My interview experience was applying for a job with the BBC:
September 1989 - Applied for Job
December 1989 - Got letter back saying passed first stage
March 1990 - First interview 100 miles away in Glasgow
May 1990 - Second interview 500 miles away in London
June 1990 - Got a letter saying got a job, starting in September
August 1990 - My mum wakes me up saying 'There is a letter here from the BBC, I hope there is not a problem'. Open letter to find I had been given a pay rise!
Went back to bed until September and moved to London.
the bbc is an odd one, my dad worked in wood lane (the main building) and retired... others I knew who worked there were made redundant and re-hired..
oddly higher up the organisation that doesn't happen ;) bizarre that.
right.. anyone know where I can buy ?120 birthday cake from? the one from the local supermarket for a 10th of that aren't good enough.haha . lets just say I'm not impressed with some of the "expenses" their staff put in.
Basicaly they had a bunch of objects on the table to pass round and when the object came to each person they had to do a little sales pithc. But you had to make up an alternative use for the item. So the example they gave was a pen and so instead of describing how the pen was a good writing implement, they described it as a walking stick for midgets!.
One thing that is stupid, and detestable, and shows (on the part of the interviewer) a complete lack of imagination or anything relevant to actually interviewing someone for a software development job is asking stupid riddles in interviews. You know, the ones like a bunch of people you have to get over a bridge and there's only one torch - the "correct" answer being some convoluted order of sending things to and fro across the bridge where the answer in the real world is just have the first guy go across and shine the light on the bridge from the other side.
I'm not sure I'd want to work for a place that has to resort to those kind of job interview questions. The only thing it demonstrates is that the interviewee likes doing riddles, it shows nothing to do with real world problem solving. Worse still, the "right answer" involves the very opposite of thinking of creative solutions to get problems solved.
The pointless questions you refer to Winston are often to do with logic and problem solving. Other questions they frequentlty use for instance would be:
"What comes first, the chicken or the egg?".
They ask irrelevant questions like that to access how you handle stress under pressure when at interview sometimes and how quickly you can think on your feet. But I agree such questions are a loada b*llocks. The best strategy if they ask you such questions is to fire riddles back at them :)
One thing that is stupid, and detestable, and shows (on the part of the interviewer) a complete lack of imagination or anything relevant to actually interviewing someone for a software development job is asking stupid riddles in interviews. You know, the ones like a bunch of people you have to get over a bridge and there's only one torch - the "correct" answer being some convoluted order of sending things to and fro across the bridge where the answer in the real world is just have the first guy go across and shine the light on the bridge from the other side.
I hate weird logic questions. I went for a programming job and they actually asked me questions relevant questions about pointers and handling of Windows WM_PAINT messages.
Comments
September 1989 - Applied for Job
December 1989 - Got letter back saying passed first stage
March 1990 - First interview 100 miles away in Glasgow
May 1990 - Second interview 500 miles away in London
June 1990 - Got a letter saying got a job, starting in September
August 1990 - My mum wakes me up saying 'There is a letter here from the BBC, I hope there is not a problem'. Open letter to find I had been given a pay rise!
Went back to bed until September and moved to London.
Exactly one year from applying.
oddly higher up the organisation that doesn't happen ;) bizarre that.
right.. anyone know where I can buy ?120 birthday cake from? the one from the local supermarket for a 10th of that aren't good enough.haha . lets just say I'm not impressed with some of the "expenses" their staff put in.
One thing that is stupid, and detestable, and shows (on the part of the interviewer) a complete lack of imagination or anything relevant to actually interviewing someone for a software development job is asking stupid riddles in interviews. You know, the ones like a bunch of people you have to get over a bridge and there's only one torch - the "correct" answer being some convoluted order of sending things to and fro across the bridge where the answer in the real world is just have the first guy go across and shine the light on the bridge from the other side.
I'm not sure I'd want to work for a place that has to resort to those kind of job interview questions. The only thing it demonstrates is that the interviewee likes doing riddles, it shows nothing to do with real world problem solving. Worse still, the "right answer" involves the very opposite of thinking of creative solutions to get problems solved.
"What comes first, the chicken or the egg?".
They ask irrelevant questions like that to access how you handle stress under pressure when at interview sometimes and how quickly you can think on your feet. But I agree such questions are a loada b*llocks. The best strategy if they ask you such questions is to fire riddles back at them :)
"How would you define the word business, what does it mean"
Well I had it drilled and drilled into me (wrongly) by the careers officer at school 'NEVER MENTION MONEY ON AN INTERVIEW).
So my initial answer was going to be:
'A business is a way to make money by selling goods or services'
But instead...following my careers officers advice I said something like
"It's when 2 people/parties come together and negotiate a deal"
The guy say to me 'No, it's a way of making money...maybe you are too young to understand that'
Didn't get the job...fuggin career's officers....
academia is a funny thing.
real business world.. want it done quick.. bish bosh done :)