Interviews for computing/IT jobs including a practice interview.
Try a practice interview for computing jobs, answering typical questions and also getting tips on how you should answer. There are also other questions students have been asked at computing interviews.
- Practice computing interview
- Important points
- If you have a "hole" in your CV ....
- Questions Kent students have been asked at computing interviews
- Questions YOU can ask at IT interviews
- Further help
- Programming aptitude tests (separate page)
- Computing Careers Page (separate page)
- Electronics & Computer Systems Engineering Careers Page (separate page)
SYSTEMS ANALYSTS must be able to communicate with the user of their system, and be able to listen to them to find out their requirements. They must be able to investigate and solve problems. They need to be able to present their solutions to their clients and persuade them that their solution is the best one. They usually work in a team, so they need to be able to cooperate with programmers and other team members. Employers will be looking to see how you can talk about and demonstrate these skills at your interview. The sort of evidence you could offer includes:
- Listening: working on the university helpdesk.
- Persuading: staff-student liaison committee representative.
- Cooperating: fund-raising for rag.
- Solving problems: debugging a program.
- Presenting: the results of a group project.
Practice Computing Interview
Before you arrive ...
This interview will concentrate mainly on the IT specific interview questions you may be asked so it is similar to a technical interview. Computer aptitude tests are used by most large companies, so make sure you gain familiarity with these. First interviews for computing jobs may be with a personnel manager who may not know much about IT, and second interviews may be technical e.g. 'write an SQL query'. This is why is may be sensible to send your CV to the IT dept. as well as to Personnel. Also see our Computing Careers Page and Interview Reports
There follow some of the questions that might be specifically asked of students at interviews for computing jobs. General interview questions are not asked here, so you might also like to try the general and multiple choice interviews as well for standard interview questions that can be thrown at any candidate. Click on "First Question" to begin. Think carefully about how you would answer, then click on "Show Answer Tips" to get an idea of how you should be answering.
Applications for IT Jobs
See our applications and interviews section at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm
and the example computing CVs at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm
IMPORTANT POINTS
- Companies care more about their business than about computers. You aren't employed because you like computers, you're employed because you can make the company more profitable. If an interview is focused only on technology try discussing the business needs of the company - you'll make a good impression.
- There is an increased demand for interpersonal and business skills such as negotiating skills, as companies insist that IT professionals develop a business awareness.
- Smaller companies have less room to grow and more informal career paths, but compensate by offering a greater share in the success of the company and more creative diversity in your work. A small company's camaraderie, team spirit and openness to individual initiative may be offset by a larger company's opportunities for advancement and broad choice of projects.
- A job advert listing specific machines, languages, and operating systems may offer little opportunity for career advancement: you may be just coding algorithms.
- First interviews may be with a personnel manager who may not know much about IT and second interviews technical - "write an SQL query". This is why is may be sensible to send your CV to the IT dept. as well as Personnel.
- If they ask you a technical question to which you don't know the answer just say you don't know and go on to say how you would find out or talk about the general area the question addresses.
IF YOU HAVE A "HOLE" IN YOUR CV ....
Very often you are hired as much for your problem solving skill as for your knowledge of a particular language. You can sometimes get by these questions by emphasising your ability to learn: once you know one or two programming languages you can be confident that, given a decent manual, access to a compiler, and a little time, you can learn a new language in a few weeks. e.g.
- "I have a limited knowledge of C but I have a thorough knowledge of Java. There are relatively few new concepts and I'm confident I can learn to write well-structured and efficient C in a short time."
- "It's true I haven't learned PL/1, but I've learned two other procedural languages - PASCAL and Java - which share the same data types and control structures as PL/1. More valuable to you and harder to acquire are my problem solving skills, which I can apply in any language."
QUESTIONS KENT STUDENTS HAVE BEEN ASKED AT INTERVIEWS FOR IT JOBS.
- What aspects of the course have you enjoyed most?
- What aspects of computing are you most interested in?
- Give two examples of your analytical skills/problem solving skills/leadership skills (systems analysis - Proctor and Gamble)
- How would you document your programs/code?
- How would you go about solving a problem e.g. a bug in a program?
- If you needed to explain the solution to a problem how would you go about it? e.g. a technical problem with a computer explained to a end user.
- Why did you choose your project? /how did you undertake it? /what did you enjoy about it? Justify the results.
- How did you prepare your project? What did you learn from it? What would you do differently next time?
- How would your project relate to a team-based job?
- What experience do you have of SQLs, RDBMSs, networks?
- Have you learned any computer languages from manuals?
- What role will you play in an IT environment?
- What do you think is the role of IT in our bank?
- If you had to send a Beta of some software to a company, but they couldn't get it to run, what would you do?
Technical questions
"Make sure you know everything you have been taught - they try and predict what you have learned from module descriptions and quiz you on them. For the HR interview just know your CV inside out. The technical interviewers will keep asking you harder and harder questions so be prepared to say "I don't know" (they are trying to find the limits of your knowledge!) and don't be put off by their stares or comments to each other if it takes a while to answer a question." (Morgan Stanley Interview) |
- Very challenging and probing technical questions about the skills I added on my application form: C++, Java, Windows and Linux questions but also questions on data structures (linked lists, array lists etc) and sorting algorithms. (Morgan Stanley)
- They gave me random on the spot maths questions that you had to think 'outside of the box' to solve. (Morgan Stanley)
- Wireless internet standards: advantages of WAP over WEP
- About firewalls and proxy servers (Phillips Research)
- Differences between C++ and Java
- Draw a UML diagram for a particular computer system
- UML diagram for animal/cat/dog - explain
- What is on-chip cache?": Level 0, Level 1, Level 2;
- How many bytes is 2^20?
- Where are UNIX system configuration files kept?": /etc, /usr, /opt;
- Lots of questions about Java, servers.
- Technical questions on computer science (not too difficult!) - Logica, Reuters.
QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IN IT INTERVIEWS
- What kind of courses do you give programmers in-house/at outside training centres?
- What kind of machine does your system run on?
- What will I actually be responsible for on this system?
- What does the person who used to do this job do now?
- If this is a development project, how much coding has already taken place?
- How will my performance be appraised?
- Is there a promotion route for technical staff as well as management staff?
Consultancies and software houses
- Will I have a PC of my own?
- How soon will I be put on a real project?
- What kind of work will I start with - data input, programming, testing, documentation?
- Is most of the work done on client premises or in your offices?
- Will I be expected to work overtime and will I be paid extra?
- What is your attitude towards membership of the BCS?
- Will I continue to receive training once experienced?
IT Equipment manufacturer
- Could I eventually move into production, customer services, sales and marketing or training?
- Do people move between different sites/subsidiaries? Is this imposed or voluntary?
User
- Is there a management information services director? If not which senior person is responsible for the department?
- How is the department structured?
- What resources does the company put into IT?
- What equipment, programming languages would I be using?
FURTHER HELP
- Interviews lots more help with interview skills.
- Interview Reports A selection of reports completed by students after they have been to interview is on the web. These give details of questions asked, tests administered and tips for candidates.
- Other Practice Interviews Interviews for postgraduate study, scientific research, and other areas as well as general interviews. You will be asked common questions found in these interviews and given tips on how to answer them.
- Psychometric Tests The tests many employers give you at interview
- Postgraduate Applications and Interviews
Back to the practice interviews menu or Answers to 150 common interview questions