Interview Tips

I interviewed few candidates for my company. A few tips.

Usually interviewers form an impression on whether the candidate is good or not within 5 minutes of seeing and talking to him/her.Rest of the time, they try to validate whether their impression is correct or wrong(atleast this is what I do).So its important you make a good impression in the first few minutes.

Dress code

Well dress you wear for the interview is not everything, but you dress well, it will help you to make a initial good impression. The color of the dress gives certain impression, it seems(I don't remember paying attention to the dress, the candidate wore, but it seems it would have affected my impression at a subconscious level.But what you loose dressing up well)

• Red:You wear it to attract other people's attention.If you are presenting something or you want others to pay attention to you, dress in red. This is not the best color to wear for interview.
• Blue:If you want other people to like you, dress in blue.
• White:It gives the impression that you are hardworking.Wear this. I mean not entirely in white but the predominant color should be white.Like a black trouser and white shirt should do.

Resume

• Whatever you mention in the resume, you must try to be thorough in it.
• Be honest of what you put in it.
• Try to keep it small,it should not be longer than 2 to 3 pages.
• One of the main reason of rejection is, something is mentioned in the resume and when asked questions about it, not able to answer them and in few cases saying that "I have done that 'something' long back and I don't remember anything".In many cases its true that you have used a tool or something a year back and you don't remember much about it, in that case before attending the interview, brush up atleast some basics regarding it, do some home work and prepare yourself to talk about it or don't mention about it in the resume, if it is not that important.

Topics to prepare, for a entry level testing job.

Testing fundamentals: Testing terminology, definitions etc.

Testing Processes: The testing processes used in your current/previous company.Knowledge of life cycle testing etc.

Testing tools: Given a problem, how to solve them using testing tools.

Testing deliverables: Able to write a test plan or test case for a given product or requirements

Analytical skills: Solving Puzzles

Programming skills(optional): Able to write pseudo code for a given problem.

Few more tips

Good Communication skills: obvious isn't it

Good Listening skills or understanding skills: Able to understand the questions posed by interviewer. Try your best to understand fully what the interviewer is blabbering in the first say.But if what he says is not clear, better to ask or try to confirm what you heard is correct before answering.

Confidence level: Watch your body language, keep eye contact, don't be over confident just be confident.

Two most important tips: You should have the right skills for the job.Also equally important is you SHOW or DISPLAY in front of the interviewer that you have the right skills.