Interview Success - Secrets to Winning Talk for Women Techmakers as a part of their #BeInspired talks at the one-day conference in NYC. Women Techmakers is a project of Google Development Group.

1. #wtm15
#BeInspired Jovena Whatmoor
● Co-Founder, Clutch Talent
● Co-Creator, NYTechWomen
● Organizer, NY JavaScript Meetup
● Interview Success: Secrets to Winning
jovenaw
jovena
+JovenaWhatmoor
#BeInspired

2. #wtm15
Interview Success
Secrets to Winning

3. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Cracking the secrets
Why didn’t you get that offer?
What does that “reason for decline” really mean?
How to win.
5 Common reasons for decline
● Communication
● “Culture fit”
● Lack of passion
● Negative attitude
● Technical

4. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Communication problems
● Ramble
● Answers do not relate directly to the company you’re
interviewing with
● Tied down in your current employer’s lingo
Communication wins
● Give yourself time to form a concise answer
● Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes
● Be brave about asking for clarification
● It’s okay to not know every answer
● Smile!

5. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Culture fit
What does it really mean?
They’re evaluating if you would be happy there.
Culture wins
● Ask about Core Values
● Do your homework: twitter, blog, etc to get a sense of
the personalities, activities, etc.
● Strive to connect with every interviewer.
● Dress to fit in (usually no suits!)
● Smile!
If you do all this and are declined for culture fit, you probably
would not be happy there.

6. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Lack of passion...
● Do not seem interested in the technology / company
● Did not act enthusiastic
● Do not show passion for technology & learning
Passion wins
● Memorize 5-10 things you love about each:
○ the company
○ the technology product
○ the tech stack & tech culture
○ the team
● Read recent press about the company
● Use an enthusiastic tone or words
● Smile!

7. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Negative attitude
● Talk about bad managers at previous jobs
● Complain about poor tech decisions by peers
● Express dislike toward specific tech - languages,
frameworks, etc
Attitude wins
● Find honest, but indirect / kind ways to express why you
left previous jobs
● Save criticism & concerns for post-offer discussions
● Practice: Turn every negative statement into a positive
● Smile!

8. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Technical assessment methods
● Core Computer Science fundamentals
● Problem solving - verbal, whiteboarding, sketch
● Pair programming
● Code tests & extensions
Looking for
● Knowledge of their tech stack (50%+ is probably okay)
● Ability to fit into their tech culture, for example: agile,
TDD, fast-paced, continuous release
● Ability to articulate your experience in a way that is
relevant to their tech

9. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Technical problems
● Not prepared
● Talk about non-relevant experience
Tech wins
● Find out everything you can about the interview
● Relevant side-projects on Github
● Meet an engineer for an informational coffee
● Practice, practice, practice
● When you don’t know the answer -
○ Talk it through outloud
○ Discuss experience w/ something similar
○ It’s okay to say “I’m not familiar...”
● Smile!

10. #wtm15
#InterviewSuccess: Secrets to Winning
Do not forget to...
SMILE
@jovenaw