University at Buffalo - Career Services - Technical interviewing workshop fall 2013
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Transcript of University at Buffalo - Career Services - Technical interviewing workshop fall 2013
Holly M. JusticeEngineering Career Counselor
Career Services 259 Capen Hall
Successful Technical Interviewing Techniques
Overview• The Interview• What to expect – Types of interviews – Interview process – Types of questions, examples and
strategies
• Steps to Successful Interviewing • Additional Tips
The Interview• The interview by definition:– Interview - a formal meeting in which one
or more persons question, consult, or evaluate another person: a job interview.
• An interview ideally – should be a conversation in which the job
candidate demonstrates their qualifications for the position and their fit with the company culture.
Types of InterviewsOFF-SITE• Phone • Career Fair • Video Interviewing
(Skype)
ON-SITE • One-on-One • Group / Multiple candidates• Panel/Committee
OTHER (On or Off Site)
• Meal –Lunch/Dinner
• Tests /Assessments– Online– On-Site
Interview Process• An initial screening interview– Typically Phone – Video Interview– Possibly an on-line test
• Secondary screening interview– Typically Phone
• On-site interview • Secondary On-site interview • Hopefully - Job Offer and Salary Negotiation
Strategies for Phone Interviewing
• May have informational sheets in front of you
• Listen carefully• Speak clearly • Use descriptive
language (they can’t see your non-verbal body communication cues)
• Use interviewer(s) name (when directing your answer to them)
• Quiet location so you won’t be interrupted
• Cell phone battery
Strategies for Video Interviewing
• Equipment & Software– Practice ahead of time– Positioning of
microphone– Time delay of video feed
• The Look – Attire – Camera – close up of you– Posture– Background – keep it
simple
• Eye Contact– Look into the
camera (not at the screen)
• Voice & Movements– Audio – Speak slowly &
clearly
Types of Questions• Typical questions
• Traditional questions
• Behavior-based / Situational questions
• Brainteasers/Riddles/Puzzles/Practical questions
Types of Questions
• Typical Questions– Tell me about yourself. –Why should I hire you? Why are you the
best candidate?
Techniques for answering the typical questions
Prepare for the typical questions:
• Tell me about yourself. • Why should I hire you? – List your top 3-5 qualifications– Have 2+ examples for each qualification
Ace the “Tell me about yourself” question with a 3 part statement strategy: Part one:
a one sentence summary of the candidate’s career history Part two:
a one to two sentence summary of a single accomplishment that you are proud of and will also capture the potential employer’s attention
This accomplishment should be one that is easily explained or illustrated, and one that clearly highlights a bottom line impact.
Part three:A one sentence summary of specifically what you want to do
next in your career
Reference: Article by Jeff Skrentny, Jefferson Recruiters Report.
Activity
Preparing for the “Tell me about yourself”
question.
ACTIVITY “Tell me about yourself”
• Think about your answers for each of these parts.• Write down your thoughts
Part one: a summary of your academic/ career history
Part two:a one to two sentence summary of an accomplishment that you are proud of
Part three:A one sentence summary of your short-term career goals
Who wants to volunteer to share?
Activity
Preparing for the “Why should I hire you?”
question.On paper, list your top 3-5
qualifications
Activity – Company Description
Cameron• Cameron is a leading international manufacturer
of oil and gas pressure control equipment, including valves, wellheads, controls, chokes, blowout preventers and assembled systems for oil and gas drilling, production and transmission used in onshore, offshore and subsea applications, and provides oil and gas separation, metering and flow measurement equipment. Cameron is also a leading manufacturer of centrifugal air compressors, integral and separable gas compressors and turbochargers.
Activity – Job DescriptionGRDP Trainee• Candidates will go through our Global
Rotational Development Program (GRDP). This 2-year program is designed to build on the existing technical skills of participants, by exposing them to experienced company professionals in one of our many manufacturing locations throughout eleven different divisions.
At least four, six- month rotational assignments are required:• Supervisory• Manufacturing Engineering• Materials• Electives:o Qualityo Project Managemento Or a 2nd role in Mfg Engineering
GRDP participants WILL be required to relocate during the course of the program and one of these locations may be outside
of the continental United States. Upon completion of the four rotational assignments, graduates of the GRDP are placed into positions which utilize their experience, training and skill level and fulfill business need.
• Qualifications:Outgoing and open to new challengesDesire for operations and manufacturing skill developmentMust be geographically mobile (willing to relocate)Eligible to work in the US without restrictionMust have desired degree, major, and preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher Must have a positive “can do” attitude and be willing to learn new thingsMust have experiences and show tendency to develop and desire leadership skills
Activity
Why should I hire you? Who would like to volunteer?
More question examples…
Types of QuestionsTraditional
Why did you choose this major? How did you choose this school?What is your one of your biggest strengths and weaknesses? Define success. Define failure. What are your short term and long term goals?What do your colleagues say about you? What do you know about this organization?Why do you want to work for this organization?Do you consider yourself successful? Are you a team player?Explain how you would be an asset to this company. Do you have any questions for me?
Types of Questions
Behavior-based / situational questions
• Uses questions that challenge you to recall ( in detail) what you did, thought, and felt in key situations
Techniques for Answering Behavior Based
Questions
When preparing to answer the Behavioral Based Question:
• First, mentally note what skill or competency the interviewer is seeking
• Always provide a specific example or situation
• Detail your behavior and actions you took to resolve the situation
• Share the outcome/result of the situation
For Behavior Based Questions• The ‘STAR’ Approach for Answering a
Question
S: Situation – describe the situationT: Task or problem – what dilemma or problem did you face?A: Action – what action did you take?R: Result – what was the result of your action?
Types of Questions - ExamplesBehavior-based / situational questions
Decision Making: Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year. Describe a situation where you have had to overcome a problem
or obstacle in order to move forward with something. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it? Why? Were you happy with the outcome?
Goal Setting What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and
why? Tell me about a goal that you set that you did not reach. What
steps did you take? What obstacles did you encounter? How did it make you feel?
Types of Questions - ExamplesBehavior-based / situational questions Continued…
Give me an example of an important goal you set in the past and tell me how you achieved it.
Describe a time when your over-enthusiasm for something got you involved way over your head.
Describe a situation where you made a decision and it was the wrong one.
Tell me about a specific day when you had too many tasks to complete.
Describe a time when you acted as a leader to complete a team project
Describe a situation where you have had to work as part of a team to achieve a result. What was your role in this?
Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
Types of Questions
Brainteasers/Riddles/Puzzles/Practical Questions
Types of Questions• Brainteasers/Riddles/Puzzles/Practical Questions
– Why are man hole covers round? – What could you do to improve this pen? – problem: you have 100 doors in a row that are all
initially closed. you make 100 passes by the doors starting with the first door every time. the first time through you visit every door and toggle the door (if the door is closed, you open it, if its open, you close it). the second time you only visit every 2nd door (door #2, #4, #6). the third time, every 3rd door (door #3, #6, #9), etc, until you only visit the 100th door. Question: what state are the doors in after the last pass? which are open which are closed?
Types of QuestionsBrainteasers/Riddles/Puzzles/Practical Questions
continued… You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is
proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?
How would you find out if a machine’s stack grows up or down in memory?
Explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew.
How many gas stations would you say there are in the United States?
How many golf balls can fit in a school bus? How much should you charge to wash all the windows in San
Francisco?
Types of QuestionsPuzzles continued…
A census taker approaches a house and asks the woman who answers the door "How many children do you have, and what are their ages?”
Woman: "I have three children; the product of their ages is 36, the sum of their ages is equal to the address of the house next door."
The census taker walks next door, comes back and says "I need more information."
The woman replies "I have to go; my oldest child is sleeping upstairs."
Census taker: "Thank you, I now have everything I need."
What are the ages of each of the three children?
Types of QuestionsPuzzles continued…
A man has to get a fox, a chicken, and a sack of corn across a river.
He has a rowboat, and it can only carry him and one other thing.
If the fox and the chicken are left together, the fox will eat the chicken.
If the chicken and the corn are left together, the chicken will eat the corn.
How does the man do it?
Puzzles continued…You have 12 balls identical in size and appearance but one
is an odd weight (it could be either light or heavy).
You have a set of scales which will give three possible readings: Left = Right, Left > Right or Left < Right (I.E Left and Right have equal weight, Left is Heavier, or Left is Lighter).
You have only three chances to weigh the balls in any combination using the scales. Determine which ball is the odd one and if it's heavier or lighter than the rest. How do you do it?
Software Development Interviews
Types of QuestionsTechnical / Practical Questions If you are a programmer, be prepared to write code in
the interview! There are many programming type interview questions
online. Design a data structure such that given a stream of numbers, you
can find the maximum of the numbers at any point and also all the numbers.
You are given a dictionary of all valid words. You have the following 3 operations permitted on a word: delete a character, insert a character, replace a character. Now given two words - word1 and word2 - find the minimum number of steps required to convert word1 to word2. (one operation counts as 1 step.)
Define Data Abstraction. What is its importance?
Reference http://www.techinterviews.com
5 Steps to Interviewing Success
5 Steps to Interviewing Success
1. Know Yourself2. Know the Employer3. Interview Preparation4. Perform at the Interview5. Follow Up
• Values• Needs• Interests• Realistic Goals• Company culture you
seek
• Experiences• Skills / Qualifications• Specific examples that
illustrate your qualifications
1. Know Yourself
2. Know the EmployerProductsCustomers/ClientsSize of OrganizationGeographic LocationsFinancial StructureTrends/Future GrowthReputation/HistoryTraining OpportunitiesPolicies/BenefitsResearch & Research & Research
3. Interview Preparation• Review Potential Questions– Career Services website, Career Guide
• Formulate Questions to Ask• Know your resume• Research the employer and position• Practice, Practice, Practice!– Career Services• www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu
4. The Interview• Arrive early & be prepared• Dress appropriately• Turn cell phone off• Shake hands firmly & smile• Be polite & positive• Know & use the interviewer’s name • Assess the interviewer and interview accordingly– Watch for non-verbal clues
• Develop a dialogue• Make eye contact• Expect the unexpected• Communicate your skills
4. The Interview Cont’dListen & answer questions clearlyDon’t ramble, get to the point!Be positive! Turn negatives into positivesThink before respondingUtilize past experiences as examplesAsk appropriate questionsIncorporate information about the companyUtilize key words / buzzwordsExpress interest in position & company
4. The Interview Cont’d
• Be politically correct• Ask for the job at the end of the interview • Express your interest and enthusiasm for
the position • Ask for a business card
5. Interview Follow-Up• Write a thank you letter within 24 hrs.• Discuss the experience with a career
counselor• Prepare for the second interview• Provide additional references,
transcripts, etc. upon request
5 Simple Hints to improve your success at the technical job interview
1. Smile. Seriously, when you shake everybody's hand, smile at them.
2. Have your story ready. 3. Answer the questions to the best of your ability. If you do not
know the answer to a questions, tell the interviewer, “I don’t know” and then explain to them how you would figure it out. Think out loud.
4. Programmers - Write some code by hand on paper the night before.
5. Ask questions and be prepared with questions for the interviewer at the end of the interview. They expect you to ask questions.
REFERENCE: September 24, 2008http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/puramu/5-hints-for-a-successful-technical-job-interview-12362
Career Services
Services & tools to help you be successful!
• Individual Career Counseling appointment – Discuss interviewing techniques and/or
debrief recent interview experience(s)
• Practice Interview appointment– Videotaped while being asked
interview questions by a Career Counselor and then review the tape with the Career Counselor
• Interview Stream tool – *New*
– This tool enables you to practice an interview online. You can then review it and you may send the link to professors, friends, or career counselors for feedback. Now in BullsEye!
Career Services
Career Services
• Contact us:– 259 Capen Hall – 8:30am – 5:00pm M-F – Call 716-645-2231 to schedule
an appointment– Email us at [email protected]
– Express Career Consult • 20 minute same day appointment• Monday – Friday from 12:00pm-
4:00pm• Call or stop by to make an
appointment• www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu
Thank you for your time. Good Luck!
Holly M. Justice Engineering Career Counselor
Career Services259 Capen Hall
REFERENCES There are many resources available to you in order to prepare for an interview. A few resources used to create this presentation are provided for your convenience.
UB Career Services www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu Career Guide
Job Choices Magazine, National Association of Colleges and Employers , 52nd edition.
www.jobinterviewquestions.org http://it.toolbox.com/ http://technicaljobsearch.com/i
nterviews/technical-interview-tips.htm
http://www.techinterview.org/ http://www.serverwatch.com/ http://technical-interview.com/