Simple Networking

How an IT Specialist Should Prepare for a Job Interview

Alexey Yurchenko

The Resume

Any job search begins with a resume. The main goal at this stage is to use it to give your future manager complete information about yourself—as fully as possible, yet clearly and concisely.

The most important thing at this stage is not to fall into the trap of writing “What I WAS DOING.” Instead, write “What I ACCOMPLISHED.”

Bad Example:

Good Example:

After reading your resume, your potential future boss should understand what you did previously and what experience you possess.

You don’t need to write a lot. You don’t need to write a little. Write about yourself and your skills briefly but substantially.

“Tell Me About Yourself”

So, your resume was noticed, and you were invited for an interview.

After a short greeting, you will be asked to talk about your past experience at other companies. Be ready to fit your story about yourself and what you did at your last job into 2–3 minutes. There is no point in going too deep into details—they will ask you about all the interesting specifics later. Explain what position you held, what your duties included, and your main achievements.

If you have absolutely no experience and have just graduated from a university or a bootcamp, talk about what you studied. A description of the course curriculum or a summary of your thesis project will work fine.

“Do You Know This Technology?”

Immediately after (or even during) your “about me” monologue, they will ask you for details regarding your activities, and then smoothly transition to theoretical questions. You will be asked about well-known technologies, configurations, and methods. For example:

Answer with everything you know. If you forget specific timers, terms, or something similar, explain it in your own words—this also demonstrates your general understanding and is valuable.

“What If They Ask About a Topic I Don’t Know?”

Don’t worry! They definitely will! There is a simple and correct answer to this, which sounds something like this: “No, I don’t know this topic. I haven’t had to work with it before. But I would find it VERY interesting to learn. I’ve wanted to for a long time!”

Remember that we gain 80% of our knowledge not while studying in courses, but while working and dealing with tasks on a daily basis.

“Why Are You Looking for a Job?”

After the technical part, they will ask about your attitude toward your previous job and your career goals.

A bad answer to such questions is to tell them what villains surrounded you at your last place (especially the boss) and how hard it was to work with them.

A good answer sounds something like this: “I already did a lot of good and useful work at my last place. I reached a ceiling in my development. I want to grow and develop, but I can’t do that there, so I am looking at companies where I can be useful and am considering offers.”

“What Are Your Salary Expectations?”

The traditional game at every interview! The rules are simple: whoever says a number first loses.

Example answer: “I would, of course, like ‘the more the better.’ But I understand that you have a fixed budget for this position. If I am a good fit for this vacancy, I am ready to consider your offers.”

It is undoubtedly appropriate to name a desired sum yourself if you have a good idea of what such a specialist costs in the labor market, but under no circumstances should you lower your expectations! Remember that the interview is the exact moment when you negotiate your salary! Increasing it while employed is exponentially harder than negotiating it when moving to a new job!

“Your Turn to Ask. What Do You Want to Know?”

Bad answer: “Nothing. I have no questions.”

Good questions that should interest you:

Do not neglect these and other questions. Ask at least a couple of them “out of politeness.” In any case, this gives you more understanding of the place, because right now, not only are they choosing you, but you are choosing them.

After the Interview

Any interview is stressful, even for very experienced specialists. After it, you need to rest, and the next day, with fresh energy, analyze the entire dialogue and identify your strengths and weaknesses.

If you were asked about a technology or function you didn’t know, read about it on the internet for your general development. A short article on Wikipedia or a similar resource is enough to understand the principles. At the next interview, you will already know what to answer!

What’s Next?

Speaking of future interviews: Don’t wait for an answer from this employer; immediately arrange subsequent interviews with others. Your goal is to pass several interviews and receive several job offers at once, then choose the one you like best.

Even if you passed just one interview and were immediately offered a job, still try to talk to at least one or two other places. If you think that only people with little experience and knowledge go through multiple interviews, that is a huge misconception! On the contrary, if you interviewed at a company and they hire you immediately, you likely either got incredibly lucky (unlikely) or you stated salary expectations far below market value, and they want to hire you for cheap as soon as possible.

Don’t overthink it by saying, “But that’s not polite…” You definitely have 1 or 2 weeks to “think it over.” Use them with maximum efficiency for yourself! Aim for anywhere from 3 to 10 interviews. At some, they won’t like you or you won’t fit; at others, you won’t like the employer (this happens much more often than you might imagine). From the remaining ones, you will choose (!) whom to join.