Adult Content Warning

This community may contain adult content that is not suitable for minors. By closing this dialog box or continuing to navigate this site, you certify that you are 18 years of age and consent to view adult content.

"The Microsoft Interview"

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Vanilla, Oct 17, 2011.

  1. NickAragua

    NickAragua
    Expand Collapse
    Average Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2009
    Messages:
    67
    Location:
    Near Lake Titikaka
    Focus:
    Q: "As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"
    A: "An astronaut. But then, I settled for being a computer programmer."

    Q: "What is your greatest weakness?"
    A: "Stupid questions make me want to punch people in the face."

    Q: "How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator?"
    A: "How big is the fridge? How many pieces am I allowed to cut the elephant into?"

    Alt Focus:
    Most of it's been covered, but here are some nice, big, red flags to watch out for.

    - You get interviewed by someone who is referred to (non-jokingly) as a "visionary", "grand architect", etc., either by himself or by others.
    - You get asked a canned question ("What's your greatest weakness", etc.)
    - The interviewer can't stop talking, not even long enough to let you answer a question.
     
  2. trh2h

    trh2h
    Expand Collapse
    Should still be lurking

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2009
    Messages:
    8
    Interviewer "I always ask this question because it says a lot about somebody... What's your favorite movie?"

    Me: "Office Space. Definitely Office Space."

    I got the job.
     
  3. Beer Me

    Beer Me
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2009
    Messages:
    122
    Location:
    Manitoba, Canada
    I have aspergers (hehehehe ass burgers!) and going to an interview is quite difficult as it is, but over time it's gotten much easier because I went a period of time where I had an interview or two per week for several months. It got to the point I didn't give a damn, so I didn't get overly nervous when in an interview.

    One thing I didn't notice until fairly recently is that my voice gets really, REALLY loud in an interview, especially if I'm nervous. I honestly don't notice it, but at the end of the interview I always wonder why my mouth feels incredibly dry.

    My interview skills suck, but one of the key reasons why I'm not getting a second interview/actual position are: "I'm not motivated enough" as I haven't had a "real" job in years, or somehow my education is too much for the position.

    Apparently HR reps aren't keen on the term "bovine waste management" for previous job experience.
     
  4. scotchcrotch

    scotchcrotch
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    80
    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2009
    Messages:
    2,446
    Location:
    ATL
    "What is your greatest weakness?", question is more used to tell how full of shit people are.

    Everyone has weaknesses and playing that bullshit "weakness is a positive" spin, I'll end the interview right there. It's condescending and a waste of my time.
     
  5. NickAragua

    NickAragua
    Expand Collapse
    Average Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2009
    Messages:
    67
    Location:
    Near Lake Titikaka
    I can't speak for any "people person" jobs, but, for an engineering type job, it's much easier to tell if people are full of shit by asking them some simple technical questions. Even if you're an HR puke who has no idea what's going on on the engineering side of things, you can still ask the engineering guys for a list of simple questions with cut and dry answers. Having been on the interviewer side of things, it's definitely great to have someone to filter out the unwashed masses a little bit down to just the folks who have at least a basic level of competence. However, as an interviewee, having someone ask me a "greatest weakness" type of question seems condescending and a waste of *my* time.
     
  6. Vorticon

    Vorticon
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Messages:
    118
    Location:
    NZ
    Alt focus:

    I'm a team leader in a position where I'm in charge of people who are (mostly) recent grads working full time or current students working part time. I get a lot of applicants who have bachelors degrees and are coming to realise that there aren't too many options out there for them unless they're particularly high achievers or want to work in hospitality. As such, I deal with a lot of the 'I have a degree, why is it so hard to get a job?' types of people. There is a pre-interview testing process that weeds out about half of applicants, but these are the tips that would help many of them:

    -Learn something about the job and about the company, and act interested in what they do. If you know someone who works there, pick their brains as much as you can about the place. Think about different aspects of the job: Is it a team-based environment? What are the most interesting parts about it? Do I actually want it?

    -Come with examples from your previous work/volunteering so that when you get asked that question about team work or about your weaknesses or about good/bad managers you've worked for you have real life examples to use. Being able to show that you've dealt with situations before and dealt with them well is good, even if you have to use the example of some shitty university club you were in or that waitressing job you hated. Actually, if you worked in hospo at all you should have a good example of someone who was awful to work with or a manager who was terrible and come up with an explanation of how well you dealt with it.

    -Act interested, and show some enthusiasm. We all know that interviews are those awkward things that we bumble through in the hope of getting a job, but at least seem like you actually want to work there and that you view the interview as an opportunity you actually want.

    -Dress appropriately. If the workplace is smart casual, come dressed smart casual or slightly above. If you aren't sure, err on the side of formal. I just checked the website of the company I work for, and there are various staff photos and videos around. The CEO is the only one wearing a tie. Looking for little hints like that on the website can help you.

    -I know this conflicts with what most people will say, but don't turn up early. Turn up on time. If this means you have to arrive 30 minutes early and sit on a park bench around the block for 25 minutes so that you don't turn up late, do that. Managers put less time than you think into preparing for an interview, and you run the risk of making them feel rushed if you turn up early.

    And I know this isn't what we're talking about, but please keep your cover letter short and to the point...