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Interview Clinic - Interview and CV Tips

Interview Clinic - Interview and CV Tips

Conducted to the undergrads of University of Moratuwa, Faculty of IT on 06th of August 2022.

Nishan Chathuranga

August 06, 2022
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  1. Interview
    Clinic
    GET HIRED OR DIE TRYING
    /nishan_cw nishanc.medium.com /nishanchathuranga
    [email protected]
    Nishan Wickramarathna
    Developer: 99x Pvt. Ltd.

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  2. Lineup
    Tools
    What are the tools
    available to you
    01 Habits
    What you should change
    02
    Whatever
    ..that I might think of at
    this point..
    04
    Facts
    What you should know
    03
    Find out more information
    about this topic
    Timeline

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  3. Tools
    01
    CV and everything else at your disposal

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  4. This is your typical CV,
    decorated, which everybody
    can make using some
    template from the internet.
    But still there can be room
    to improve.

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  5. First mistake
    is the lack of a
    good profile
    statement
    Personal Qualities
    •Self-motivated
    •Creative
    •Adaptable
    •Having an eye for detail
    Skills
    •Management skills
    •Communication skills
    •Problem-solving skills
    •Design skills
    Experience (optional)
    •5 years experience in..
    •Excellent track record of..
    •Extensive background in..
    I am a hardworking and ambitious individual with a great passion for
    designing web applications and product engineering. I have strong
    technical skills as well as excellent interpersonal skills, enabling me
    to interact with a wide range of clients. I am eager to be challenged
    in order to grow and further improve my IT skills, currently looking
    for …..

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  6. Design Improvements
    Typography / Fonts
    Color Contrast
    Your Photo
    Alignments

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  7. View Slide

  8. As a thumb-rule, high contrast is required
    between the text and the background colors.
    However, having contrasting colors for multiple
    elements can make a design look messy
    sometimes.
    Moreover, contrast is not just about using
    complementary colors but you must also ensure
    that participating colors in a design don’t strain
    users’ eyes.

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  9. Always look at the camera Appropriate lighting

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  10. Highlight your professionalism,
    rather than your charm
    Avoid unnecessary accessories

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  11. You don’t need to try so
    hard, just wear
    something nice, look at
    the camera and smile
    and ask your mom to
    take the photo!
    Look smart and pro!

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  12. View Slide

  13. View Slide

  14. FAQ 1

    Should I mention my GPA ?

    You should. But don’t mention your GPA if you’re
    uncomfortable mentioning it, because you can prove
    you’re a good candidate using other qualities.

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  15. FAQ 2

    I don’t have a good GPA, I don’t have a good technical
    knowledge as well, no volunteer experience or haven’t
    participated to any competitions!

    Go to YouTube, search for a cash course on something
    that you like to learn (React, OOP, .NET), create a small
    project and push it to Github.

    In one week, you can learn 7 frameworks. Create a portfolio from the
    work you do & host it on Github pages. You can use a free API if you
    hate backends.

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  16. Me trying to learn
    JavaScript

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  17. LEVEL 2 SOFTWARE PROJECT
    • Frameworks used
    • Your responsibilities / contribution
    • High-level architecture
    • Teamwork
    • What’s an API
    • How you handled Authentication and Authorization
    • Databases used and why?
    • Problems faced and your solutions
    • Any design patterns or architectures used?
    • Exception handling

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  18. FAQ 3

    I don’t like Software Engineering!

    That’s Ok, look for the other opportunities such as UX
    Engineers, Software Quality Assurance Engineers,
    Business Analysts, DevOps Engineers, Support Engineers.

    But those opportunities are scarce, so you have to keep an
    eye out for such opportunities and apply.

    But this is the internship, you still have time to decide, try for an SE
    internship.

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  19. Habits
    02
    Your thinking patterns, changes you needs to make

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  20. • Has deep knowledge in at least one area, i.e.,
    programming language, and can be a problem
    solver in it.
    • Understands many other areas and their
    complexities, i.e., storages, front-end, distributed,
    big data, etc., and knows how to communicate
    clearly in that area.
    • Possesses boundary crossing competencies.

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  21. T-Shaped engineers became popular mostly
    due to agile principles (focus on
    self-organizing teams with cross-functional
    members) since a T-shaped engineer is an
    ideal candidate to be a cross-functional
    team member

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  22. Do your homework, be
    prepared. This can be
    learned.

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  23. Homework?
    Revisit OOP
    concepts
    Overloading, Overriding,
    Multiple Inheritance
    SOLID
    Principles
    Coding best practices
    Data Structures
    & Algorithms
    Stacks, Queues, FIFO,
    Big O, Recursion
    Databases
    Normalization, SQL Joins
    Enterprise Applications
    Development
    Design Patterns, Cloud

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  24. I know OOP!
    • Explain the concept of Constructor?
    • Can you specify the accessibility modifier for methods
    inside the interface?
    • Is it possible for a class to inherit the constructor of its
    base class?
    • Why do we need Polymorphism, and how is it used?
    • What is Compile time Polymorphism and how is it
    different from Runtime Polymorphism?
    • What is the meaning of life?
    • Why are we here?
    • What is life all about?
    LOL NO!

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  25. Find minimum and maximum
    values in a Java array of
    primitive types.
    What is the fastest method? (in
    terms of time complexity (Big O))

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  26. Learning is not
    enough, make it a
    habit to apply them.

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  27. Facts
    03
    What I can tell you as an Interviewer!

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  28. Matching Skills to Requirements
    Employer needs Your evidence
    Communication Presentations/ Competitions
    Teamwork 2 Group Projects
    Leadership Class rep, Committee, Team
    Leader of the Project
    Initiative Fundraising for charity /
    Volunteering
    Work Exp. Level 2 Project, Worked in a bank
    Commercial & Tech awareness Blog posts / Subject modules

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  29. 3.41
    2.863
    3.083.05
    3.26
    2.7
    3.053.06
    3.57
    3.38
    3.25
    3.52
    2.55
    2.94
    3.77
    3.53
    3.27
    2.54
    2.7
    2.46
    3.56
    3.4
    2.44
    2.475
    2.47
    1.92
    2.06
    2.57
    3.27
    2.81
    3.76
    2.25
    1.66
    2.03
    2.72
    3.205
    2.28
    3.01
    2.45
    2.14
    2.68
    2.32
    3.23
    2.16
    3
    0
    0.5
    1
    1.5
    2
    2.5
    3
    3.5
    4
    0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
    GPA

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  30. Select comfortable, private, quiet place
    Ask everyone in your house to be quiet
    Have copy of CV and company information
    Have pen and paper at hand
    Prepare for usual interview questions
    Prepare as
    thoroughly as for
    ‘real’ interview
    Practice on phone
    Record answers
    Try standing
    Smile and use gestures
    Avoid monotones
    Phone Interviews

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  31. FAQ 4

    How to measure the attitudes of an undergraduate ?
    • Ask to explain a real life problem they have faced and how they overcame it.
    Especially when they have worked as teams in projects etc.
    • Give a hypothetical situation like, if they were a lead in a team and faced with a
    critical deadline requirement, how would they manage the situation.
    • Test whether they're capable of saying 'No' or they would just keep saying 'Yes' just
    to secure the job. This is important to analyze how they value themselves.
    • When asked about their strengths and weaknesses, see if they have a positive
    attitude even towards their weaknesses, for example if they say they're a
    procrastinator, they should display that they're working on turning that around.

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  32. FAQ 4
    • Instead of asking a candidate how he would behave in a particular situation, we can ask
    candidate to describe how he behaved in a past situation.
    • Yes attitudes influences behavior, but they are not always aligned. There are certain
    situations where attitudes dictate your behavior like, if you are an absolute expert on a
    certain subject matter and in that discussion your attitude will influence your behavior,
    And if you have past personal experience on the matter it will influence your behavior
    greatly

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  33. Can-do attitude
    and willingness to
    embrace
    challenges
    Developer - Intern

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  34. Do you know what
    are the testing
    tools we use and
    strategies?
    QA - Intern

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  35. View Slide

  36. View Slide

  37. Think for a second,
    “would I hire me?”

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  38. This is you. In
    couple of
    years.

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  39. What do you think is the
    best impression?
    “I went to university
    for 2 years *, please
    hire me”
    “I have worked with
    these technologies and
    I have proof. I can be
    trusted to get the work
    done, I’ll prove it.”
    * I have 80% attendance

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  40. Wrap up!
    Tech Competency (Mandatory)
    Basics
    Programing Fundaments (E.g.: Conditions, Loops, Try
    Catch)
    OOP Concepts
    Data Structures and Algorithms
    Understanding of programming principles (Eg: Solid)
    Database Concepts (SQL or NO-SQL)
    Basic understanding of Design Patterns
    Basic understanding of Version Control
    Learnability
    IQ / Problem solving skills
    Experience
    Technical Exposure
    Experience working in a real world project
    Hackathons and Competitions
    Open Source
    Hacker Rank
    Leadership Experience
    Extra Curricular Activities (Sports, Club,..)
    Accepting Challenges
    Friendliness
    Dependability (Being responsible / Trustworthiness)
    Communication skills (Language / Professionalism)
    Technically up to date
    Awareness on career path
    Technical blogging / Actively Participate in Communities
    Cloud Computing
    Front-end / Back-End Technologies
    Frameworks (e.g. EF Core)
    DevOps
    You need to know
    these…
    Better to have
    these…. But not
    mandatory
    Try to check
    at least few of
    these boxes

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  41. Thanks!
    You’re Hired
    Do you have any questions?
    [email protected]

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  42. Appendix A
    Skills Education
    Evidence
    Activities & Interests
    Evidence
    Work Experience
    Evidence
    Comm. Skills: Written & Oral
    Time/Project Management
    Organization, Administrative
    Teamwork
    Problem Solving
    Drive & Initiation
    Language (Level of fluency)
    Leadership
    Commercial Awareness
    Other

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  43. A personal SWOT analysis, may be more useful if you focus on a
    specific goal or problem that you want to address.
    refer to favorable external factors that
    could give an organization a competitive
    advantage. For example, if a country cuts
    tariffs, a car manufacturer can export its
    cars into a new market, increasing sales
    and market share.
    Opportunities
    describe what an organization excels at
    and what separates it from the
    competition: a strong brand, loyal
    customer base, a strong balance sheet,
    unique technology, and so on. For
    example, a hedge fund may have
    developed a proprietary trading strategy
    that returns market-beating results. It
    must then decide how to use those
    results to attract new investors.
    Strengths
    refer to factors that have the potential to harm
    an organization. For example, a drought is a
    threat to a wheat-producing company, as it
    may destroy or reduce the crop yield. Other
    common threats include things like rising costs
    for materials, increasing competition, tight
    labor supply and so on.
    Threats
    stop an organization from performing at
    its optimum level. They are areas where
    the business needs to improve to remain
    competitive: a weak brand, higher-than-
    average turnover, high levels of debt, an
    inadequate supply chain, or lack of
    capital.
    Weaknesses
    S W
    O T
    Appendix B

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  44. Appendix C
    • Dress appropriately
    • Entrance, introductions &
    handshake
    • Smile and make eye contact
    • Be aware of own movements
    • Watch body language of
    interviewer
    First impression is very powerful
    Be relaxed, It’s an interview. You are not going to die.
    (eventually you will, but not today!)
    If it’s a physical interview

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  45. Development
    Software Engineer Senior Software Engineer
    Senior Technical Lead Technical Lead Associate Technical Lead
    Associate Technical Architect Technical Architect Senior Technical Architect
    Manager - Technology Solutions Architect
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna
    Appendix D

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  46. Quality Assurance
    QA Engineer Senior QA Engineer
    Senior QA Lead QA Lead Associate QA Lead
    Associate QA Architect QA
    Architect
    Product Quality Architect
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  47. User Experience
    UX Engineer Senior UX Engineer
    Senior UX Lead UX Lead Associate UX Lead
    Associate UX Architect UX
    Architect
    Senior UX Architect
    HCI Architect
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  48. IT Support and DevOps
    Infrastructure Engineer Senior Infrastructure Engineer
    Manager IT
    Infrastructure Management Specialist Infrastructure management Lead
    Senior Infrastructure Management Specialist Associate Manager - IT
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  49. Business Analysts
    Business Analysts Senior Business Analysts
    Manager Business Consulting
    Senior Business Consultant Business Consultant
    Associate Manager – Business Consulting
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  50. Development
    • Understanding Client requirements with the support of business analysts
    • Designing and developing software solutions
    • Support planning and estimation
    • Carry out developer testing
    • Preparing development related documents
    • Helping customers to identify issues and troubleshoot
    • Fixing bugs and other issues
    Development
    • Understanding Client requirements with the support of business analysts
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  51. Quality Assurance
    • Understanding Client requirements with the support of business analysts
    • Designing and developing test cases
    • Support planning and estimation
    • Executing test cases
    • Automating manual test cases
    • Carry out Regression, Performance, and Security testing
    • Preparing test reports
    • Ensuring the adherence to processes and standards.
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  52. User Experience
    • Conducting user surveys
    • Creating app prototypes and Improving them according to feedback
    • Creating a user personas
    • Designing and developing user interfaces
    • Conduct usability testing
    • Improve user experience according to the feedback
    • Understanding user behaviors using tools
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  53. IT Support and DevOps
    • Provisioning required environments
    • Installing updates and patches
    • Deploying and rolling back applications
    • Handling backup and restore
    • Handling infrastructure security
    • Automating provisioning of infrastructure using
    • IAC (Infrastructure as code ) techniques.
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  54. Business Analysts
    • Understanding business problems and mapping them to software solutions
    • Communicating requirements to developers and QAs
    • Documenting and managing requirements
    • Facilitate planning and estimations
    • Facilitating communication between developers and Clients
    Nishan Chathuranga Wikramarathna

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  55. A RIVER CUTS THROUGH ROCK
    NOT BECAUSE OF IT’S POWER,
    BUT BECAUSE OF IT’S
    PERSISTENCE.

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