After a near perfect resume and cover letter, you finally get the call you been waiting for from the career you always wanted…time to get interviewed!
The interview can be a nervous situation and will vary upon which part of the tech industry you’re entering in. As a recent college grad, improving my interviewing skills will allow me to advance my career forward.
So we asked some of Palm Beach Tech’s finest what they look for in the interview process:
1. What’s your most unique interview question?
Sean Biganski, CTO @ Hello Labs
“If we gave you access to an unlimited budget to work on a passion project, what would it be?” – Mike
“What would you change in the user experience or function of an elevator?” – Ryan
In the event of a zombie apocalypse evacuation, what 3 items do you take with you? – Sean
2. What unique talent and skill set do you look for in a potential job candidate?
Mike Gonzalez, CEO @ Perfect
We always look for people that LOVE what they do. What we do is not easy, but we have fun doing. – Mike
The ability to think critically and a personal sense of pride as it relates to their work. – Ryan
A critical blend of experience, intelligence and humbleness. We look for the rock star ability without the rock star attitude. – Sean
3. How do you identify a candidate that will fit well within the company’s culture?
Ryan Morgan, Managing Partner @ Arrow Consulting & Design
It’s important to know who you are hiring. One of many ways we do this is to make a practice of browsing the candidate’s social media accounts (professional and personal) to give us a better sense of their character, interests and culture. – Mike
Someone who is comfortable holding a conversation and someone I’d want to have coffee with and talk about how to change the world. – Ryan
As many people as possible weigh in on a candidate. During our hiring process, a candidate might talk to and work with up to 7 people. Everyone involved submits a blind “scorecard” on a range of attributes that range from ability to how personable they seemed. –Sean
Some more tips:
CareerSource Palm Beach County, which is chartered by the state of Florida to work with local businesses in job placement, recruitment assistance and funds for skills training, offers 2 great insights from their Virtual Career Center.
1. Before the interview, be company SMART
S – Scope – Clearly understand what the company does
M – Mission Statement – Know the company mission
A – Administration – Know who runs the company
R – Releases – Recent news releases may reveal company accomplishments
T – Tribute – Know the charities or organizations they pay tribute to
Have a 30-Second commercial / elevator pitch ready for the very common interview question “So tell me about yourself?”
- “My background is in _____ with the bulk of my career working in _______.”
- “Most recently, I worked at _____, as the ____where my duties included ______.”