first round / screening interview
- purpose: vetting on skill and interest, look for red flags, narrow the field so less time is wasted interviewing
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- over the phone
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- 30 min or less
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- conducted by HR
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- possible homework assignment second round - the scary part
- multiple sessions, commonly about 4 hours total
- one non-tech session
- two or more tech sessions
- purpose: assess skills and fit for joining company. locally, generally final interview Optional final round
- more common for jobs in other cities/ remote positions
- always onsite
- purpose: likely flown in to company’s city. local - questions remain what will they ask me? questions about you: why did you want to switch careers? describe a time when you had to deal with conflict? what does your ideal working environment look like? what was the most challenging thing you did at turing? what did you enjoy the most? why?
technical: what do you like and dislike the most about Rails? why? describe to me how you would write your own Activerecord? misc assessment problems
how? white boarding, pair programming, discussions ask questions! you are not perfect! if you don’t understand something, make that clear.
how to prepare: know yourself - 50% of questions come right off your resume/cover letter/what you say in the interview know the company - what do they do? why do you want to work there? practice! use a whiteboard time it get together with your peers and rotate positions solicit feedback on where you are weak - trouble sharing your thoughts? can’t whiteboard? talk too much/too fast/too little?
tips verbalize your thought process on problems. asking questions is not just okay, it is a good thing. give full answers with out derailing the interview. it’s not an interrogation. ask questions. have a conversation. for tech questions, repeat the problem back with any clarifying questions if you think you made an error, don’t obsess over it. expect to have your approach questioned. explain your reasoning and be willing to listen and learn. strong opinions, weakly held. have questions prepared. take care of yourself. sleep, eat, and hydrate.
the offer/negotiation offer hr contacts you to say they want to extend an offer. get them to offer a salary number. ask for all the details on benefits counter offer, really. doesn’t have to be on money. what is equity worth? nothing!
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