1. UNDERSTANDthe question The most essential but the mostly missed out step is understanding really what you have been asked. Whether technical or non-technical, this is the most crucial step you should focus on. Pramod Khincha, former director of Engineering at Google highlights this: "I have seen really good candidates failing just because of answering something totally different than I really asked them. Maybe more than a half". Join IT Society to get free Interview mentorship 2. KNOWyour audience It's always a good thing to know who will interview you. Most companies send a complete on-site schedule a day before the interview. Use this list, research the interviewers. Understand their background. An interviewer currently in a managerial position might expect totally different than a deep machine learning engineer. Even sometimes you are able to find their personal GitHub repositories with ton of interview questions 🤞. 3. MANAGEyour time Some candidates just jump in and start to code. On the other hand, some spend 10-15 minutes to clarify the problem. Both are red flags. Spend 5 mins to clarify the problem and some edge cases, but not all. Then begin with even a trivial solution. Keep the interviewer involved. It’s always a good signal to provide a working solution in the first 20-25 minutes. Join IT Society to get free Interview mentorship 4. NEVERgive up Even you cannot solve the question, surprisingly even you cannot write one line of code, do not get down. Always keep up. This is very important for companies to hire people with positive and optimistic attitude.Tyson Turkozwho is a lead software architect in Samsung Electronics emphasizes the positive attitude:“Sometimes it’s OK for a candidate to not completely solve the problem. But what I value is their positiveness and their trustworthy outlook. I need to rely on them. I need to trust”. 5. AVOIDgiving bad signals / red flags Technical interviews are not only technical. Interviewers are looking for someone to spend the whole day together on stressful and complicated problems. Modern problems are technically trivial. The issue begins with culture. Show your best attitude in all sessions. Avoid blaming your previous teammates, getting angry or too nervous, being too opinionated and using buzz words. Join IT Society to get free Interview mentorship Join us today to meet with hundreds of engineers, to get free mock interviews, interview prep sessions, soft skill conversation clubs and book clubs. IT Societyis a non-profit organization that uses its capacity and resources to help members get up to speed in IT domain.
One-on-one meetings are an important tool for effective communication and team management. Here are some tips for conducting effective one-on-one meetings: Set clear goals: Before the meeting, decide on the specific topics you want to discuss and set clear goals for what you want to achieve. This will help keep the conversation on track and ensure that you are able to accomplish what you need to. Prepare an agenda: Create an agenda for the meeting and share it with the other person in advance. This will give them time to prepare and ensure that the conversation covers all the important points. Getting into the meeting with a prepared agenda will look very professional and organized for your manager and will affect the perception of your manager about you. Listen actively: During the meeting, actively listen to the other person and encourage them to share their thoughts and concerns. Show that you are interested in what they have to say by asking follow-up questions and providing feedback. Communicate clearly: Speak clearly and be direct about what you want to achieve in the meeting. Avoid ambiguity or passive language that might make it hard for the other person to understand what you want. Follow up: After the meeting, follow up with the other person to ensure that any action items are completed and that any decisions made are being implemented. Be flexible: Be open to changing the agenda if the other person has something they want to discuss that is not on the agenda. Be flexible and willing to adapt to their needs as well. Be consistent: Try to have regular one-on-one meetings to check in on progress, discuss any issues that have come up, and make sure that everyone is on the same page. We have made a Notion template for you to be used in your own one-on-one meetings. By following these tips, you can ensure that your one-on-one meetings are productive, efficient, and effective in achieving your goals. Join IT Society to get free Interview mentorship
Are you changing your career path or are you in the early stage of your journey? Does it make you nervous? Well, I need to be honest. It is not easy to keep attached to your dreams while failing in interviews. Some companies may not see your potential. Some others also may be in need of expertise for their short-term goals rather than investing in their futures. However, I would say don’t worry. There are many companies out there that can value your potential. The most important part you need to focus on is how you can express your potential clearly without demonstrating enough experience. Let me share a couple of tips that can help you out in your journey: Communicate your experience level clearly Not having enough experience is not a flaw. Even sometimes it is an advantage when you interview the companies that are shaping up their teams with a sense of passion and energy. Such companies usually have enough experience to steer their business but rather they need new workforce to carry it forward. Be aware of what you don’t know. Do not try to prove yourself in any areas that you don’t feel confident. Your resume should also reflect the same. Show your character What you don’t know should not make you down. You and your interviewer already know that you are not an experienced candidate. And you are still in the interview. Don’t judge yourself on behalf of your interviewer. Be positive. Show your energy, confidence and your urge to learn. Prove how a valuable contributor you would be when you are given a chance. Join IT Society to see all valuable resources for free Don’t be afraid of saying I don’t know Most likely you will receive many questions for which you have limited or else no idea. So, your answer is clear: "I don’t know". However, it is not that simple. You should think about the question and the domain. Ask yourself these questions: What have I done so far in the domain the question is coming from? Have I experienced something similar but in another domain? Does it help me say I don’t know exactly but ... ? Such questions will help you at least provide some insights. These can be sometimes more powerful than the expected answers. They can open up different point of views and make you rise above others. Past & out of domain experience make sense Don’t think of having experience in other domains is useless. Especially, if you have considerable achievements, count them in. You will be accepted as a potential successor. Any past achievements will help you on this track. Never give up during the interview Interviews will be hard, long and weary but you have to show your endeavor even if you have no hope to provide an expected answer. Most of the time, interviewees are evaluated on their characters, and their ability to stay focused and motivated. Even sometimes they are asked unresolvable questions just to evaluate attitudes. You didn’t fail but gained experience Each interview will teach you something. Take your notes, if possible, reach out to the interviewer and request their feedback. Finally, have your retrospective session with someone who has more experience. Join IT Society and get a free mock interview
What do interviewers look for in behavioral interviews? In order to succeed in interviews, interviewers should pay attention to five crucial "green lights." These green lights serve as indicators of desirable traits and skills in candidates. To provide a comprehensive understanding, each green light will be explained with an example question and an effective approach to answering using the STAR technique [1]. Get interview help for free! Organized: Being organized is crucial for gaining the interviewer's trust and demonstrating reliability. When candidates are organized, they are more likely to handle responsibilities effectively. This fosters a sense of safety and trust in the workplace. Eg:“Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.” You can describe how you organized your work, prioritized tasks, and effectively managed your time to meet deadlines. This demonstrates your ability to be organized and reliable. Humble: Humility is attractive because it shows respect for others. It involves listening to others, being a good listener, and valuing their thought process. A lack of humility can lead to a leader who refuses to listen to different perspectives, resembling a dictator. By respecting and considering other ideas and thoughts, the best solutions can be found. Eg:“Tell me about a situation where you had to work in a team with diverse opinions and ideas.” You can share an example of how you actively listened to your team members, valued their input, and collaborated to reach a collective decision. This showcases your humility and respect for others' perspectives. Hard-working: Collaboration is essential for success. Through collaborative efforts, tasks can be accomplished, obstacles can be overcome, and goals can be achieved. Hard work plays a pivotal role in driving progress, especially during challenging times. Recognizing the value of hard work creates a sense of safety and commitment within a team. Eg: “Tell me about a challenging project or situation you faced in a previous role.” You can explain how you went above and beyond your responsibilities, put in extra effort, and worked collaboratively with colleagues to overcome obstacles and achieve successful outcomes. This highlights your strong work ethic and dedication. Curious: Curiosity sparks innovation and the development of new processes. By questioning the status quo, we open doors to improvement and growth. Accepting everything as it is without curiosity hinders advancement. Asking "why" and seeking to solve problems and improve existing practices are traits valued in candidates. Eg: “Tell me about a time when you identified a problem or inefficiency in a process and took the initiative to improve it.” You can describe how you asked critical questions, conducted research, sought alternative solutions, and implemented changes that led to positive results. This demonstrates your curiosity and proactive approach to driving innovation. Conscientious: Demonstrating a commitment to doing what is right, both legally and ethically, is essential during the interview process. Regardless of the company or role, cultural integrity should be maintained. Being conscientious ensures that candidates uphold standards and make decisions that align with the organization's values. Eg: “Tell me about a situation where you had to make an ethical decision or handle a sensitive issue.” You can explain how you considered the company's values and adhered to legal and ethical guidelines while resolving the situation. This showcases your conscientiousness and commitment to doing what is right. Join IT Society for free mentorship By embodying these green lights in behavioral interviews, candidates can impress interviewers and increase their chances of success. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation,_task,_action,_result
What are the common mistakes made in behavioral interviews? Here are the four red flags which interviewers might show if you do not follow the correct paths. Rambling:Talking too much may be annoying. It is a signal of not having a clear communication and thought process, which might imply that you do not know what you are talking about, it may not be easy to work with you. Try to keep your answers short and targeted. Try to limit yourself to around 60 seconds. Don't give too many details since they will come as follow-up questions. For example;An interviewer asks, "Tell me about a project/time where you had to overcome difficult circumstances to deliver results.", use the Star Technique [1] Situation must be one sentence Task must be one sentence Activity must be 2-3 sentences Result must be one sentence Think about what is relevant. As follow-up questions, "What would you do differently? How can you do better?". So it is time to give more details. Not Answering the Question:Assume the question is about a technically challenging project, but if your answer is about a situationally difficult case such as working with a tough customer, you can lose your interviewer. Do not waste your and the interviewer’s time by going in a different direction. Understand the question and clearly answer it. Join IT Society to get free Interview mentorship Selling Opportunities:When you are asked strength questions such as "Why should we hire you?" will you be neutral, or is this opportunity to sell? So if you do not sell yourself, you are unprepared, lack confidence, and are not the right person.The other side is, "Tell me about a conflict?" Is this an opportunity to sell yourself or be neutral? Remain neutral because it is an opportunity to remain neutral.Do not be arrogant.Since you are implying I am better than others and the conflict was created by other people. Never openly discuss the outcome of the conflict. Instead, discuss the method of handling that disagreement. No conflict to discuss, which implies that you were not important enough or/and passive in your relationships. Too many conflicts imply that you are hard to manage.Focus on processes rather than emotions/the other person in the conflict. Speaking Negatively:Speaking negatively of others creates a lack of safety.Do not speak negatively, and do not complain. People are weak psychologically, so when we talk to someone negatively, we start to lose trust; we need a surrender/people who will protect us. We need to create safety and trust. For example;An interviewer asks, “Why do you want to leave your existing company?” Never say anything negative about your current or past employer, manager, or team even if it's true. Have you burnt bridges with your current company? Never say you were not paid enough. What if it's the same situation here? We should reframe our thoughts by taking into consideration of these red flags.[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation,_task,_action,_result
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