jsync | Java Staffing Specialist

Interview Tips From the Real World

03/22/2005

by Dave Fecak

jsync had a record number of interviews in the past month, and we typically receive detailed feedback from our clients about how well (or sometimes poorly) the interview went. Based on the feedback we’ve received about some of our recent interviews, here are some real world tips to help you avoid some common pitfalls.

1. More details – Lately we have had some clients respond that during a technical interview, a candidate did not go into enough detail when describing his/her experience with a certain technology or their role on a specific project. If you are interviewing with a non-technical employee (HR for example), speaking about technical details is probably a waste of time. When interviewing with an employee who is technical but might be a bit distanced from the day-to-day technical details (CIO, many Project Managers, some Director of Development types), you should discuss technology at a level that your audience will understand.

In most interviews you will be ‘teched out’ – quizzed about code or design experience by another architect/developer with similar experience to yours. In these sessions you are expected to get down to the specifics of the projects you have worked on and give a great deal of technical detail on what you did. The more intimate techincal details you can provide, the more knowledgeable you appear about the systems you have built. Interviewers often assume that if you do not offer great detail about your experience, you are not very technical. In some cases we’ve found that the candidate could have been a match technically but simply didn’t share enough information. If you are given a platform to speak about the extent of your technical experience, use the time to show them how technical you really are and don’t worry about boring them with too much detail (if you bore them they will let you know).

2. More enthusiasm – All interviews can be described as exploratory in nature – the company wants to see if you are a fit for them, and you want to see if the company is a fit for you. Likewise, everyone involved in an interview has the same goal – the company is trying to convince you that they are an attractive employer (even if they don’t decide to hire you they still want to impress you), and you are trying to convince the employer that you are an attractive employee (even if you don’t decide to join the company). The interview is basically a speed dating ritual to see if both parties want to either get to know each other better first (contract to hire) or just simply get hitched (permanent hire).

Now imagine going on a date and saying, “I’m already married and happy with my spouse, I don’t know much about you, and to be honest I’m not sure how interested I am in what I believe you have to offer, but I thought I’d come and check you out anyway.” Probably not going to be another date, and definitely won’t be a marriage anytime soon. Explaining that you are most likely not available and perhaps not interested but just ‘keeping your options open’ is no good for an interview either.

The example above is much more common for an ‘open house’ type interview, but even in those situations it is probably not going to get you anywhere. If you are going to take the time and effort to go through with an interview, do some research at the very least on the company and make sure you have some level of interest in the company and position. When at an interview, it is fine to say that you are content with your current company – that is certainly better than bashing every former employer and manager that you have had. It is unwise (and insulting to the company) to enter an interview with little knowledge about the firm, and you are very unlikely to get a job offer if you claim you are simply browsing and show no enthusiasm for the company.

3. More focus – Many companies use an interview to gauge how well you listen to and follow instructions. Some of our clients will ask a candidate, “Starting with your first job and ending with your current position, tell me about your role in each company on your resume.” For this client, the details of each role are not really important – what they are looking for is your ability to follow directions. Those candidates that respond with, “Well at my current position I am _____ and prior to that I was with Company X as …” are doomed for not listening closely to the question. Be careful not only to answer the questions, but also to deliver the answers in the format they request. Often these are simply a test of your ability to listen.

Another problem regarding focus is tangents. Sometimes because of nervousness, interviewees tend to continue talking until they are interrupted or run out of things to say. When asked a question, pause for a couple seconds to gather your thoughts and try to keep your answer as focused to the question as possible. When you feel you’ve answered the question, simply stop talking and let the interviewer continue. Just because you are the interviewee does not mean you need to speak for the overwhelming majority of the time (remember that you are interviewing them as well).

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