Interview Tips what it takes to Beat the Best

From my personal experience in the placement session of 2008, I have really understood that
just being a good programmer is not 100% what a company expects from you. In many cases,
your interview session can be an icing on the cake.
I have penned down certain important things that I would really want each guy to practice or
try in thei r interview, as I do not want that those who have worked hard preparing and studying
for the placements are left out just because of not presenting or selling themselves when it was
needed the most.
Before starting, please note that while writing this document, I have not looked at any internet
page and all the things I have mentioned here, are what I used in 3 interviews I gave, thats of
Aricent, Yahoo and DE Shaw & Co. so they may or may not cover things written on WWW and is
just a personal advice.
And so, the gyaan starts its flow

1. Be well dressed, it will be your first impression, even before you have spoken a word and you
definitely never want to lose on that.

2. Smile and greet, exchange pleasantries, and keep the mood light in beginning. Usually the
first few questions are informal. Try to make yourself comfortable in the environment and be
confident. This is just the beginning remember!!!...

3. When answered a difficult question, GIVE it a try, but if you do not know the answer to a
question or have no idea about it, do not hesitate to say you do not know the answer to it,
rather than giving a wrong answer and then possibly contradicting yourself. You should
although have a good reason to back you.

4. Do not restrict yourself to C/C++, if you know the logic or know the problem can be done
easily in another way, definitely share the idea with interviewer. The way you solve the
problem is respected more than the answer itself. If you know how a problem can be solved in
C++ and also in Java, you would be better off by giving answers to both, and finally concluding
which one would be a better approach.

5. If you need time for answering a problem, feel free to say "Let me think about this, I need 2
minutes before I can answer". This shows you can answer correctly if given time to think.
Correctness and confidence is the key here.

6. Almost all interviewers try to get the optimal solution from you even if you may not know it
in beginning. When you answer to some XYZ question, which may not be the best answer the
interviewer had expected; he will most probably give you some hints or ask questions to take
you to that answer that he expects. So always be on lookout of hints such as these while
answering, as next question could help you give a better answer to the previous question or
could also lead you to contradict yourself. Phew!!!. Yes, the interviewers love to play like this.

7. Be chilled out, Tech interviews are never stress interviews even if you have answered few
questions wrongly on a streak. If you actually end up contradicting yourself while answering
(happens a lot), acknowledge the mistake and give them the correct solution to the problem.
You will never be given negative points once you reached the correct answer even if you took
some time.

8. Maintain a smile on your face, while answering questions and possibly crack a situational
joke.. most of this though happens spontaneously. You will love to share such experiences with
your friends once you come out of the interview room.

9. You can share personal experiences of your intern or some project which really reflect your
work handling qualities or your technical skills.

10. Ask questions at end, be it regarding company, how was the interview, what more do they
expect from your side/where do they think you should improve(I did this in Y! Interview).
11. After tech interview, you may also face HR interviews. Most often Tech interviews weigh
around 80% of your score, and HR just 20%. But if you are called for HR interviews expect the
elimination chance still exist, else HR interview wouldn't have happened. I have some friends
who took HR really casually and actually failed to clear the HR round even though they had
cleared the tech interview.
"In HR interview", the pitfall is anything that could possibly show a negative attitude of yours;
Just be highly optimistic towards your career opportunities with the company ahead, and any
company HR will welcome you with both hands open.

12. IMP-MISCELLANEOUS: Always look in the eyes of the person asking questions, and be calm
and composed. Talk slowly and do not speak hastily. Do not move a l ot while answering, try to
avoid using hands while answering and avoid signs that show Negative body language(Itching
nose, looking down, using finger to scratch frequently), etc. Also avoid saying lies about other
people skills. The interview guys are wary of these indications and pick them up fast enough.

13. Shake hands with the interviewer after the interview is over, and take a leave.
---
The Bottom-line: If you know the stuff, you would & should be confident. You will get through
one day, and that day would be one of your lucky days when you see it in retrospection.
PS: Obviously, you have come to the end of this doc, and most probably you may not
remember what was the 2
nd
thing I had suggested.. Never mind , Just go through them
again now, and before your i nterview session happen. There is no one to stop you from
achieving your goals. Best of luck.

@Author
Anubhav Agarwal NSIT-IT 2009 Graduate.
Reach me on Gmail, LinkedIn, Orkut and Blogger.
I was recruited by D.E Shaw & Co. in 2008 campus placements, and I am working here
presently. In college, I was president of Resonanz 2008, and co-founder of Reminisce Magazine,
so possibly I may have interacted with you sometime or other. Anyways, reach me whenever in
doubt and I will try to reply.