Technical interviews
Showing off your expertise
If you are applying for a technical or specialist position, chances are you’ll get an interview containing technical questions. Some employers favour a separate technical interview, whereas others prefer to include technical questions in a general interview. Interviewers are sure to quiz you in-depth about your course. Most final year students forget what they studied in previous years, so go over your notes and essays as a reminder. It’s really embarrassing to waffle unconvincingly on about a second-year project you barely remember – not to mention that it leaves a bad impression. If you’ve mentioned something in your CV or application form, make sure you’re prepared to talk about it. If you have any project work or vacation experience that is particularly relevant, practise summarising it. You may wish to produce a short digest of the information and take it with you to the interview. You can use it to illustrate your answers or leave it with the interviewer when you finish. If you’ve done something impressive and it doesn’t fit the questions, try to lead the interviewer towards it by dropping hints.
Visual aids
It’s not unusual for an interviewer to show you a wiring diagram or a line of computer code and expect instant analysis. They might even reach under the table, bring out a device and ask you to explain how it works. Even if they don’t resort to visual aids, you’re likely to have some tough questions. Remember that your interviewer is not just interested in your technical knowledge – they also want to see how you approach problems. If you’re totally stumped you may get a few pointers, but you need to be able to pick up the thread and keep going. Recruiters are as interested in your reasoning processes as they are in finding the right answer, so don’t panic if you don’t know the answer. There aren’t many jobs that only require technical skills so, even though it’s a technical interview, the interviewer will also look for more personal skills. You need to show that you can work well with others and communicate clearly, avoiding technical jargon. Knowing the right answer is no use if you just mumble it to yourself.
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