Ask Slashdot: Re-Learning How To Interview As a Developer? 218
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 you (Score:2, Insightful)
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Or maybe it is you. 10+ years in, you made it 5 years at a single place. I don't see commitment. If you were younger and cheaper I might not care. Now I do.
Based only on what you said, I would interview you but take someone else unless you were a perfect fit.
There is a lot I don't know, and no one here is going to tell you anything you don't already know, except that you're asking the wrong people. People are too polite to give you a real reason, especially if it was just a gut reaction.
Turn to networking,
Re:Maybe it's not you (Score:4, Insightful)
3 years isn't long, but in the programming industry its pretty standard. 5 years is a fairly long stint somewhere. Much more than that is a real long sting- if I see 7 or so years at a place I wonder about his ability to switch to a new job. Its a series of less than 2 years (or less than 1) that worry me- less than 1 means he's always looking for the next job, less than 2 means he's easily bored.
A year to get up to speed? A senior programmer should be contributing something by the end of week 1, and should be fully up to speed on language and architecture by 3 months. If someone takes anywhere near a year they need to be fired- they aren't pulling their weight (junior and intermediate level programmers get more time, of course).
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Also, adding up the years, seems like the OP might be approaching the magical years of age discrimination in software development. Five years here, three there, two years at several places... puts the OP at around age 35-40.
So the solution: Be younger.
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Wishful thinking.
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Depends on the industry. Latest flavor of the day apps or websites; sure, young and hip is great. The guy that maintains the code used in critical systems...
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The guy that maintains the code used in critical systems...
... lives in Bangalore and is a big fan of Russel Peters. Unless you consider that banking systems are not critical (*cough* RBS)
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Personally I think if nobody outside of your immediate workplace calls you an engineer then the title is irrelevant HR granted fluff.
Re: Maybe it's not you (Score:2)
I've been at my current company 25 years now. Based on what I heard people saying about me (often in third hand by people that had worked with me and is now based at other companys) I'm technically and methodically in top among comparable professionals and very good at taking in new areas of software systems. I have also never seen anyone be "in full speed" after 3 months. And by full speed I mean handling the application/system as good as one that have worked with it e g 5 years.
Of course, I would had a
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I'm not even sure that getting bored is a problem. I got bored in a job and left after 15 months but it was absolutely no barrier to to getting another job because I was blunt about the fact I was bored at the previous job and that that was a key factor in wanting to move but to be fair I also have longer stints of 3 years and 2 years behind me too (and one 6 year one when I worked in support).
I'd rather hire someone who admits they get bored easily and is willing to move on when they do than most people wh
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I see 10 years of experience as a valuable thing, you've been around long enough to see a lot of mistakes and know to avoid them. 10 years in one place isn't- you're likely stuck in your ways. The fact that you were willing to do the same job for 10 years shows a lack of ambition or mental curiosity in other realms in the field of programming.
In fact your post proves me right. "Stable job" "all the way to retirement". You're looking for safe over interesting, over doing something worthwhile. Those are
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"Stable job" "all the way to retirement" [snip] they're average to below average [snip] I'd need to be convinced otherwise in the interview to give them an offer.
It's a shame that people only want rock star programmers today. The best of the best of the best. It leave common joes like me wondering why my talents are being wasted by companies. I think common programmers like me should have a good place to fit in a company, but I suppose my averageness doesn't allow me to envision the right way things should be like you rock stars. I envision training by companies and a little guidance by the rock stars so they can focus on things that I can't. I don't mind doing
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I think the issue though is that if you require a perfect fit, then why continue past the phone screen? You have their resume at that point.
Resume's tell you nothing about fit. They tell you about experience, and give you a starting point but many people confound expectations when it comes to how they work as part of a team.
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Alternatively, maybe he actually isn't nailing the questions. Most tech interview questions are designed to see just how far down the rabbit hole you go. It's very easy to get "the right" answer, but not to have impressed anyone by finding the more efficient answer, or the complex but optimal answer.
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Almost nobody want's to interview more candidates than necessary. It's a huge hassle and the cost is pretty damn high.
Baseline is that in an interview I try to determine a few things:
1. Ability to perform work. Can you be in consistently, and perform work that is of an adequate quality/quantity to be worthwhile?
2. Ability to work with the team. Are you going to damage morale, will you communicate in a manner that doesn't cause excess prob
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Sadly it's more likely to be HR drones told to get off Facebook and do some work or they will be replaced by a smaller number of people that like to work for a living.
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Nope, it's they see he is old and outdated so they dont want him.
It is a lot harder to abuse and bully a 10+ year veteran than a snot nosed CS grad.
"You know if you dont work 20+ hours a week off the clock, we will have to let you go.. Yes this is a industry norm, everyone does it"
Veteran tells the boss ,"stuff that in your ass, Let's see what the labor board likes about you cheating them out of taxes."
New CS grad says, "Yes sir, can I sleep under my desk too that way I can work 24 hours a day sir?"
Re: Maybe it's not you (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't ever bother with jobs that have long, very specific skill lists. Those are always already filled, they are just HR jackasses wasting your time back-filling their hiring process.
There is no fixing it. They are not about to fess up that they intend to waste your time.
They have pissed me off to the point that I submitted bogus apps and made appointments I knew I would never show for. Just to return the favor with lots of interest. Had time on my hands. In the end I let them know why I was wasting their time, not who I actually was.
If everybody who had the time, submitted a bogus app to these bastards every time they do this bullshit, we could put them out of business. Now that I think about it, I might setup a website to help. Submit your HR drone being an asshole leads, or submit your bogus application package to one (or more) leads others have found. We could drown the BS artists in crap.
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Don't ever bother with jobs that have long, very specific skill lists.
Except that once I saw an ad like this from a company where a friend used to work at. "who do you have in mind for that job?" I asked.
It turned out that they didn't have anyone in mind. A very senior and valuable person had just resigned and they needed someone with that specific set of skills ASAP, hence the long ad. Since I happened to meet the requirements I applied for the job and got hired within a week.
Sometimes it's a commitee (Score:2)
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Except I've never actually seen this theory played out in practice. If companies have someone internal in mind they have every freedom to make it an internal only job posting which is how I've seen it play out when that's what's happening.
Every time I have seen such adverts I've applied anyway gotten interviews, and sometimes the job. The reason for such lists is not the conspiracy theory you cite, but because it's just a wishlist - it's what they'd love, but it doesn't mean they realistically think they'll
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Legal and procedural compliance.
To prevent them from hiring their nephews, they are required to pretend to interview a bunch of people before hiring their nephews.
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None of that is actually true, is the thing. It's just "they turk our jerbs" nonsense.
Sure, there are some ridiculously exploitive (and already illegal) places with nothing but H1-Bs, being paid next to nothing. The quality of work from those "contractors" is about what you might expect. It's sad they exist, but they are blatantly illegal.
But a big tech companies, pretty much any US public corp, doesn't play those games. Too much to lose by screwing with federal law. The salaries of all H1-B employees
don't try for H1B jobs where the person is for sho (Score:3)
don't try for H1B jobs where the person is for show and you have no hope of getting the job.
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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.
Not trolling (Score:2)
but it might help to improve your English.
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Listen (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
You're getting old? (Score:4, Insightful)
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...
Re:You're getting old? (Score:5, Interesting)
There is a misconception in the industry that younger == better, but nothing could be further from the truth. The younger ones invariably cause many problems by making mistakes that more experienced people have already made and know to avoid.
I will by dying my hair again only if/when I need to look for another job.
Re:You're getting old? (Score:4, Insightful)
they know younger isn't better. but they know they can get young people to work crazy hours for no extra pay. Older people know it's a scam just to get free labor.
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My experience must be unique then. I started losing my hair in my early twenties, so I've always looked about 10 years older than I am. Dying it was obviously not a solution. Still, I did OK with job interviews and never really had an issue getting jobs. Now that I have my own business, I still do OK getting new clients.
Age discrimination definitely exists, but I don't think it's across the board. As an employer, I'm far more put off by other things, like bad breath, horribly fucked up teeth, wrinkled
Re:You're getting old? (Score:5, Insightful)
However, once you are in your 50s, you should not be doing coding anymore, you should be applying for management positions and then grey matter actually helps.
We have a couple of great programmers in their 50s, one of whom is soon to reach his 60th. Not everyone wants to become a manager - and not every programmer will make a good manager.
Re:You're getting old? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why the hell would you want to do that? If you like coding, keep doing it. You'll be miserable as a manager if you don't have a passion for it but do have one for programming. You're better off retiring than that.
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WTF. While I'm not a professional developer, I am a Unix Admin. Everyone says I should (at a few weeks from 58) be in a management or engineering position.
I've tried the management classes to see how things are done. My manager insisted I at least put in the effort. It was quite beneficial in helping me understand what my manager goes through, but I (and my manager) realized I was not cut out to be a manager. (And this was after being a team lead in other companies).
As to being an engineer, it really requir
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IBM discovered back in the 1960's that they were taking great engineers and promoting them to become terrible managers. So they came up with a two track promotion policy so that great engineers could be promoted to manage and vice president class positions with similar pay and benefits but remaining engineers. Most larger technology companies follow this model.
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Damn straight. Real companies have technical tracks for a full career that don't require management. Nothing beats software development - management is the safe place to stick second-rate coders to limit the arm they can do!
Drink more. (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:Drink more. (Score:5, Funny)
I once interviewed a guy who complained that he almost didn't make the interview cause he was still hung over from last night...
We didn't hire him.
Re:Drink more. (Score:5, Interesting)
Likeable is good, but complaining about past employers is a TERRIBLE idea. It is very very hard to do this without coming across as a whiner. Most interviewers immediately pick up on the implied negativity. `You are complaining about them today, you will surely complain about us tomorrow'.
Project positivity. You are not running away from anything. You are running towards something... the new job. Employers don't necessarily want to pick up and be saddled with orphans, refugees or the weak. They want healthy, well-adjusted individuals who can stand on their own feet and be productive.
Also, note that interviewing has changed over the past few years. Behavioral interviewing is all the rage, led by a few large, successful companies. In this situation, candidates are asked to describe specific things that happened to them in past jobs (or specific problems they have worked on), and the interviewer tries to get a feel for how the candidate behaved in that situation (overcoming adversity, dealing with ambiguity, working on seemingly intractable problems), and to extrapolate to how the candidate would behave in similar situations in future. If you really are experienced, you probably have a number of examples like this from your past. Research a few large companies (Google, MSFT, Amazon), they are very open about their interviewing strategies and the qualities they expect from an employee. Keep a few examples of behavior polished and ready.
And good luck!
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So basically, to
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Sorry, I did not make a clear distinction in my post. I was not suggesting that Google did behavioral interviewing, merely that the candidate should familiarize himself/herself with the particular interviewing philosophies of the organizations that they are targeting.
Also, behavioral interviewing does not have to be touchy-feely/non-technical at all. It can in fact be the opposite. The style can be very different though.
Typical programming question: how do you traverse a binary tree?
Behavioral question: Des
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Complaining about previous employers is usually frowned upon.
That only makes sense if they have your cv in front and one of the interviewers mentions a particular employer and/or project and admits he had worked there as well (and left for 'bad reasons').
Loner syndrome (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
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I suggest sending the Labrador Retriever to the interview.
Re:Loner syndrome (Score:5, Funny)
>I suggest thinking vapid and friendly, like a labrador retriever, when you go into a job interview.
"Yes, I can write threaded code involving.... SQUIRREL!"
You're absolutely right (Score:2)
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 th
Rome II falling like a rock (Score:2)
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.
Be engaging (Score:5, Insightful)
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
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I agree and also would like to suggest this tip, research the company before going in. I read my companies bio before going in and as a result could ask more interesting questions during the 'do you have any questions' part of the interview. Needless to say, I got the job.
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You had me until "pain miniatures". I don't know what that means but I'd rather not find out, no matter how qualified you are for the job.
I took it to mean that the OP has a sticky "t" key, and was intending to say "paint".
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I took it to mean that he had a dungeon diorama.
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German dungeon diorama...
And this is Diter over here on the rack, and Hans is good with the whip...
Interview the interviewer (Score:2)
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.
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Yes, I often enjoy turning the tables on a bad interviewer. The funny thing is that on the somewhat rare occasions in which I decided I really didn't want this job and would rather tank the interview they have always seemed the most interested.
If anyone is having trouble finding a job, try making as many social mistakes (as in non-technical) as you can. Show up a little late, question their authority, ask for extra time off during the interview. I think you'll find it a very enlightening experience.
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Ask for feedback (Score:4, Informative)
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 :)
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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.
This is great advice. I know someone who did this and was told (quite reasonably) that they hadn't done anything wrong it was just that they had someone who fitted the profile slightly better. They then asked if he'd like to be put on a list of people to be contacted should any other offers arrive (something that was never mentioned before). Three months later he was told that the same position was vacant again, interviewed, and given the job.
your personality, over the internet? (Score:2)
Maybe ... (Score:3)
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."
Ask (Score:2)
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.
Smile, semi-relax your posture, have eye contact (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
book (Score:2)
If the problem really is lousy interpersonal skills, that can be improved.
Simple: They want a young slave. You ain't it. (Score:3)
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.
Re:Simple: They want a young slave. You ain't it. (Score:4, Insightful)
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.....
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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.
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Hipsters are actually using make-up on their faces.
Practice, question, listen, connect. (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
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i) If you think you are losing job offers because you appear standoffish. Practice a few questions.
ii) Engaging the other side of the table will also help you appear more involved.
iii) Understanding the other people is key to being able to communicate with them. Communication is key in avoiding appearing detached.
iv) Try t
I'd say it's your history of bouncing yearly (Score:3)
I understand your last two jobs were longer, but you have a trend.
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Yeah, but switching jobs "every year or so" is a bit extreme.
What I'm curious about is *why* he switched that frequently. It's easy to think or claim that it's for "competitive wages" or whatever, but I know a few people in the industry who are just difficult to deal with. They give decent first impressions, but start to wear out their welcome after 6 month, at which point the employment relationship becomes toxic. Then they start looking for another job, and the cycle starts over. These people always h
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In Silicon Valley the average time someone stays a a given job is about 18 months. When I first came there, having had 7 years at my previous job, everyone I interviewed with asked about that as if it were the strangest thing they'd ever seen.
1 year is too short, but a few 1-year jobs followed by longer stays shouldn't bother anyone. You learn the trade faster by changing tech stacks a few times when you're young, in any case.
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Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Eight years older (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
My resume says "20+ years of experience", and I get recruiters contacting me constantly. People want me to help fix the problem in their shops, to be the one doing the morphing, not to be the one needing any sort of molding myself. Or they just want someone who will simply do the job right without needing any supervision - take some of the load off of overworked managers. I've learned that latter is a warning sign - managers should be trying to fix their structural issues when it's that crazy.
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I have a question about this commonly held belief, if they really don't want older workers in interviews then why do they ask them in?
Because age discrimination is illegal in most western countries. And no one would use a HR company that would do it explicitly, because they'd look bad.
A couple of tips, based on a recent interview. (Score:2)
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
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If you are applying for a job as an English teacher. Also how would they know you are saying the wrong word?
Interviewing is honed skill (Score:3)
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... [amazon.com]
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?... [youtube.com]
Interview (Score:3)
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?
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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.
At every large company I've worked at, we've hired about 1/3 of the people brought in for technical interviews. It's all about demonstrating technical ability in person, live, and on the spot, while showing that you don't become a jerk under stress.
People who not only solve the problems (problems that really aren't that hard outside of the time and other pressures), but show passion for doing so tend to get hired. People who "go into geek mode", forget the stress of the interview, and just work with you
Knock 'em Dead (Score:2)
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.
Probably more specialized (Score:2)
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. A
Behavior-Based Interviewing (Score:2)
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.
Changing jobs every year? (Score:2)
If you're changing jobs every year, then the problem probably isn't with your interviewing skills.
How to Win Friends and Influence People (Score:2)
Practice. Listen. Think out loud. (Score:2)
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 requireme
Be friendly and honest. Play the senior card. (Score:3)
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.
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I am probably not going to hire as a developer someone who dresses like a CEO. More likely I will think "compensating-for-lack-of-ability pretentious person - warning - warning"
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Heh, my first programmer job interview was the opposite - long scraggly hair and (at least reasonably trimmed around that time) beard and a fitted, tailored suit. The suit and neat(er) beard were because I was playing cello professionally at weddings prior to graduating (and I tucked my hair under a hat, just like in the song Signs).
Incidentally, I get knocked for communication too, usually for some incident in the systems engineering part of my job. Usually my manager contacts me and says "why is system A
Re: Basci inerview tips (Score:4, Insightful)
... 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.
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Yikes! No!
Well, ok, that may fly in other places, I guess, but in Silicon Valley anything fancier than business casual is not going to work in your favor during an interview. Hell, when you interview at Apple they explicitly tell you not to wear a suit.
Look nice and all, but dress appropriately for where you are interviewing. Maybe "dress like the company's CEO" is better advice, so put that hoodie on when you interview at Facebook.
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Horrible advice.
I don't care if you have a bear or not, it doesn't effect your ability to code. Same with the hair cut. As or the suit- if you need to try and impress me with how you dress, I assume its because you can't impress me with your code. You can overcome that, but it won't help you and may hurt you.
Re: Basci inerview tips (Score:2, Funny)
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.
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Dye your hair and beard. and hydrate the hell out of yourself for a few days to make yourself look 5 years younger.
He's 35-40 so in that ,"Oh you are experienced" segment where they dont like to hire because you will actually use your vacation days and hold them to labor laws.
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+1 grain of truth. it's kinda like ageism but not really. I have the most success when I do my best to make myself look fit, healthy, and fashionable (in a way that is appropriate for the setting). If I were a male model who could code I could get any job I wanted. It's not discrimination per se, it's just that we've been all trained to like pretty people and pretty things.
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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 a
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Where are people getting this? My career didn't start picking up until I was over 35. While I've interviewed at places that didn't actually want a senior engineer (they meant 5-10 years when they wrote "senior"), I blame myself for not asking better questions earlier about those jobs.
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GET OFF MY LAWN!
Damn kids....
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Dye your hair to look younger, get some type of product to cover the crow's feet. But don't fake your resume or dodge when you went to school. That is pretty much a deal-breaker if it looks like you are being less than forthcoming with your past. Age on paper looks okay, maybe? Age in the visual sense will play into the interviewer's subconscious bias.