Update: I've posted some books here which can hopefully be of some use, specifically in this book.
I just landed a new job a few weeks ago, and I'm in the process of
moving and getting settled for the new position. Here are a few
important things I brushed up on, which I've learned from my 5 or 6
successful interviews, and some new ones I learned, for this interview.
All the basics. Dress well. Always overdress. Suit, tie, all that
jazz. As an engineer, you probably know jack about fashion so take a
girl with you to help you find a good suit that fits. You've got one
shot to look like you're not an anti-social bum, use it wisely. Be
there 15 minutes early. Firm handshake, make so much eye contact that
it's almost (but not quite) uncomfortable. Speak slightly louder and
slower than you think you need to, you're the man (or woman) and you
know it, so they'll want to hear what you say. Make sure they can.
Before the interview, prepare just like you would for a final or a huge
presentation at work. Good preparation in advance (even if none of it
ends up being useful) will give you confidence and should help you to
relax on D-Day. An excellent resource, whether you're an alumnus/alumna
or a current student, can be your campus career center. I attended
Arizona State, and they offered mock interviews, and an excellent
online source of possible questions and even resume tips. These can
all be found here: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/career/ . When
practicing in advance, make sure to include practice of actually
verbally answering the questions, with either a friend or tape-recorder
listening. Remember, speak slowly, clearly, and loudly (within
reason). Some excellent questions to be prepared with are the
open-ended, essay, behavioral type questions which seem to be gaining
in popularity. Examples include "Tell me about a time you didn't get
along with co-worker", "What achievement, within the past year,
professional or personal, are you most proud of?" "Why do you want to
work for us" etc.
When answering a question, try to answer in the STAR response method.
Using this, you talk about the Situation, Task (that you performed),
Action (what you did and why it mattered), Result (did you save the
boss money? catch a thief? increase production?). Lastly, never,
ever "BS", lie, or inflate. Maybe you'll get away with it, but while
interviewing interns I could smell it a mile away, and there's no way I
would ever hire someone who did that. Never fear the truth, if you
lose a potential job because you were honest there's nothing to be
ashamed of.
During my interview for an internship with a satellite manfuacturer,
when I was very young, I was asked what the difference between TTL and
CMOS was. I answered, "Frankly sir I don't know, I haven't had a
course on that yet." Followed with "What is VHDL?", to which I
answered "I've never even heard of VHDL." I walked away thinking I
didn't stand a chance, but ended up getting a job and within a few
months knowing what both of those were. There's little doubt in my
mind if I would have tried to lie through those situations I wouldn't
have landed the job.
I'll be posting some resources soon, and some good books which should
help you prepare even more for your interview. Best of luck.
