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Job interviews can be very stressful moments, where a lot is at stake for both the candidate and the company. As a recruiter that participated in hundreds of interviews, I’ve noticed some basic and quick groundwork can go a long way in making candidates stand out. So let’s talk about how to prepare for job interviews in IT.
Why It’s Important to Prepare For a Job Interview in IT
Regardless of whether you are an old storyteller or applying for your first job, you absolutely should prepare for the interview.
This preparation can be understood in many aspects: technical knowledge, checking information about the company you are applying to, but also about seemingly mundane things, such as preparing the equipment beforehand or taking care of the appropriate outfit and environment that can be seen behind your back during a video call.
My Personal Experiences as a Recruiter
Do you think it’s irrelevant? Let me tell you a story… I had an appointment once for a job interview with a great salesman, or at least that’s what I thought after analyzing his CV. I am used to the fact that salespeople are very mobile people, and this particular candidate was talking from a car – safely parked, of course. The final interview included the Management Board and, to my surprise, the Candidate connected… from the park where he was with his child! At first, we tried to have a normal conversation anyway, but the noise made it impossible. We are all human, but for God’s sake! The meeting should be as distraction-free as possible. If something sudden happens to you, it’s better to reschedule the meeting.
That candidate might have had the best competencies, but we couldn’t help but think about what would happen if, in similar circumstances, he chaired a meeting with a potential client, representing our company.
Another time we lost 10 minutes due to technical problems because the candidate had a very poor internet connection. He did not check it beforehand, which made the conversation very difficult. We asked him to repeat the answer several times, and finally, we had to continue the conversation on the phone. This greatly stressed the candidate and made it difficult for him to present himself well during the meeting.
Another classic moment is when the candidate, asked what he knows about our company, admits with disarming honesty that he has not even visited our website and actually does not know what position he is applying for.
Please don’t do this – to yourself and to us! 🙂
7 Steps – How To Prepare For a Job Interview In IT
1. Research as Much As You Can
About the company, projects, or technology they use – website, social media, blog. Try to get to know their way of working, daily routine.
The more you learn before the interview, you will feel more confident and be able to ask the right questions, which will surely be appreciated by the recruiter. Your motivation and commitment to the recruitment process are as important as your technical skills!
And yes, this applies to IT! Imagine the company hires a technically brilliant, but very troublesome developer. Technically you have nothing to complain about, but his negative attitude can demotivate the team, have a devastating effect on the atmosphere, etc.
People usually try to show the best version of themselves during the interview. As a recruiter, I think “If during the meeting you show lack of commitment, preparation, motivation, what will you show when you join the company?”
2. Look Into Their Recruitment Process
Depending on the company, the recruitment process may have several stages: an initial interview, a practical task, an interview containing technical questions, and checking soft skills and your approach to work.
Various people from the company can participate in them: apart from a representative of the HR department, often also Team Leader or someone from the Department. This leads to our next item.
3. Take Into Account Who Will Interview You
Check carefully who will be attending the interview. A meeting with the HR manager will be very different from a meeting with the tech leader.
Check carefully who will be attending the meeting. A meeting with the HR manager will be different from a meeting with the tech leader.
Recruitment processes are arranged in various ways, sometimes they consist of several separate conversations: the first, initial with an HR representative, who aims to check whether you fit the profile of the candidate you are looking for (there will certainly be questions about technologies in which you have experience and projects for which have worked), as well as gather information about your availability and expectations (financial and developmental).
The second stage is the verification of your technical skills, usually done by the Team Leader or Senior Developer (questions to find out what level of advancement you are at). Many companies adapt to the expectations of candidates and try to shorten the duration of processes as much as possible, so don’t be surprised if you get to know both the HR Manager and technical people in one interview.
4. Brush Up Your English
If you want to work in the IT industry, you absolutely need to know English. You will read documentation and sometimes talk to the client, so you can be sure that questions in English will appear during the recruitment meeting.
5. Consider Dresscode and Atmosphere (But no Need to Overdo it)
In the era of remote meetings, it is still worth taking care of your image during the recruitment meeting, but the IT industry is quite liberal in this aspect 🙂
It’s common to shorten the distance and call a candidate by the first name, so don’t be surprised if the recruiter does this without asking.
6. Test Your Internet Connection and The Meeting Link
Test the meeting link and call someone you know to make sure your connection allows a smooth video call without any disruptions.
You may have to install additional software or plugins and they might not be compatible with your device.
Make sure which tool your interlocutor will use. Most of them do not require installation on your computer, and you only need a link to connect.
If you notice problems, it may be a better solution to make the internet available from your phone during the call (hotspot).
Technical problems do happen and they will probably not be assessed negatively, but keep in mind that technical problems can significantly interfere with the conversation and reduce the time you actually spend on a substantive conversation.
And there are particularities when talking about IT. If you are being hired for a technical role, the ability to efficiently solve problems is expected of you. For example, if a candidate for an office admin role doesn’t know how to launch Zoom, that is unremarkable. However, if a candidate for a senior developer role struggles to launch the app, it will likely reflect poorly.
7. Relax And Be Yourself! 🙂
The meeting is for you to get to know the company and the company to get to know you so that you can finally jointly assess whether you are broadcasting on the same wavelength and whether you want to cooperate. 🙂
Conclusion – Preparing is Important and Doesn’t Have to be Hard
Preparing for a job interview in IT is very important for a number of reasons. And, as we saw, some preparation steps are easy and quick. More importantly, they apply to most companies you will interview for.
You only make the first impression once. Even if the interview process doesn’t end up with a job offer, by presenting yourself well and looking professional, you do not close the gate for future contacts with this employer.
