February 19, 2009 at 8:44 am
A group interview could be fun. Round robin style, ask each other questions. I'd tape it, maybe cut down to some interesting answers for a podcast.
Grant, you'd do fine with Gail, just talk really loud. You can drown out her corrections 😀
February 19, 2009 at 8:45 am
GSquared (2/19/2009)
Lynn Pettis (2/19/2009)
Talking about interviewing, I would love to be in the same place at the same time as Jeff, Gail, Grant, Gus, Matt, and Jack and have a mock interview with all of them, with me as the interviewee. I know I'd come up short, but would definitely learn something from the experience.Actually, judging by posts on this site, I expect you would pass anything that had the purpose of being a hiring interview. The purpose of an interview is to test a few basics, and to get a feeling for whether a person would be okay for a set of duties and would mesh well with a team. So far as I can tell, you would do just fine.
Nobody knows everything about SQL. The key is to know what you know, be aware that there are things you don't know, don't try to fake it on either, and be able and willing to learn the things you need to as you need them. That's really all I'd be looking for in an interview. I'm firmly convinced that any reasonably bright person can learn to handle SQL, if they have the interest and the willingness, and the right guidance to get over the rough parts.
Have to admit to being flattered that you had me on your list.
First, I don't claim to know everything about SQL, but I do feel that I know a little about most of it (Jack of all trades, master of none).
As I don't think I would even apply for a junior level position, but would be going for senior or lead level positions, I'm sure the questions from the group I proposed would be a lot tougher on the technical side.
For instance, execution plans, looked at them, have no idea what they really tell me. When I look at optimizing a query, I find myself looking more at the query itself, the tables and current indexes, and the data in the tables. Seems to work for me so far, but I know I should learn more about execution plans, how to read them, and figure out where problems may exist from them. It would probably make some of what I do easier.
But what is more important than the mock interview itself would be the takeaways. I would know what type of questions highly knowledgeable individuals may ask. This would then lead me to areas of research and training to improve my own skills and knowledge so that in future interviews, I may not know the exact answers to similar questions but I could answer intelligently and if I still didn't know the answer I would be able to tell them where I would go to find the answers.
February 19, 2009 at 8:48 am
Grant Fritchey (2/19/2009)
GilaMonster (2/19/2009)
Lynn Pettis (2/19/2009)
Talking about interviewing, I would love to be in the same place at the same time as Jeff, Gail, Grant, Gus, Matt, and Jack and have a mock interview with all of them, with me as the interviewee.PASS this year? As a round robin, so each person gets a chance to be interviewee?
Could be entertaining.
We would have to video tape it & post it. If for no other reason, posers could keep a picture of the scariest of the interviewers in their wallet. When they walked into an interview, saw Jeff waiting for them and a pork chop launcher partially hidden in the corner, they could leave quietly and quickly.
What exactly DOES a pork chop launcher look like?
February 19, 2009 at 8:49 am
How about a Live web interview?? Each person joins a conference and then the Mock interview can happen. We all get to watch or listen. 😛
-Roy
February 19, 2009 at 8:49 am
Lynn Pettis (2/19/2009)
Grant Fritchey (2/19/2009)
GilaMonster (2/19/2009)
Lynn Pettis (2/19/2009)
Talking about interviewing, I would love to be in the same place at the same time as Jeff, Gail, Grant, Gus, Matt, and Jack and have a mock interview with all of them, with me as the interviewee.PASS this year? As a round robin, so each person gets a chance to be interviewee?
Could be entertaining.
We would have to video tape it & post it. If for no other reason, posers could keep a picture of the scariest of the interviewers in their wallet. When they walked into an interview, saw Jeff waiting for them and a pork chop launcher partially hidden in the corner, they could leave quietly and quickly.
What exactly DOES a pork chop launcher look like?
We're not allowed to tell you. If we did, you might dodge.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
February 19, 2009 at 8:50 am
Lynn Pettis (2/19/2009)
First, I don't claim to know everything about SQL, but I do feel that I know a little about most of it (Jack of all trades, master of none).As I don't think I would even apply for a junior level position, but would be going for senior or lead level positions, I'm sure the questions from the group I proposed would be a lot tougher on the technical side.
For instance, execution plans, looked at them, have no idea what they really tell me. When I look at optimizing a query, I find myself looking more at the query itself, the tables and current indexes, and the data in the tables. Seems to work for me so far, but I know I should learn more about execution plans, how to read them, and figure out where problems may exist from them. It would probably make some of what I do easier.
But what is more important than the mock interview itself would be the takeaways. I would know what type of questions highly knowledgeable individuals may ask. This would then lead me to areas of research and training to improve my own skills and knowledge so that in future interviews, I may not know the exact answers to similar questions but I could answer intelligently and if I still didn't know the answer I would be able to tell them where I would go to find the answers.
You should write a book, Lynn..."Zen and the Art of SQL Server Maintenance"
or "How to stay calm when the only thing not being thrown at you is pork chops"!
For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden
February 19, 2009 at 8:55 am
"What exactly DOES a pork chop launcher look like?"
"Potato-gun or trebuchet-based?"
"Why... I don't know that.... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"
__________________________________________________
Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain. -- Friedrich Schiller
Stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down. -- Stephen Stills
February 19, 2009 at 8:59 am
You dont need to know how the Pork chop launcher looks like. As soon as he even leans a bit to the side, RUN.... RUN as fast as you can...!!! He is taking out his Launcher... 😀
-Roy
February 19, 2009 at 9:00 am
I'm picturing more a bolo style sling that whirls above the cubes, the top of Jeff's hair just visible!
February 19, 2009 at 9:06 am
WICKED visual that...
__________________________________________________
Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain. -- Friedrich Schiller
Stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down. -- Stephen Stills
February 19, 2009 at 9:13 am
Chris Morris (2/19/2009)
Lynn Pettis (2/19/2009)
First, I don't claim to know everything about SQL, but I do feel that I know a little about most of it (Jack of all trades, master of none).As I don't think I would even apply for a junior level position, but would be going for senior or lead level positions, I'm sure the questions from the group I proposed would be a lot tougher on the technical side.
For instance, execution plans, looked at them, have no idea what they really tell me. When I look at optimizing a query, I find myself looking more at the query itself, the tables and current indexes, and the data in the tables. Seems to work for me so far, but I know I should learn more about execution plans, how to read them, and figure out where problems may exist from them. It would probably make some of what I do easier.
But what is more important than the mock interview itself would be the takeaways. I would know what type of questions highly knowledgeable individuals may ask. This would then lead me to areas of research and training to improve my own skills and knowledge so that in future interviews, I may not know the exact answers to similar questions but I could answer intelligently and if I still didn't know the answer I would be able to tell them where I would go to find the answers.
You should write a book, Lynn..."Zen and the Art of SQL Server Maintenance"
or "How to stay calm when the only thing not being thrown at you is pork chops"!
Not too far from the truth. I think many of the experts will agree that many times the answer comes not from knowledge, but a gut feeling that says this is the right thing to be done.
I have an excellent example of a gut feeling being correct from a COBOL/ISAM environment. Readers Digest condensed version. Supervisor was working on a PC based version of our mini-computer based software trying to make a version to support branch offices around the world. There is on ISAM file that contained THE control record that managed order/invoice/po/item numbers as well as other control and lookup records. The record length in the file is 512 bytes. The files had 13 records in it. He would add 20 or so records and then run the AccuCobol recovery program on the file as a test shuld the system have a problem. It would delete all the records he had added. This same program worked fine on ALL the other files. I told him it was the record size, power of 2 thing. Change the size of the record by 1 byte, shrink it or make it larger as there was plenty of filler space in the record. He didn't believe me and struggled with the problem for another 2 weeks doing things that AccuCobol told him to do, to no avail. He final changed the record size, and everything worked. Yes, a workaround, but obviously AccuCobol didn't think their program was the problem and we needed a resolution.
By the way, this program never went live. Instead we developed an application using Borland's Paradox to support the offices. This too, however went away as a result of Y2K. We then invested in TeraTerm (freeware) and brought the remote offices online over an SSH connection.
February 19, 2009 at 9:23 am
Steve Jones - Editor (2/19/2009)
A group interview could be fun. Round robin style, ask each other questions. I'd tape it, maybe cut down to some interesting answers for a podcast.Grant, you'd do fine with Gail, just talk really loud. You can drown out her corrections 😀
Oh, well, heck, I can do that.... uh, you have to promise not to let her hit me.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
February 19, 2009 at 9:27 am
Lynn, I think that's very true, and it's hard to teach someone how to develop that gut instinct. I think it's something that takes time, and a lot of experience.
February 19, 2009 at 9:27 am
Grant Fritchey (2/19/2009)
Steve Jones - Editor (2/19/2009)
A group interview could be fun. Round robin style, ask each other questions. I'd tape it, maybe cut down to some interesting answers for a podcast.Grant, you'd do fine with Gail, just talk really loud. You can drown out her corrections 😀
Oh, well, heck, I can do that.... uh, you have to promise not to let her hit me.
A good bullhorn and put you on the other side of the room, will that work?
February 19, 2009 at 9:28 am
Grant Fritchey (2/19/2009)
Steve Jones - Editor (2/19/2009)
A group interview could be fun. Round robin style, ask each other questions. I'd tape it, maybe cut down to some interesting answers for a podcast.Grant, you'd do fine with Gail, just talk really loud. You can drown out her corrections 😀
Oh, well, heck, I can do that.... uh, you have to promise not to let her hit me.
How fast can you run? 😀
If I was to be interviewed by you all, I would stand 25 meters away from you all so that I will have enough head start when Running....:hehe:
-Roy
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