Getting your dream job can be very difficult in this day and age. IT companies have become extremely competitive, and they only want the very best individuals working for them. Even if you have stellar qualifications on your résumé, you may get turned down if your interview goes poorly. Bigger companies such as Google and Apple often take several interviews before deciding whether or not to hire someone. Therefore, you need to make a great impression if you want to get selected.
Unfortunately, most people do not really know how to interview for a job position. They believe that simply having the professional skills should be enough, but that is not true at all. When sitting in an interview, companies do not generally ask questions that relate to your skills. They are more concerned with how you handle yourself in stressful situations. There is no shortage of talent in the market. Computer engineers and software experts are a dime a dozen. However, finding somebody who can think on his or her feet and excel in his or her position is difficult. That is why you need to take a few things into consideration when applying for an IT job.
Remember, from the company’s perspective, they are hiring more than just a body. They are hiring an individual who will be capable of handling day to day operations and important matters with minimal supervision. If you have just landed an interview with a big IT company, now is your chance to impress them and land the job. Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you increase your chances of success exponentially:
1. Research the Company
Before you head out for the interview, make sure you know all about the company that you are interviewing for. This is one of the most important interviewing tips that you should take to heart. It is imperative to be able to speak intelligently about the firm or you will find it very difficult to impress the recruiting managers. When you are sitting in for the interview, you can talk about relevant information, such as any important blog posts, quarterly reports, and earnings.
One of the most common questions that recruitment managers ask is this: “What is the biggest opportunity we can give you that will help you grow in the next five years?”
They are not looking for an open-ended answer. Instead, you need to make sure you give a very direct and thoughtful answer. If you know about the company, it will not be difficult. You can talk about any new projects that the company has undertaken, as well as provide specific information about how the company can help you on your career path. Being specific is very important when answering such questions. You need to give a convincing answer about how the company you are interviewing with can help you improve yourself.
The interviewers look for such answers because your responses will help them decide where your priorities lie. If you give random answers that are not well thought out, it will be easy to see that you are not focused. However, if you provide a thoughtful answer, they will know that you are focused on your personal goals and objectives and know how to achieve them. It will leave a very strong impression with the interviewers.
2. Know Your Field
You should know whatever is happening in your relevant field of expertise. Whether you are applying for the post of a computer engineer or a software expert, you need to know what the latest and most recent developments are in that area. You can use services such as Google Alerts and subscribe to RSS feeds in order to get relevant updates. Remember, your interviewer will ask you questions about the latest things that are happening in your profession.
Not knowing the right answers will simply show that you have very little interest in what is going on around you. Simply putting your head down and working is not acceptable in IT companies anymore. The “geek” culture no longer exists at major IT firms. They want people who know everything that is going on around them, and the best way to do that is to keep yourself current regarding new developments. When you get an interview call, make sure you know all the important information and trends in your industry. Any new updates released for famous programming languages, software shake-ups and even new program releases should be on your radar.
The company executives may ask questions such as how the new release of a software program may cause you to change certain things. Knowing the right answers is very important, especially when you are operating in the tech industry, where even a small bug can destabilize the entire program.
3. Dress Professionally
This probably goes without saying, but you have to dress well if you want the job. Most people think that software engineers are not really required to wear a suit and tie when coming to work. That may be true, but when going in for an interview, you absolutely have to dress as sharp as you can.
Make sure you buy a fitted suit before applying for any technology job. This is probably one of the most common interviewing tips that you will hear, yet most people do not follow it. If you want to land an IT job at a good firm, you must make sure that you stay sharp. Put on a matching tie and make sure you clean your shoes. Interviewers really look for qualitative traits in order to determine whom they should hire. At the interview stage, assume they’ve reviewed your resume and background in depth. The interview is the moment to impress visually and demonstrably.
4. Clean up Your Facebook and Twitter
Before you go for any interview, make sure you clean up your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Most people are very vocal about their beliefs and political views. You need to remove everything that could be construed as distasteful or inappropriate. Make sure your Facebook and Twitter feeds are as clean as can be.
These social media interviewing tips are not generally well-known. That is simply because most people do not think ahead. When applying for technology jobs, you should know that the HR managers are definitely going to run a background check. Once you pass the interview, they will start digging up everything they can on you before making a final decision.
You might be embarrassed if they found college party photos of you on Facebook or any controversial remarks that you made on political topics. In this day and age, companies are willing to go the extra mile to protect their trade secrets and, most importantly, their image. If you are too vocal about your beliefs on the Internet, what does it imply? It might imply that you will be very willing to share the corporate culture and potentially damaging inside information with your friends on Facebook. Bottom line: use common sense and maybe ask a parent or mentor to look at your social pages to ensure you don’t have anything that might be considered offensive or controversial.
There are many tools that you can use to clean up your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Most of these are free tools that will help you remove particular posts that contain certain words or topics. Within a few minutes, your Facebook and Twitter feeds will be as clean as can be!
5. Be Early
Your interviewer is a busy person. They do not want to get caught up in pointless interviews that last for hours. Most importantly, they do not want to be waiting for the interviewee to show up. If you do not know the location, make sure you go there the day before and scout it out.
On the day of the IT job interview, arrive at least thirty minutes early. This will give you enough time to account for traffic jams or a flat tire. Arriving exactly on time is certainly not a good thing because that means you are taking a big risk. Punctuality might be old fashioned nowadays, but it is still highly valued in tech firms. As the saying goes “Early is on Time and On Time is Late” – for the interview “Late is not hired.”
6. Be Articulate and Direct
Beating around the bush is not going to get you anywhere when it comes to answering the right questions. When sitting down for an interview, you need to be precise and articulate. The interviewer wants you to answer everything as best as you can. If you do not know the answer to something, you should just tell the interviewer rather than waste their time.
Remember, the interview is not really conducted to test your knowledge. The main aim of the interviewer is to find out how you handle yourself in pressure situations since you will be facing a lot of pressure in technology jobs. They will often bombard you with questions that are beyond your knowledge and skill level. You need not worry about that. Just give the best logical answer that you can and wait for the interviewer’s comments.
Do not let beads of sweat appear on your forehead, as that is a sign of being nervous. Composure is everything. If you become nervous, you will begin mumbling, and that will lead you to forget things. Be as composed as you can, and the chances of getting the job will increase exponentially.
Ready to apply for your next IT role? Search our available jobs or contact a VALiNTRYtechnology recruiter today!