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Well..
Today was my first programming job interview. It was an interesting one. Here I was.. ready to handle anything they threw at me..
..and all I got asked was if I'd used certain technologies.
Huge relief.. but I don't think thats the same for every programming position.. LOL.
I'm terrible with verbal tests.. so thank god.
What did potential employers ask you guys? How did you guys (for those who are programmers as an occupation) get your jobs?
chem
I will let you know when I get one :D
If they didn't ask you a lot of questions, I'd be wary, as they may have embellished the advertized job profile.
But then this is your first job, isn't it? May be worth sticking to it to see what it involves and to gain the experience you need.
I used to ask prospective empolyees if they contributed to Forums such as these. If they did, I could get a 'real' idea of their problem solving skills, their programming skills and their social skills. (All of which I considered very imprtant)
Social skills? Elaborate.
Basically, the way in which people deal with other people,
eg
- how well they communicate
- how tolerant / patient they are
- how polite they are
- whether they have a sense of humour (eg CC Forum)
- whether they say "please" and "thank you"
- whether they are respected by others, and respect others
All of which you can assess by looking at the way people respond to questions posed on Forums such as these.
IMHO the above, and other qualities, are important if you're recruiting into a Team. It's difficult in a 1 hour interview to assess these characteristics and the last thing you want to do is to recruit a member of a team that "doesn't fit".
You need to sell yourself in the interview and they need to sell themselves. As far as I can see they didn't do that so I would question weather or not they are worthy of your services.Quote:
Originally Posted by chemicalNova
I was relatively lucky in getting my current position, but when I went for the interview things didn't really go according to plan...Quote:
Originally Posted by chemicalNova
They asked all sorts of educational questions, (whether I have any further education in any specific field... and I don't) experience questions, and alot of technological questions.
It always seems to go worse than it actually does, so I wouldn't be too worried if it seemed like a complete nightmare. :)
I've never had an interview. I do have a job right now, but I didn't have to interview to get it because I had "connections." I can't imagine that I would be particularly very good at answering the BS type questions.
I had two interviews with four different people to get this job... I did start with a pretty high standing, just on discussions with their lead web developer, so I was pretty confident from the start. But a lot of it was stuff about dynamic code... will my code easily work in other places if it's needed? Can I write for a team setting? Aside from that, most of it was just conversation about different programming tricks, several of which I've already demonstrated after less than two months on the job.
The highest paying job I ever got was done with a 10 minute interview in which we bs'ed about their company a bit and then they basically asked me:
Quote:
Can you do this
Quote:
Yes
Quote:
Can you do this in one month
End of interviewQuote:
Sure
In other interviews they ask a lot of questions about what I can do and my past and schooling and I have no problem with all of that.
I'm usually paying more attention to how they answer my question:
What is the job description or project description? A vague answer indicates a poorly defined project and/or position.
And I don't go back for second interviews. If you want to ask me something then do it the first time I come to see you.
I've been contracting for 20 years now, so I've been to a tonne of interviews. Sometimes it's the rigourous questioning, othertimes it's laid back with no technical questions. I can't say that it seems to make a difference to the quality fo the job. I guess sometimes (and I tend to agree with this), the interviewer decides that it's next to impossible to work out whether your a good programmer based on a few questions and probably goes more on your cv and references from previous jobs (I usually know when my references get contacted, and it's pretty much for every interview I go for). I guess they call me in for an interview to decide if I'm a good fit.
Other jobs ask lots of technical questions, as if this is some sort of indicator of my skill level. I think this is silly, but it seems to keep them happy. One question that sticks in my mind was "Describe Boxing". I couldn't resist saying that it was a sport where two people knock lumps out of each other...... I mean come on (incidently I got the job).
The interview for my current job didn't have much in the way of technical questions. I think the extent of them were: What's your experience level with ASP, PHP, and SQL?
I probably could have landed the job by only knowing buzzwords and keywords.
:lol: That's true, actually... The (only) interview that I went to they also just wanted to know:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Dis
How well do you know SQL?
Do you know .NET?
Have you ever heard of web based applications?
Interesting. :rolleyes:
Although not very technical in nature, the Lead Programmer did sit there and read my CV over and over silently while the big boss talked to me.
I just find it interesting. Here I was.. stressing that I was going to get hammered with technical questions.. and there really wasn't anything. Most of it was just what my Game Dev diploma involved.. my documentation skills, things like that.
Not my first job.. but my first programming job :p Currently I'm a network engineer for a Medium-sized ISP.Quote:
Originally Posted by mendhak
It went well anyway.. I was told that they were finalizing a few more contracts with various clients, and that I should start drafting a resignation letter from my current job :D
I figure, I'll go with it. It can't hurt just to get me into the industry.. and besides, it pays more than what I'm on now.. :D
chem
I barely remember my first interview(1972)... But now they are easier.
The worst one I ever had was one in which I had forgotten more than the technical interviewer would ever know. When I realized he was not happy about that, and he wasn't going to hire me, I piled on :p
I attended my last interview naked - I barely made i there on time.
visualAd attended my last dinner party naked; he then had the gall to complain about how I cooked sausages. Strangely, I didn't realise that sausages (well, chipolatas at any rate) came in packs of 7...
In either case, I'm glad I left early. I'm not sure if it's because of his attire or your method of cooking...
Or that I wasn't invited. :afrog:
I have forgotten how I did on my first inteview, that was like 5 years ago already. The boss that interviewed me was more on marketing so he really did not have any technical questions for me.
Now however I do the interviewing and since I typically interview fresh graduates, I tend to hold back on technical questions but more on how they are interested in programming and how they work with a team, what their tasks were on their projects. I don't hold a lot of weight for education because a lot of the good programmers that I do know are the introverts and those that fail in one odd non-programming subject.
I received three job offers on the same day a couple weeks ago, each for at least $35k/year each. And I have no formal education in programming or web design. I'm self-taught.
I've only received job offers if I brought a notebook to the interview. Write down a couple questions you want to ask, and write down the answers. Apparently that is magical hypnosis.
Actually part of my job description is interviewing people for development roles. I find that you cannot accurately gauge a persons technical apptitude in just a half hour, so I try to calculate their geekiness quotient.
I have devised the following test to work out which ones would fit into our work environment
-----------------
Programmer Interview Questions
1. Users are:
a) A blight on the face of humanity who should be purged at the first opportunity
b) A necessary evil
c) A source of knowledge
Scoring:
a) 0 points
b) +5 points for being 100% correct
c) +15 points because nobody else wants to deal with them
2. How Many T-Shirts do you own that you got free from various events, companies etc.
Scoring:
+2 Points for every T-Shirt
-1 Point if the company has gone bankrupt
-15 Points if you're the reason the company went bankrupt
3. Alchohol:
a) Is for fools and losers
b) Is a good way to unwind after work
c) Helps to dull the pain of the user meetings
Scoring:
a) 0 Points
b) +5 Points
c) +10 Points
4. My code comments mostly resemble:
a) I don't put comments in my code.
b) // This function uses the FFT call to find the main vibration frequency
c) // Look, don't even try to edit this code. It's doing some funky math. Leave it alone.
// Yes Brian, I mean you. Don't even bloody think of touching it.
Scoring:
a) +5 points for truthfullness, but -5 points for being too dumb to lie in an interview
b) -5 points for lying so obviously, but +5 points for at least realising that you should pretend you use comments
c) +5 points for going for the believable lie.
5. Which of the following robots is not gay? Kitt, C3-PO or Bender
Scoring:
+5 points if they correctly identify Bender.
+5 bonus points if they mention that he is equipped with Gaydar.
6. Apples are
a) A fruit
b) vastly under-rated and will one day take over the world
c) used by artists and non-computer people who think they are vastly under-rated and will one day take over the world.
Scoring:
a) +5 points for technically being correct
b) -5 points for being an artist and/or non-computer person
c) +5 points for technically being correct
7. Describe in 100 words or less why the English won the battle of Agincourt.
Scoring:
If they write anything semi-sensible, then -15 points for being over-qualified for the job.
8. Who would win in a battle of wits between Captain Kirk and Captain Picard
Scoring:
Award up to 10 points as you see fit, but subtract 5 from that figure if they picked Kirk, well, because obviously they'd be wrong.
9. Who would win in a mud fight between Captain Kirk and Captain Picard
Scoring:
+5 Points if they ask "TV Captain Kirk or Priceline Captain Kirk"
+5 Points if they pick "TV Captain Kirk" over Captain Picard
+5 Points if they pick Captain Picard over "Priceline Captain Kirk"
-15 points if they seem to be getting overly excited about the thought....
-20 points if they ask if they are naked.
10. Sourcecontrol is
a) A term that I'm not familiar with
b) A valuable tool for ensuring that previous versions of code are backed up securely
c) A great way to safe guard and share all of your mp3s and porn with the other developers
Scoring:
a) 0 Points
b) +5 Points
c) +10 Points. When we get raided by the RIAA we don't want any of that stuff lying around unencrypted on the server
11. Swearing in the office
a) Is never appropriate
b) Should never be done infront of the client
c) Should only be done when someone has deleted your project from Source Control to make room for their mp3s and porn.
Scoring:
5 Points for any of the answers, but at least you'll know where you stand with them.
12. System Administrator Privileges
a) Are a sacred trust, that should never be abused
b) Should never be abused, except for really funny practical jokes
c) Are a great way to relieve the boredom of Friday afternoons
Scoring:
a) +5 Points
b) or c) +5 points for truth, but -5 points for not realising you should lie
Award 20 bonus points as you see fit based on their attractivness.
add to #1 - a test load for my system / network
8 & 9 - Denny Crane
The strangest and coolest interview I ever had was by two guys who were part of a small company. They did not ask any actual technical questions. Instead they asked questions to determine if I was a true computer nerd or just someone who was making money off of the hottest job sector.
Questions were:
What is your homepage set to?
bonus points for mentioning a technical site like vbForums
minus points for mentioning a gaming site or myspace
What was your first computer?
because of my age if I had said it was an Intel Pentium I would have lost points
When I said it was a trash-80 color computer I got big kudos
What is your favorite movie?
bonus points for listing Hackers, Wargames, the Matrix, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by schaefer
That's a good set of questions.
What is your homepage set to? my local pyromania therapist's page
What was your first computer? I had a typewriter when I was 7.
What is your favorite movie? Swordfish or Antitrust, I can simply never decide.
Homepage: about:blank
First Computer: Calculator
Favourite Movie: The Hills have Eyes
:afrog:
I probably wouldn't have made it.
What's your favourite movie?
"Ooh ooh I know! Tron. I love that movie so much I bought all the celluloid frames individually and hung them around my house. Then I rung along them blinking fast and reciting the dialog from memory. Sometimes I get this pain."
IBM 1620 - didn't have a fixed word length
Tin Cup / Any Sci-Fi
Homepage: Google, because I'm too lazy to set it.
First Computer: a 386
Favourite Movie: The Matrix... Sneakers was a pretty good movie too.
My favourite film is Tin Tin
Homepage: NOAA weather bureau (seriously, I would have been a meteorologist had I realized how much modeling you can do)
First Computer: Manual typewriter (top that Wossy)! If you mean real computer then TRS-80 Level I w/4k RAM and a tape drive (color monitors, PSHAW!!)
Favourite Movie: The one I'm watching, usually.
I remember when I upgraded my TRS-80 to 16K of RAM. Polaris rocked after that.
Speaking of upgrading computers, I forget the system it was on, but I had a Ghostbusters game where you shot ghosts with the laser things and they healed at a certain rate. The healing was tied to the operating speed, but the damage the beams did wasn't.
After upgrading the RAM, the game was unplayable because the ghosts healed damage much quicker than you could hurt them, so it was impossible to get past the simplest level.
I had a PC version of Joust (where you ride a flying ostrich and joust with computer opponents) that was speed dependent. It worked well on an old 8088, but when I tried it on my 286, I couldn't hit the fly key fast enough to get the bird off the ground more than a few millimeters.
Me and buddy built a robot out of a Big-Track, ZX80, and Polaroid Ultrasonic Ranging Kit. We used my TRS-80 to write the assembler and then burnt it onto eproms. Neither one of us had much electronics training, like 0 and 1 on a scale of 100. In the process we turned my TRS-80 into a popcorn machine, at least that is what it sounded like when we accidentally put 20 VDC on the bus.
We eventually finished it and you could put it on the floor and it would avoid obstacles.
I remember playing the original arcade game. :thumb:Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
It was a fun game, but now it appears to be gone.
There is an arcade game in my favorite bar that has all of the old classic video games on it like Joust, Dragons Lair, Pac man, etc. but most of them are very hard to play because they go way too fast. I thought it was just poor design but now that I think about it maybe they just took the original game and put them on a faster processor. Would explain why nobody can get past the first level on most of the games that we used to be champs at.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer