tensed

[nitin1]

actually, i am quite tensed these days. all companies are going to shower next month. i am preparing since last 2 months. C, C++, DS, ALgos, DBMS, OS, OOP, networking, projects etc which i have done and which am still doing. but lacking confidence. feeling as if i will not be able to get into any one of them. thanks

[JorgeM]

Here's something that may help....

Whenever I've been on the hiring side/scouting, while its very important to look for individuals that have skills, I put a lot of weight on finding people that have a good attitude, work ethic, can work with others, dependable, strong written and oral skills. Why? simply because I can always send someone that is weak with technical skills to training. The things I mentioned here are very difficult to change in people and can be problematic in a work environment when not considered.

So, what I would say is that if you are worried about not being an expert in all of those areas, well...there will always be someone out there that will be better than you. You can only do the best you can to continue your learning in those areas. In this field, learning is life long.

Continue preparing technically, but make sure that you also work on selling yourself in the areas I mentioned.

good luck!

[Ancient Dragon]

If this is your first job and applying for entry level position then don't be overly concerned about your technical skills. Companys don't expect you to be expert for entry-level job. Have you finished your college bachelor's degree yet? That, along with the other things Jorge mentioned are what you should concentrate your efforts on. I decided not to hire one person because of lack of social skills not because of technical skills. You have to be able to work well with others and accept gratiously the critizem of your work from your peers becuase there will be peer review of the code you write.

[nitin1]

but, if i am average technical person, then how can they know if i am good at all these things which jorge mentioned ? they will take my interview for atmost 1 hour or 1.5 hour(wprst case). for this time, anyone can pretend something fake. it is thing which we know after spending some time with that person. do u think 1 hour is sifficient ?

[JorgeM]

I generally advise interviewees not to fake anything. While you may think you are doing a good job during the faking, I assure you that if the interviewer has technical knowledge in the area that they are asking questions on, the faking comes across really badly.

My advise to strengthen your responses is to answer as best as possible and always include an example of how you implemented a related system, process, solution, etc...

Also make sure you do research about the organizations that you are being interviewed by.

Yes, an interview can be about an hour or so, but I assure you that your first impression and your first few answers will carry you or break you.

Eye contact is very important. Dress appropriately, groom yourself accordingly and act confident, but not cocky.

they will take my interview for atmost 1 hour or 1.5 hour(wprst case). for this time, anyone can pretend something fake.

So you just tell it to them EXACTLY as it is. You tell them that you don't have much work experience . . . this is OK, OK, OK . . . and you can tell them that you're even worried about that fact. You are you. There is no changing this. You can't change your history.

You're nervous because you're trying to 'fill-in' for things that are blank. They're asking you for candy and holding out a bucket. Plainly tell them that you have no fing candy and that's that. . . .but that's NOT ALL they're asking for. You have other things to add to that bucket. After you clear your mind and 'unload' the nervousness of trying to sweet talk your way out of the 'short C.V. issue', your mind will be clear to explain your strengths. Tell them about the projects you've had. Tell them about the problems you've solved. Tell them how you like to improve your knowledge by sharing ideas on tech forums like DW. "Showing" them the passion you have for your work by explaining the steps you took for a particular project and how you lost sleep over particular problems is far better than telling them, "I am passionate about my work."

Again, if you have it, add it. If not, don't feel pressured to fabricate. Admit it, be OK with it, and move on to your strengths.

In general there a two types of candidates. One is the Bull S'itter, who proclaims to know everything. The other is the guy who acknowledges their weaknesses. Given a choice I'd rather work with the latter.

[nitin1]

@both yeah... i am getting what u trying to say. i think confidence MUST be there whether i am preprared very well or not. because that is the key to success. If we have started this thing and also you are also very well experienced persons, can you please tell me how to answer these questions say

1. Why amazon ?
2. what will you do if you get offer from google after getting offer from us ?
3.what are your weakness ?
4.how can you contribute to amazon ?
5. what do you expect from amazon/microsoft/....etc..?
6. on what point do u get angry ?
7. why should we take you if another candidate with same potential as you is standing in front of us and we have to take only one (no further rounds)?

[deceptikon]

do u think 1 hour is sifficient ?

Certainly not, but as you're hopefully not trying to deceive the interviewer, that's not your problem, is it? ;)

1.Why amazon ?

Why not?

2.what will you do if you get offer from google after getting offer from us ?

I'll do a cost benefit analysis and choose the offer that better suits my current career goals.

3.what are your weakness ?

I tend to oversimplify, and as such need to take special care to consider all possibilities when designing a solution so as to avoid missing something important but not obvious.

4.how can you contribute to amazon ?

The job description was specific about duties, was it not? While I'm sure I can provide significant added value beyond that, it's difficult to enumerate such things when the question is vague, and more importantly, broad. Could you be more specific about needs that aren't listed in the job description?

5.what do you expect from amazon/microsoft/....etc..?

Noting that as I've not worked for the mentioned companies, I try not to form expectations from a position of ignorance. However, I certainly expect the bare minimum of an employee/employer contract wherein I do my best to complete assigned tasks to the best of my ability and you compensate me fairly for that effort.

6.on what point do u get angry ?

Angry is ambiguous. Could you be more specific as to what constitutes "getting angry" in this case?

7.why should we take you if another candidate with same potential as you is standing in front of us and we have to take only one (no further rounds)?

I don't have any clones that I'm aware of, but in the extremely unlikely situation where two candidates are perfectly identical in existing skills, potential, intelligence, attitude, motivation, and compatibility with the team/environment, all I can recommend is flipping a coin to give me a roughly even chance of selection.

[nitin1]

@deceptikon awesome! your answers for 1,2,3,7 are really very very good. I will speak these lines now indeed. ;)

in answer 4, can you elborate more that answer ? what can be the needs he can mention when i will ask that question to him ?

in answer 6th, "getting angry" only means getting angry. for ex: when do you get irritated while working ? when do you get impatient ?. what is that moment ? which moment can make you angry ?

in answer 5th, what else ? can we add something more to it ?

:-) A BIG THANKS #respect !!

[deceptikon]

in answer 4, can you elborate more that answer ? what can be the needs he can mention when i will ask that question to him ?

The point of the answer is to highlight that the question is too vague and take control over the interview by taking the interviewer out of their usual game.

in answer 6th, "getting angry" only means getting angry.

"Getting angry" is ambiguous. It could mean as little as a fleeting moment of irritation, or in excess of going postal and committing multiple homocides. My answer is a request for a more reasonable range of possibilities. Once again, this takes the interviewer out of their usual game and exhibits a critical skill for a developer: fully understanding the problem by asking questions rather than making assumptions and jumping to a poor conclusion.

in answer 5th, what else ? can we add something more to it ?

You're the one answering the question, add whatever you want.

[jwenting]

never answer "why not" when asked what interests you in the company. It will be perceived as "oh, I'm not really interested in you but the salary and compensation looked nice, so it's better than nothing", which is not the impression you want to give them.

[deceptikon]

The question wasn't what interests you in the company, it was a lazy and ambiguous "why us?". The answer to which is an obvious "You tell me; why should I work here?". When interviewing, don't forget that you're interviewing the company as well as being interviewed. A good piece of advice for the interview is "don't be a tool". That'll make a better impression than the legion of sycophants the interviewer sees on the regular.