The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Interview tomorrow, any advice?
oniian
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I am going in for an interview with a local company tomorrow and I thought I might summond the wisdom that is H/A. This the description:
This position requires a self-starting dependable detail-oriented and organized individual with the ability to install, configure and administer relational database systems in a supervised environment. This is a salaried exempt position requiring occasional uncompensated overtime in meeting deliverable deadlines. Although travel assignments are rare, the ability to travel is a requirement.
Education/Experience Requirements
This position requires a Bachelors degree in Computer Science or related discipline or 2+ years of professional database management experience. Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) certification is a plus but not required.
Required Knowledge/Skills
• Working knowledge of relational database systems (Oracle or SQL Server)
• Working knowledge of SQL (ANSI, PL/SQL, T-SQL)
• Working knowledge of UNIX and/or Windows based operating systems
• Basic understanding of queries and query optimization
• Basic understanding of Networks and Network protocols
• Basic understanding of database security
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment
• Above average analytical skills
Duties and Responsibilities
• Proficiently manage Oracle and SQL Server databases in a supervised environment.
• Work to the level necessary to meet project deadlines and deliverable requirements.
• Continuously strive to increase both depth and breadth of professional skills.
Work Environment
This position requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, keyboarding, talking, and listening. Work is generally performed in a normal office environment, either in-house or at client offices.
So my question is: any advice? What would you say companies like this typically look for in answers and responses? And any advice on bahavioral type questions that might be thrown my way?
This position requires a self-starting dependable detail-oriented and organized individual with the ability to install, configure and administer relational database systems in a supervised environment. This is a salaried exempt position requiring occasional uncompensated overtime in meeting deliverable deadlines. Although travel assignments are rare, the ability to travel is a requirement.
Education/Experience Requirements
This position requires a Bachelors degree in Computer Science or related discipline or 2+ years of professional database management experience. Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) certification is a plus but not required.
Required Knowledge/Skills
• Working knowledge of relational database systems (Oracle or SQL Server)
• Working knowledge of SQL (ANSI, PL/SQL, T-SQL)
• Working knowledge of UNIX and/or Windows based operating systems
• Basic understanding of queries and query optimization
• Basic understanding of Networks and Network protocols
• Basic understanding of database security
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment
• Above average analytical skills
Duties and Responsibilities
• Proficiently manage Oracle and SQL Server databases in a supervised environment.
• Work to the level necessary to meet project deadlines and deliverable requirements.
• Continuously strive to increase both depth and breadth of professional skills.
Work Environment
This position requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, keyboarding, talking, and listening. Work is generally performed in a normal office environment, either in-house or at client offices.
So my question is: any advice? What would you say companies like this typically look for in answers and responses? And any advice on bahavioral type questions that might be thrown my way?
oniian on
0
Posts
But most importantly! At the end of the interview, tell them: "The job sounds great and after hearing about it I would really like to work here".
Its funny how much this can set you apart from candidates who dont say something like this.
Edit: Since when did "typing" become "keyboarding" ??
What they ask you specifically will vary greatly from company to company though. I had an interview at ATI a few years back and they actually gave me a quiz with questions on it like "Why are manholes round?" and that old problem with the 2 jugs of different sizes and how do you measure out X amount of water. It was weird.
They also could ask you something very specific regarding your knowledge of databases. It might be good to brush up on a few concepts (if needed) and possibly some syntax of SQL.
Edit: In terms of behaviour, one question I've got a couple times is "Tell us about a time when you had to handle someone difficult." I always like talking about the crazy angry Russian guy I got on my very first tech-support call.
Have an answer to these questions:
Why do you want to work there
What are your best and worst attributes
Describe a time you had to work with a difficult co-worker
They're all ridiculously common.
Since you're looking at an office job, you'll be wearing a button up shirt at work once you're working there. You'd therefore want to also wear a tie to the interview if you have a nice one that you don't look uncomfortable wearing.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Like 'sometimes I work too hard' or shit.
That said, this is often predicatable, and absolute honesty sometimes goes over well. The very fact that you are at the interview shows you have at least the skills required to perform the job, what they want to know is you as an individual, how will you fit in, how do you work and stuff like that.
So saying 'im a raging alcoholic' is a definite no no, but something tame like 'sometimes i have trouble dealing with stress' is fine, because then you can segue into saying how working with them would help with this, because it looks like a relaxed and friendly environment.
This is better advice. Just be honest, but make sure it's nothing too bad. Like, a good idea (if it applies) is saying that you're not a morning person and it takes you a while to wake up, but the commute to work would be long enough that it wouldn't be a problem.
For an interview with Infineon/Qimonda I was asked a lot of easy tech stuff and then a question or two that has a very simple answer which is quite obvious after you hear it but many people don't think of on their own to see how I would respond to that stuff.
At another place for an interview doing some Perl coding and high level support of a product I was asked ridiculous stuff... the question that I remember because it pissed me off the most was "In vi, write 'some text here' 1000 times, add '!!!' to the end of each line, comment out lines 350-450" and I was supposed to write the commands to do that down on paper from memory without access to any reference material. I've written thousands of lines of code in vi and looked at a whole lot more and have yet to need to do any of those things, let alone enough to have memorized them. Plus what if I were an emacs user?
At the place I currently work I showed up in button down shirt and tie, my interviewer was in shorts and flip flops and I don't remember a single sentence out of his mouth that didn't include "motherfucker" at least once. I was asked why I wanted to move into development from what I was currently doing, talked a bit about the fairly minimal amount of dev work I'd done, and left with a nice shiny new job.
Not things like "what's the vacation structure like?" but things that relate to the job. It shows that you're engaged, alert, and cover your bases.
Also, get a good night's sleep tonight, and don't eat anything smelly tomorrow.
Sometimes the simple stuff gets overlooked.
I also plan on bring in a copy of my term project from my Oracle/Database class that has examples of coding in SQL and PL/SQL along with data base planning and structuring using SDLC.
I guess the part that has me concerned is the question of uncooperative group/project members and other behavioral questions. I am a pragmatic guy that likes to deal with situations as to how they vary. what would they be looking for in addressing this question?
Correct answers include.
How did you get your job? (as in their background)
I was researching your company and saw that you did XXX that seems interesting can you tell me about it.
The general rule for dressing for interviews is to dress one level above what they dress. Overdressing can rarely be damaging.
Find out the place you are going and MAKE SURE you know where you are going and get there early (around 10 minutes or more).
Better answers for worst feature are "That you can at times get too focused on a single task and let things slide on others."
This is good if you are a programmer, keep in mind if you want to become a constuction engineer, this is probably a bad one.
Satans..... hints.....
YES! Knowing the company is awesome. They will like that you actually looked into the place.
Answer behavioral questions with examples from past experiences using the S/A/R structure. This basically means: describe a situation related to the question ("Once I worked with a team member who always forgot when our meetings were held"), continue on with what action you took ("I notified this team member each evening before a meeting and again the following day"), and finally the result ("As a result he arrived to each subsequent meeting and contributed a great deal to our project"). Poor example, but it illustrates how that basic structure works.