Project 02: Job Interview Guide

Brad Sherman, Charlie Newell, Anthony Daegele, Teddy Brombach

Some things to discuss or consider:

• When should students start preparing or planning for internship or job interviews?
• How should students prepare or plan for these interviews?
• What resources should students consider? Books? Career Services? Student groups?
• What extracurricular activities should students consider?
• How can students take advantage of networking and alumni relationships?
• How should students approach negotiations or contracts? Are there any pitfalls they should look out for?
• Anything else you wish you knew before you went through the whole process!

Notre Dame Computer Science Job Interview Guide

When Should you start preparing?

As soon as you know that you will be searching for a job or internship, you can begin studying. It’s a good idea to start early and do a small amount of studying every 2 or 3 days, time permitting. This will ensure that you don’t have to cram the night before, which will only add to your stress. There are a broad range of topics that can be covered in interviews, so it’s best to start early and focus on one topic at a time.

How should you prepare for an interview?

Once you know who you are interviewing with, make sure you do some research on the company. Things like their mission statement, core values, and having a general knowledge of what the company does are essential. You should also be able to talk about anything on your resume, and explain why it is relevant to the position. It is also important to take some time and think about what kind of work environment you want to work in. Come up with some questions for your interviewer such as, “What does a typical day as a <insert-position-here> at <company> look like?”, “What does your tech stack look like?” (What kind of languages, frameworks, tools would you be working with), and “What is your favorite part about your job?”. Remember that you are interviewing the company at the same time they are interviewing you. Once you have these down, any extra time preparing should be spent reviewing important topics like data structures and algorithms for a software engineering position, or doing case studies for a consulting position. Lastly, just walk into the interview confident in yourself and your abilities (but not cocky), and the interviewer will be able to see that you know your stuff.

What resources should you use?

When determining what resources you should use it is important to take into consideration the jobs for which you will be applying. For example, if you are applying for technical or software development roles it is important to acquire resources geared towards preparing you for technical interviews. These things can include books, such as Cracking the Coding Interview. If you are applying to consulting jobs it is useful to get resources that will prepare you for case interviews. While some resources are specific for the jobs you are applying, some resources should be used universally. The career fair is arguably your most reliable asset as it provides you with mock interviews, resume reviews and much more. In the end it is most important to utilize all the resources available to you as it will make the entire process easier and less stressful.

What extracurricular activities should you consider?

Extracurriculars are some of the most fluid aspects of preparing for an interview. Many students have an idea that without specific extracurriculars you will not be chosen for an interview. While having meaningful extracurriculars is important, it is most important to choose extracurricular activities that you are interested in and are passionate about. By choosing extracurriculars that you care about you will be more passionate and willing to discuss them in interviews. In the end extracurriculars are important, but being able to talk about them in a real and meaningful manner is most important.

How can students take advantage of networking and alumni relationships?

Students should do everything they can to seek connections within companies that they are applying to positions at. It is very important to go to any and all recruiting events in order to meet employees at desired companies to build relationships. Students can then establish regular lines of communication with these employees to show their interest and to display their progress in their education. In the event that these connections are alumni, the student should attempt to find common ground with the employees by explaining their involvements on campus and taking interest in the employee’s past involvements. There is nothing wrong with using these connections to get an interview at a company: a lot of companies just want to see that candidates are good with people and that they can work in a team, and being able to keep a steady relationship with an employee and/or alumni is shows that they can do that.

How should students approach negotiations or contracts? Are there any pitfalls they should look out for?

Students should negotiate for better compensation in the event that they believe their skillset warrants greater compensation or in the event that another job offer is offering better compensation. It is fair and acceptable to advocate for yourself in the negotiation phase, students just need to make sure that it is done respectfully so as to not offend the employer. One pitfall that students should look out for in negotiations is sounding ungrateful to employers for an offer. If a student is asking for more compensation, they should make sure there is an adequate reason and that they are aware of the average compensation for that position so that they don’t seem uneducated and come off as ungrateful.

Anything else you wish you knew before you went through the whole process!

The best way to get a job at a company you want is to build relationships with their recruiters and some of their employees. Therefore, it is extremely helpful to approach a company’s recruiter and express your interest two years before applying. Get connected with them, have them tell you about the work the company does, have them connect you with employees, and keep them updated about your education and progress. This will clearly express your interest and set you above your peers.