December 12, 2007 at 1:51 am
Hi,
I am going to attend client interview very soon. will they look my technical skill or communication skill or both ?
I am going there as a Developer not as a lead position(Team Leader,Project Leader etc.,).
Which one will they look ? i.e Technical skill or communication skill or 50-50 ?
Experts Inputs are highly appreciable.
karthik
December 12, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I don't know and no one but the client can answer that. Every company and every interviewer is different. I would guess they will look at both, but how much importance they put on either one - only they can say. I've been to an interview where they told me up front that their interview is done entirely via a computer test so there would be no bias.
-SQLBill
December 12, 2007 at 1:57 pm
As SQLBill mentioned - it's all in the mix, as required by the customer. That being said - both sides are important. Showing that you know how to identify the requirements, see dead ends/roadblocks ahead of time, know how to implement a good solution based on the requirements, and that you actually can talk to customers, other techs, etc... are all important skills to be able to show. How valuable they are to the specific position is in the interviewer's head. Actually working to find that out during the interview would be a good thing.
Know the standards, why to use them and possibly when NOT to use them.
One-sided, or rather, not multi-facetted, is a bad thing.
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
December 12, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Again there is no way to say what they will look for. But usually the one thing people look for and don't even realize is confidence and determination. If you can answer them, answer with confidence in your knowledge and avoid fillers like UMMM. If you cannot answer them, let them know you cannot but describe how you would research the answer so that you can perform the task. Beyond that it is a grab bag of knowledge and personal ideas that will guide the cients decision and there is no way to prepare for that.
December 12, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I look mostly at how you get along with others and how you fit it. We can teach you technical skills and how to communicate, but we can't teach you to get along.
I also try to check for honesty and if I get a feeling that you'll do a good job, be able to think things through, listen to what's said and not guess at what I need, and also ask for help when you need it.
Be honest, do your best, don't expect that you know all the answers and admit when you don't. Thinking out loud often helps to convince someone you're a good fit.
December 13, 2007 at 12:58 am
Thanks Experts ! Your words increased my confident evel. I am sure i should clear my client interview. Again, Thanks for all experts.
karthik
December 13, 2007 at 1:17 am
confident level
karthik
December 13, 2007 at 10:16 am
Do you have any interview before? I am surprised that you put down your title as senior software engineer and it seems you never have any job interview experience.
December 13, 2007 at 4:18 pm
It will be a valuable experience... perhaps not the way most think, but valuable nevertheless.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 14, 2007 at 1:15 am
So far i have faced around 20 to 25 interviews.But so far i have attended one client interview only before 1 year. Also i haven't worked in client place.Yes,So far i have wroked in India only.Now i am looking for direct onsite job.
Thats Why i posted this question.I know peoples from different countries are participating in this site also they have good experience than me including yourself. If i get valuable suggestions from you and from those experts,i will easily clear my upcoming client interviews.
karthik
December 14, 2007 at 6:36 am
First you only have experiences interviewing in India and you only work for outsourcing company. They are not very choosy to get a programmer.
But in UK or US, I imagine it is very different from interviewing in UK and US from India. If you don't understand the culture of the country, it is kind of difficult. Also different companies have different ways of interviewing people. Some even requires technical interview. Some conducts group interview, one time I had an interview and there were 6 people in the room asking me questions. They can ask you any question. One of my supervisor liked to ask people IQ question, eg why is manhole round instead of square.
So good luck to your interview. From my experiences, I can tell you that I have about 100 interviews (including phone interviews and technical interviews), basically it is the interviewee's perception about you.
December 14, 2007 at 7:11 am
I agree with Loner points. US and UK culture are somewhat different. I had to do diversity training becuase I may deal with some off shore workers in the coming year and found it very interesting. You might find a few things bezar. For instance if you are in the US or UK when we are doing things that involve lots of people trying to do the same thing such as make a purchase we make lines, from what I was old by my Indian counter part was you guys don't tend to use lines in cases where we do. But most companies in the US and UK have been focused on off shoring so they tend to study the differences, but be aware if they do something you might consider rude not to be readily offended and show it as not to put them on the defensive. But that is purely cultural stuff you really want to research.
December 14, 2007 at 7:43 am
You also tend to present yourself differently. Our colleagues across the pond tend to be more understated than we are on the left side of the altantic... You will want to figure out the language and presentation differences so that you don't come across badly to your interviewer. And - which was something we encountered with some of our Indian counterparts - you might need to learn when to disagree with the interviewer, say "no", or push back appropriately. There's a definite cultural difference there, but being "yessed" is a BIG no-no in both US and UK. Again - no hard and fast rule, but be aware of it, since you only get one shot at a first and lasting impression.
And - like has been said before - there are just too many of these nuances to try to get them all down here. You might need to just get out there and get some practice. There ARE services that will coach you on your interviewing technique, so if this is an important interview to you, I'd suggest you find one and get their feedback first. They can't help you with the technical side, but it would be a shame to get kicked to the curb for "non-substance" reasons.
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
December 14, 2007 at 8:06 am
OH the big one I just remembered, in India apparently "Yes" carries the connotation of I heard what you said versus in the US and UK of meaning "I Agree and it can/will be done", so be sure your interviewer knows exactly what you mean so there is no confusion on either your or the clients part.
December 14, 2007 at 9:06 am
One piece of advice I will offer you, based on some recent experience conducting interviews.
Leave the arrogance at home. It's the fastest way to end an interview. Be confident, yes, but not arrogant. You won't know the skill level of the people interviewing you. don't assume you are better than them.
If you make any claims (expert in a certain area, experience doing something) make sure you can back it up with knowledge. If you can't, leave it out.
I recently interviewed a guy who claimed to have a lot of experience optimising queries. My first question was on clustered and nonclustered indexes. My second was on the execution plan. He couldn't answer either. Interview over right there.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
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