conceptualising and practising for some questions, making some questions in my mind (with view that the interviewers could ask this) and i could not answer 1 of my own question.

i dont like working on Databases (coding, querying, or anything) and the worst part is I don't know WHY??

so what few good things i should mention while answering such question??

or is it considered bad if they ask such question?? should i try to switch the topic or should i answer such questions??

Suggestions!!

thank you

[Hack]

This is a difficult question to answer. I'm not you, and I do like working with databases.

Also, in the zillion or so interviews I've been through, I've never had a question quite like this before.

The only one the even comes close is "What would you say your weaknesses are?"

[sevenhalo]

I wouldn't say "databases" as your answer to the weakness question. That's almost as bad as saying "I make a mean pot of coffee" for the "what do you feel your strengths are?"

If there's any aspect of programming that you don't know; express willingness to learn.
If there's any aspect of programming that you don't like; lightly explain that you have experience with it. Then stress your team skills and focus on the importance of task delegation.

As far as the weakness question, go corny but not too corny. They expect it. The question is so popular that it's a classic. If you try to come up with something clever (everyone and their dog has some "wild card" in their backpocket for this question), it actually makes you seem like you're either a) trying to outsmart or outwit the interviewer or b) makes your whole interview look rehearsed.

The worst thing you can do is over practice. If you're at the interview stage, you're not applying for the job anymore (if you weren't qualified, they wouldn't have called you back). You're being interviewed to see how well you would fit in the team. Just keep lose and relaxed. Let yourself make mistakes, but be prepared to recover gracefully. They might toss a technical question in to make sure your resume wasn't complete BS, but really... They just want to get to know you.

[Briantcva]

If you're at the interview stage, you're not applying for the job anymore (if you weren't qualified, they wouldn't have called you back). You're being interviewed to see how well you would fit in the team. Just keep lose and relaxed. Let yourself make mistakes, but be prepared to recover gracefully. They might toss a technical question in to make sure your resume wasn't complete BS, but really... They just want to get to know you.
I get what your saying, and it may often be true, but I wouldn't count on it. There are any number of interview paths and a face-to-face isn't always a personality test. I had one where I took an online test, had a phoner test, and still got a technical grilling on the face-to-face.

In short, it depends.

[Al42]

Harsh, I never found anything (in programming) that I didn't want to learn how to do, at one time or another. Maybe I don't want to get better at grid controls right now, but that's because I'm working on Excel stuff right now. Maybe next week I'll have to subclass a flexgrid.

Are there really parts of coding that you don't want to learn and have fun with? (Yes, I earn my living doing it, but I have fun with it too.)

If I were asked that question in a job interview, I'd just have to say that I don't dislike databases|controls|communications ... whatever. Am I great at all of them? I don't think I'm really great at any of them, but I don't dislike any part of programming. What a feeling when, after a few days of "how the heck can I even begin to approach this?", you have the whole thing pretty much blocked out, and all that's left is the scut work. I just learned to create and fill a spreadsheet from VB today. (And I've been producing VB code since VB3 and other languages before that.) It feels good. I hope a project needing a tree view control comes along - I'm not too familiar with tree controls. Learning - stop doing it and it's time to close the cover.

[techgnome]

There is one thing about programming I don't like - tedium - doing the same thing day all day every day. I find that I'm at my best when it's somehting different each day...

-tg

[Harsh Gupta]

I've never had a question quite like this before.
maybe, but the companies from where i am expecting some interview calls sooner or later, generally ask questions on C/C++ (eg. how will you write a function based on some algorithm etc), Networking, Databases (generally theory). so i was just rehearsing for some probable questions.

though my interests are, which i have specified in my Resumé, Analysis & Design of Algorithms, Data Structures in C/C++, and basics of Assembly language.

Are there really parts of coding that you don't want to learn and have fun with?that is not really true. it just happened with Database (theory and coding). during my engineering, i started learning DB with great enthusiasm only to know that my teachers are not really knowledgable and during some practical sessions, when s/he executes a query, it always end up in some sort infinite loop :eek: . that was really wierd to learn.

it also happened during my summer training, where i was given a small module of Hospital Management System. just to make a form to enter details of new OPD patient. since i was really part of the team, so i dont know its fate, but the way they taught me about DB coding was kind of miracle .

thats why i have no true interest in DB programming. but this is not really a question whether i like it or not. i am still somewhat interested in learning all aspect of programming.

as far as my original question is concerned, i think sevenhalo is right, express enthusiam to learn or tell them about having some experience in that field but we are not really master in it.

i have 2 or 3 more questions. hope you wont mind. :)

when asked about some postive or negative qualities, it is not advisable to use words like hard-working, optimistic etc or to use metaphors. how can such questions be tackled??

thank all of you for your input.

[Hack]

Good luck and let us know how the interview went. :)

[Al42]

but the way they taught me about DB coding was kind of miracle .Translation:

"I don't really know what I'm talking about, so take it on faith that this works - probably due to a miracle - and just program it the way I show you." Some people understand what they're doing, some teach it. I think you already know more than those "it's a miracle" teachers.

i have 2 or 3 more questions. hope you wont mind. :)If we minded answering questions, would we be reading vbforums? :)

when asked about some postive or negative qualities, it is not advisable to use words like hard-working, optimistic etc or to use metaphors. how can such questions be tackled??
"That sounds interesting. I really haven't ever had to do that but it sounds like something I'd like to master." IOW, "it sounds like an opportunity for me to become more valuable to you, both to you personally (your team will look better) and to the company".

When I started this job I had written a few little custom controls - a time label with up and down arrows, etc. Then I had to do a project in which I had to put about 20 controls, text boxes, list boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, on a form. The user could add a set of controls, over and over, up to 68 sets. That's over 1300 controls I'd have to keep track of. There's got to be a better way, but I had never really gotten into controls - PropBag, Let and Get properties, enumerating properties so I could have named ones, etc.

I now have a custom control that's larger than some entire apps I've written. Load a new control and I have all 20+ controls added. And I can think of "custom control" as just another tool I can use to solve a problem. I'm not a master of custom controls (yet), but this is the fun part of programming to me - and it makes me more valuable to my company. And I make sure than they know that I'm increasing my worth to them all the time.

Your interviewer isn't going to hire you because you need a job, he's going to hire you because there's something in it for him. Most people are basically selfish, even if they don't realize it themselves. Show him how it's to his benefit (*you* hired Harsh? They must have given you a bonus for that move.) to hire you and you're in.

[Harsh Gupta]

Good luck and let us know how the interview went. :)
@Hack, sure!!

but unfortunately that wont happen till end of this month (April). as i said before, i hope to get some calls sooner or later, and in India, it is generally later :(

@Al42,

thank you, but your post really confused me!! :confused:

i generally becomes uncomfortable during HR interview, that's why i posted these questions to get some opinions from you experts.

sorry, need to sign off, but will finish this post later on.

thank you