Are you preparing for an all-important job interview as a web developer or designer?
This presentation will help you research the company, prepare you mentally for questions and guide you how to conduct yourself during interview to land yourself a job. Don't miss out on the last slide which lists more resources and links to other interview-related tips you can benefit from.
3. COMPANY RESEARCH
You must research the company and the position before your first interview.
You should spend at least 30 minutes learning about the company's industry,
what markets it services, what its customer base looks like, how the hiring
department fits into its overall strategy (if possible), and so on.
After completing your research, you should come up with a few questions that
address any concerns you might have.
No matter what, always frame your questions in a positive way; for example,
"What are you doing to keep from going under?" is not nearly as good as, "What is
your strategy to regain the competitive advantage?"
5. TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
Some interviewers might ask you to solve problems on a whiteboard
using pseudo-code, or perhaps ask you to look at code and spot the
problems with it.
Communicate things like why you chose a particular solution over
another
Fibonacci sequence calculator or a tree walking algorithm
Be prepared to go into detail in terms of what you accomplished, the
technologies used, and how you used them.
7. WORK EXAMPLES
Never bring code from your job unless it is open source or
permissible.
It's a good idea to work on an open source project or write a few
learning applications at home
Bring screenshots of your application, or URLs of publicly available
application
Alternatively, make a Flash portfolio with screenshots of Web sites
that I had worked on and included traffic numbers from before and after
the redesign
11. QUESTIONS TO ASK
Other than (main language being used), what other technologies are involved in this
environment?
What percentage of the role is new development compared to maintenance?
Are there any unusual techniques or programming styles that you use?
Are you using an Agile methodology or a Waterfall methodology?
What version control system do you use?
What makes working on this project different from some of the other projects that I have
worked on in the past?
Anything else to learn more about the technologies and the project management approach
being used.
Can I get a tour of the workspace?
12. QUESTIONS NOT TO ASK
Some questions are strictly off limits. Topics you want to avoid include the following:
Anything regarding compensation, unless they broach the topic.
Questions regarding hours of operation (unless the job is specifically shift work, in
which case it is fine to ask what shift they're hiring for), vacation days, dress code policy,
break policies, personal phone usage policies, Web surfing policies, whether they record
IMs, etc. These questions scream, "I want to get paid for not doing my job!"
Any questions that they would not be allowed to ask you for Equal Employment
Opportunity reasons (like ethnicity, religion, nation of origin, etc.). Not only are these
questions rude, but they are inappropriate.
14. PERSONALITY QUIRKS
Some common quirks that can affect your chances of being hired include
the following:
Leg jiggling, finger tapping, etc. These habits make you seem like a
nervous person and can also be extremely grating on others' nerves.
Overwhelming scents, ranging from too much (or too strong) perfume
and cologne, lack of deodorant, and cigarette smoke.
Inappropriate jokes. If you wouldn't tell the joke to a five-year-old, do
not tell it at an interview.
15. MORE TIPS & RESOURCES
Landing, and preparing for , an interview
Preparing yourself for the all-important job interview
The 10 best ways to handle a job interview
How to research a company before your interview
10 ways to be liked in your job interview
Three interview behaviors managers don't like
The parts of a job interview that you can control
Three interview questions to ask the interviewer
Red flags you may unintentionally be giving off in interviews
More interviews include 'logic questions'