The Interview Process

Our last class of Exploring Your Digital Portfolio was about preparing for job interviews.  For myself this was very helpful because although I have many years of work experience, I have not been on a job interview in many years. I will be looking to re-enter the job market after graduation in May.

We had three speakers via skype who are from different professional fields.  Our first speaker was Rob Gurrieri.  He is a manager of software development at Bentley Systems in Watertown, CT.  Rob explained the hiring process for his company.  He said they go to colleges that are hosting hiring events and recommended that we attend at least 2 such events at our university.  For computer science majors,  you should be prepared for a challenge question to test your knowledge.  This is done to ensure candidates can efficiently solve a simple coding problem that requires them to think and give the potential employer the ability to evaluate the candidate based on the amount of time it took to solve and what logic was used to solve it.  These job hosting events are also valuable for the opportunity to meet potential employers face to face.  Rob stated that candidates should bring resumes that should include the following: good honest coverage of skills ranked by order listed, listing of interesting projects, internship and work experience.  He recommends that we not embellish too much because if you put it in there they will ask about it.  Other helpful points that may help you stand out are a high GPA, high school honors, extracurricular activities and volunteering. 

Our second speaker was Antoinette Richardson.  She recommended that resumes be short, simple and to the point.  It should list skills specific to the position. "Be honest and be yourself". She recommended getting an organizational chart of the company and explained it's importance by showing your who you may report to and how you can progress throughout the company.  She also explained the impact of following up with the people who interviewed you and thank them.  You should end the interview with asking how long it should take to hear back from them and their contact information, so you know when to follow up and with whom.

Our third and final speaker's name was Jerry and his advice was that "the interview gets you the job, it's not all about the resume.". Being face to face is important to show creativity, communicate clearly and show you are eager to learn.
I appreciate their professional knowledge and found this information very helpful.