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

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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.

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Application

ASU

Target your industry of interest

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, dont 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
Resumes 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

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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

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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

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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

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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 dont

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Behavioral Interview how to answer

ASU

It is OK to take a few seconds to think

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

Dont 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

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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

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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

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Technical Questions what you do

ASU

Make best use of the time to showcase your skills

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

Dont go on and on about a particular topic
Be specific enough to not sound vague and,
General enough to keep their interest

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Technical Interview what if I dont know

ASU

Can you say I dont know?

Only as a last resort after you have attempted to answer

Dont guess blindly and dont 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

Dont be shy to use the board/pad practice drawing pictures

Draw pictures binary tree, hash table, linked list

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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

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Presentations

ASU

Many companies are having their graduate candidates do presentations

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

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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

Dont be disheartened, persistence is the name of the game!

Interview Guide

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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 dont know or know a lot

Presentations

Follow-up