Once, on a Saturday, October 28, 2006, I thought...
the flat screen
I just read Joel Spolsky's - The Phone Screen.
He writes very very well indeed. He should be a teacher.
So now that I know how companies (or atleast this one) screen you on the phone, I'm all prepared for a phone interview.
No kittens!
First things first, my grade will be in fine print.
And having had no previous jobs (so there goes experience), it will still be quite a task to get my powerful-sounding jobs down a notch.
But seventeen languages!! My God! What is he applying for? Software translation? Is there a Guinness Record for this?
I just know three, and a few more broken up maybe. So if I include programming languages and add gibberish, then maybe I'd just reach 10.
Obviously, kittens are a definite no-no! But an impressive resume atleast gets the company to call me up. So I did save a baby eagle once. Its a long story, and good - at least it will fill up my otherwise empty resume!
Once the phone interview starts, I won't have much to say about myself, so I'll get a good book lying nearby, and read something nice about someone nice from there.
"Kylie Minogue is a phenomenon of truly international proportions. To date she has released nine albums, six long-play videos, in addition to the Greatest Hits double album and video package, live album and video and 39 singles throughout the world, all of which have been hits...."
[click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
"Hello?..."
But once they start asking me questions, its smooth sailing for me.
"How would you design a data structure or a block of code to do x? "
"Didn't you ask my the same question last year?"
"I did?"
"Yes! You ask the same questions year after year!"
"Well, do you have an answer this year?"
[click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
"Hello?..."
Here are some ideas to get you started:
He writes very very well indeed. He should be a teacher.
So now that I know how companies (or atleast this one) screen you on the phone, I'm all prepared for a phone interview.
No kittens!
First things first, my grade will be in fine print.
And having had no previous jobs (so there goes experience), it will still be quite a task to get my powerful-sounding jobs down a notch.
But seventeen languages!! My God! What is he applying for? Software translation? Is there a Guinness Record for this?
I just know three, and a few more broken up maybe. So if I include programming languages and add gibberish, then maybe I'd just reach 10.
Obviously, kittens are a definite no-no! But an impressive resume atleast gets the company to call me up. So I did save a baby eagle once. Its a long story, and good - at least it will fill up my otherwise empty resume!
Once the phone interview starts, I won't have much to say about myself, so I'll get a good book lying nearby, and read something nice about someone nice from there.
"Kylie Minogue is a phenomenon of truly international proportions. To date she has released nine albums, six long-play videos, in addition to the Greatest Hits double album and video package, live album and video and 39 singles throughout the world, all of which have been hits...."
[click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
"Hello?..."
But once they start asking me questions, its smooth sailing for me.
"How would you design a data structure or a block of code to do x? "
"Didn't you ask my the same question last year?"
"I did?"
"Yes! You ask the same questions year after year!"
"Well, do you have an answer this year?"
[click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
"Hello?..."
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- How might you design a program that lets people play Monopoly with each other over the internet?
"Well sir, my first step would be obvious. I' d google for 'Monopoly' and..."
[click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
"Hello?..." - How would you implement code to operate the elevators in a high rise?
"There would be two buttons: UP and DOWN. Guess what they do!"
[click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
"Hello?..." - How would you implement the rendering engine of a web browser?
"Well there's this control for Internet Exp..." [click!] [beep][beep][beep]...
Man! Didn't even have to complete that one! Was it IE?
That went well. I'm almost through! Last question! Woohoo!
"Is there anything you would like to ask me? Any questions about our company, about working at our company?"
Now I'll probably be asked this at more than one place.
Microsoft: "Can you put me through to Helpdesk now?"
Apple: "Didn't you guys copy Microsoft's idea of a GUI?"
Google: "Does Google have a website?"
