Interview Guide
From an interviewer
Disclaimer: Everything on this presentation is the personal view of Somnath Shahapurkar.
It does not in any way represent views or interview process of Intel corporation.
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Finding the right candidate
ASU
Like finding a good life partner
• Should have good skills and/or potential to learn them
 Technical: Making money, taking care of the house etc.
 Behavioral: Caring, understanding, sensitive etc.
• Your interests/hobbies should compliment/supplement theirs
 Share the same passion
• Has to be interested in your combined future
• Has to be reliable
 Should have a good track record
• You should get along!
 Same values, work ethics etc.
Interview Guide
Application
CSE DM Group Meeting
• Target your industry of interest
ASU
 But do not leave other industries out!
• Make a good resume – keep it up to date
 Many company sites have their own resume building tools
 Restrict to one or two pages – not a laundry list – just highlights
• Think about placing an add on a dating site
• It is an advertisement! – however, don’t use pink paper either
• Do include keywords – not a long list though – think spam sites





Resume should have depth and breadth
It should be easily readable – no fancy fonts, no font < 11pt
Resume’s are photocopied so restrict use of color
Use bold face and italics sparingly only where necessary
Have it reviewed by an expert – University has many resources
• Network
 Get involved in ACM/IEEE, talk to alumni, go to industry conferences
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Phone screening
ASU
•
Company representative usually the manager who is hiring or one of his
group members calls






•
Objective: determine whether they should call you on-site for interview
See if you can have it scheduled or ask for a minute to get ready
Accommodate schedules
Sit in a quiet place, use land line and see if you can use a headset/speakerphone
Get a scratch pad and pencil
Take a deep breath and start by thanking them for their interest
Your objective is to make an impression and get some information






Ask about the group that is interested – write down the name
Ask what the group does – make notes
Make sure you ask about the job – make notes
Ask for the name and contact information of the person who is calling
Ask for the next steps, when you can expect response etc.
Send thank you if they have given you an email
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Interview is like a date
ASU
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do your homework
Dress to kill
Be confident cheerful and positive
Use small talk to break ice then philosophy to show you are deep
Quickly gauge the person you are talking to and adapt accordingly
Find balance between impressing and telling the truth
Put your best foot forward but do not feel shy to accept your weakness
After all you are looking for a potential life long relationship
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Before the interview
ASU
• Do your research about the job, company, type of work
• Review some basics from your coursework/area
• To the Interview, take:







Writing pad
Pencils or pens
Hard copies of your latest resume
A bottle of water if requires
Soft and hard copies of your thesis/dissertation presentation
Positive attitude
Turn OFF your cell-phone
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Dress code
ASU
No one likes to judge a book by its cover but…
first impressions are best impressions
• Think of grooming/dress as one more media for you to market
yourselves
• You will not get the job just because you wore a suit but you might
certainly miss an opportunity if you don’t
Groom well
•
•
•
•
Clipped nails, Clean shave, groomed hair etc.
Mild deodorant – no cologne, minimal jewelry
Well pressed shirt and well polished shoes
Suit color should be black, dark blue or gray; white or off-white shirt
and dark tie with a good knot
A Firm hand-shake, pleasant smile and confident (not loud)
‘Hello I am ___’ will complete the first impression
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
The interview
ASU
• It is an interview not an interrogation
 Interview is most effective if both interviewer and interviewee are
at ease
• Candidate is good till proven otherwise
 Interviewer is interested in finding a good candidate
• Be yourself
 If you are at ease, your interviewer will be at ease too
• Overcome the communication barrier
 Showcase your skills and qualities
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Small talk – says a lot about you
ASU
• Use small talk to break-ice and develop a rapport
• Start with safe subjects
 Good Topics: Weather, sports, travel, city, university life, etc.
 Bad Topics: Politics, war, personal-questions, ethical issues
• Be careful about cultural, race or religion matters
• If you do not know what jokes are appropriate stay away from
jokes or trying to be funny
• Laughing without reason is seen as a sign of nervousness – but do
laugh at appropriate jokes
• Stay away from complaining about anything or being cynical – stay
positive
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Behavioral Interview – what they want
ASU
• It obvious that you must have a certain level to technical
knowledge to have earned a technical graduate degree
 That is only half the picture
• But do you have the acumen to contribute and succeed
in an industry setting?





How do you think or attack a problem
How do you react to pressure of time
How do you react to uncertainty
How do you handle confrontation
How do you make decisions
Interview Guide
Behavioral Interview – what you can do
CSE DM Group Meeting
•
ASU
Know yourselves
 You have a lot of skills that you use every day and do not know about
•
Make a list of all things you have done in life that you are proud (and not
proud of) – technical and non-technical
 Published in journal…
 Failed to find an internship and improved interview skills
 Helped a roommate pass an exam
•
Now look for hard/soft skill keywords on the internet
 Team-work, analytical problem solving, working under uncertainty, conflictmanagement, object oriented mapping, performance-management etc.
•
Map the incidents in your life to the skills you displayed from the keyword list
 Remember the examples
 How you tackled the problem or achieved something
•
Practice by narrate the example aloud or to a partner
 In the narration concentrate on process – how rather than what
Interview Guide
Behavioral Interview – how to answer
CSE DM Group Meeting
• It is OK to take a few seconds to think
ASU
 Let them know you are thinking.
• Say, ’Let me think’ or ‘give me a minute’
• Give only so much background so the example is appreciated
 Do not use up all time to explain the background
 Small but clearly narrated examples are OK
• Your example should clearly illustrate that you have displayed the
skill in the past
 No hypothetical answers like, “if this was the case… I would do this…”
 More of “it was like this… and this is what I did”
• Don’t fib
 They can tell if you are fibbing
 Be consistent with examples and throw in some specifics like dates or
numbers to illustrate genuineness
 Be prepared for ‘why not this’ or ‘how did you conclude that’ type
questions
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Lunch/Dinner
ASU
• Time to know more about the company, its culture, work-life balance,
benefits etc
• Dress more casual but still conservative
• Make sure you strike a conservation
 That way they will remember you
 Use same guidelines for small talk as before
• Food/drinks




Order something that is easy to eat
Stay away from most expensive item on menu
Stay away from alcohol
OK to take a box
• Offer to pay – though mostly company pays
 Make sure you thank them for the lunch/dinner
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Technical Questions – what they want
ASU
• There is no way they can possibly measure your skill level in all the
areas accurately in such a short time
 So they take a ‘guesstimate’
• Mostly ask basic questions
 To see if you were paying attention in class
• Ask about previous work
 To make sure you have genuinely done it
 And understood what you did
• Look at impact and achievement
 Money talks – if you can put a $ amount (or time or rating number) they
are sold
• Looking for process/method you use to come up with answer than
answer itself
Interview Guide
Technical Questions – what you do
CSE DM Group Meeting
• Make best use of the time to showcase your skills
ASU
• Breadth and depth both are important
 Breadth is important – only Professors work in the area they studied
 Depth is important because that is the expertise you bring to the team
• Your interviewer will most likely know less about your field
 You have spent years on your research while managers got out of school
a while ago
 Think about impressing a pretty/handsome person from fine-arts or still
worse her father
 Stay away from Jargon
• Give brief answers that address the question
 Don’t go on and on about a particular topic
 Be specific enough to not sound vague and,
 General enough to keep their interest
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Technical Interview – what if I don’t know
ASU
• Can you say I don’t know?





Only as a last resort after you have attempted to answer
Don’t guess blindly and don’t shut the door
Explain or give a process by which one can find the answer
Give an instance when you have solved a similar problem
Usually they give hints – listen carefully and work with the interviewer to
come up with an answer
• If doubtful of the answer ask: Did I address your question?
• Think aloud so they know what you are thinking
• Don’t be shy to use the board/pad – practice drawing pictures
• Draw pictures – binary tree, hash table, linked list
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Ask questions
ASU
• Make sure you ask questions when given a chance
 It shows you are interested
 Keep them general and/or related to your technical area of expertise but
keep them relevant to the interview
 Watch out to see if the interviewer is uncomfortable with the question; if
so, move on – do not persist
• Do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions
 Next steps, contact info, about the group business etc.
•
•
•
•
•
•
GOOD Questions
What aspect of your job do you like/dislike the most?
Which group works on cutting edge data analysis
methods?
What type of training program do you have for you
new recruits?
Does the company support continuing education?
How does the company help you manage your life
and work?
What does the typical career path look like in your
group?
Inappropriate Questions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What drives you to work here?
Do you like your managers?
Do you do any data analysis at your company?
Does your company pay for classes?
How many hours do you have to work every week?
When will I be eligible for promotion?
Is alcohol allowed at your workplace?
How many days vacation will I get in the year?
How soon can I change groups in the company?
How much do you make?
Interview Guide
Presentations
CSE DM Group Meeting
Many companies are having their graduate candidates do presentations
ASU
• Even otherwise, it does not hurt to take a couple of pages of print to
point and show you research work – pictures than text
• If the presentation is scheduled, ask ahead how much time you have
and what equipment they can arrange.
 Prepare for shorter than that time and do dry runs
• Keep lots of time for questions – remember unlike conferences your
audience might not know your subject
 Stay away from complex mathematics
 Could provide links or hard copies to your paper
• Highlight impact – address the questions:
 What was the problem – high level, examples
 What you did and how you did it?
 So what? – most important – think application
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Follow-up
ASU
• Send thank you emails to all interviewers or request manager to
forward to everyone
• Do a quick review of the interview with yourself
 Make notes as to what you did right and wrong
• Wait for the time they have told you and send an email
 Managers are busy people - be persistent till you get a response
• If you get a rejection, ask for the reason/feedback
 It might be hard to come by but some people do give feedback
 If they say you were just not suitable for that position,
• Ask if they know about any other groups that might be hiring
• Request them to forward your resume to other managers
 Don’t be disheartened, persistence is the name of the game!
Interview Guide
CSE DM Group Meeting
Summary
ASU
Tips about how to prepare for the interview process
• How to land a interview
•
Telephone screening – tips and tricks
•
Dress code – why is appearance important
•
The interview – how to think of it
•
Behavioral questions – how to prepare for them
•
Lunch/Dinner, Attitude, Small talk, Jokes and
•
Technical questions – what if you don’t know or know a lot
•
Presentations
•
Follow-up