How to Interview Good (as a College Student)

This is a talk about interviewing, and everything I know about doing it well. The talk is geared towards college students, but almost all of it will be relevant to anyone interested in the process. It includes the expected tips and tricks, but with a main focus on what happens before and after the interview… and how it matters much, much more than you think.

Transcript

1. how to! interview! good!
2. Fred K. Schott @FredKSchott
3. THE INTERVIEW
4. (BEFORE) THE INTERVIEW
5. (AFTER) THE INTERVIEW
6. (BEFORE) THE INTERVIEW
7. You can’t just show up and expect to win.!
8. You can’t fake an interview.!
9. get experience
10. Experience will connect everything you’ve learned in college in a way that’s actually useful.!
11. Find a side project that actually interests you.!
12. Use it as a chance to learn something new.!
13. “networking”
14. networking
15. Become friends with people in your industry
16. Your peers can be the best part of your network.!
17. Upperclassmen can be a huge resource.!
18. the resume
19. I will skim this.!
20. … but someone before me might not.!
21. Make it look good. ! ! Be Steve Jobs with your resume.!
22. Fit it all on 1 page.!
23. GitHub
24. There is no better way to impress me.!
25. Put anything up, as long as you’re proud of it.!
26. Code is great... but engaging with the community is HUGE.!
27. Comment on an issue, create a pull request, etc.!
28. THE INTERVIEW
29. (don’t) Rush yourself
30. Take your time
31. Invest in a plan
32. Invest in clean code
33. Ask clarifying questions
34. (don’t) Fish for hints
35. Be confident
36. Say what you’re thinking the whole time
37. (don’t) Be afraid to revisit your original design, assumptions
38. (don’t) Drink the night before
39. A little review can’t hurt
40. practice Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice,
41. (AFTER) THE INTERVIEW
42. working on a team
43. Communication is the hardest thing we do as engineers.!
44. Negative feedback is the easiest type of feedback to give.! ! It’s also the least productive.!
45. Give productive feedback. Help others to see the same problems you do.!
46. It’s easy to get over involved and emotional.! ! Try not to.!
47. Positive feedback is always appreciated. Give it often and genuinely.!
48. Improve yourself
49. Read stuff. Learn new languages, frameworks, design patterns.!
50. Practicing writing will make you a better engineer.!
51. Practicing speaking will make you a better engineer.!
52. It’s an investment in yourself.!
53. find a mentor
54. Get twitter (seriously)
55. Enjoy it.
56. Thank you. @FredKSchott!