How To Put your Career in Overdrive » questions http://www.it-career-coach.net IT Career Coach Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:26:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/09/programming-interviews-exposed-secrets-to-landing-your-next-job/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/09/programming-interviews-exposed-secrets-to-landing-your-next-job/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:50:32 +0000 IT Career Coach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2779 how to: ace technical interviews and land jobs

how to: ace technical interviews and land jobs

This question was submitted by Vijay who needs advice on “how to ace programming interviews and land the next job!“

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering Vijay’s questions below!

Question: How To Impress Hiring Manager at Programming Interviews

Here is the question submitted by Vijay:

On my last job I was given a technical test to write nested SQL queries.

I did not write the nested SQL query in one statement rather I created a temp table and then later join the results.

Even though the rest of the interview went ok and was able to answer other technical questions on face to face interview.

I am looking for an entry level job and I have been practicing my programming skill in C#/ASP.net and SQL queries, but in the last interview I missed the nested query question and I am thinking that it is because of this that am not selected.

So how should some one impress the hiring manager if they have not performed well on the written technical questions.

How can somebody cover the weakness in one skill while other skills are stronger and impress the hiring manager.

Thanks

Vijay

Answer: Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job

Knowing how to ace technical interviews is important because it determines whether you land the next job or not.

With this in mind, here is some advice on how to ace your next technical interview or get a job.

  1. Self Confidence at Programming Interviews: failing to get one technical / programming question is usually not enough to fail you at the interview.

    The real reason is that you lost confidence after missing one (1) technical question and the hiring manager noticed that!

    It may not be realistic to expect that you will pass all your technical questions. What you need to do, is to continue in a self assured or confident manner as that signals that you know what you are doing!

    For more information, read this post titled: “Fear And Self Confidence In Programming Interviews“.

  2. Kaizen Principle Applied To Programming Interviews: there is a Japanese quality improvement term known as Kaizen.

    Kaizen practitioners achieve significant results through small, incremental improvements.

    What this means for you is that, you can land the next computer programmer job making incremental improvements in your performance at the job interview!

    Bringing it home, you should make a note of all your weak technical skills like nested sql queries and then practice and improve on it before your next programming job interview.

    Also, you should keep a journal of all the questions that find challenging at job interviews and then research, practice and improve on them.

  3. How To Impress Hiring Managers: note that it is hard to impress the hiring manager if you fail to perform at the job interview.

    So, a better question to ask may be: how do I impress the hiring manager at a programmer job interview?

    If you really want to impress the hiring manager, start your preparing for technical interviews really early … before you have to take them!

    Why? … Because making significant improvements in skill level takes time. So, it cannot be treated like you are ordering fast food or buying soda from a vending machine!

    So start preparing intensively for your programming job interview really early and you will have the knowledge needed to impress hiring managers!

This post is one in a series dedicated to answering questions submitted by readers.

If you have a burning question or challenging situation in your career … be sure to post it as a comment on this page and we will take care of it for you!

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/09/programming-interviews-exposed-secrets-to-landing-your-next-job/feed/ 1 Toughest Challenge http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/11/05/toughest-challenge/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/11/05/toughest-challenge/#comments Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:59:35 +0000 IT Career Coach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/11/05/toughest-challenge/ I would like to help you by answering any challenging business analyst or software development career question you may have.

So, add your question as a comment to the end of this post and I will either answer you on this post or privately by email if it happens to be a sensitive question.

Here are some of the questions you can ask. You can borrow from the list of questions below or ask a more pressing career related question.

Here is a list of sample questions for Business Analysts:

1. How do I get a business analyst job?

2. How do I get a business analyst job without a college degree, education or real-world experience?

3. What is the entry level salary for business analysts?

4. What skills do I need to master to become a business analyst?

5. What are the roles, responsibilities and career options for business analysts?

6. How do I prepare for business analyst interviews?

7. What is the most sought-after skill in business analysis?

8. How long should I train to become a business analyst?

9. How does a business analysis career compare to a computer programming career?

10. What is the current job market outlook for business analysts?

Here is a list of sample questions for Software Developers:

1. How does out-sourcing affect the career prospects of software developers?

2. Am I too old to become a software developer?

3. What is the highest paying software development skill?

4. Should I consider becoming a game programmer?

5. What are the hottest programming languages right now?

6. What is the easiest programming language to master?

7. Should I become a contract software developer or a full-time software developer?

8. How hard is it to become a software developer?

9. What curriculum is the best for teaching computer programming to high school students?

10. What are the opportunities for women or minorities in computer programming?

Here are a few rules you need to observe while asking your question:

1. Introduce yourself: Post your name, your location and some background on what you do for a living before asking your question.

2. Ask a relevant question: Ask a question related to your business analyst, software development career, a question about me or about my products and services.

3. Ask on time: Ask your question within the next 48 hours

This list of questions is by no means comprehensive and you can choose a question from this list or ask me your own question, either way the floor is yours for the next 48 hours.

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/11/05/toughest-challenge/feed/ 4 Learning C++ Programming Language Is Bad For Your Career … C++ Programmers Can’t Find Jobs http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/#comments Thu, 26 Jul 2007 05:41:07 +0000 IT Career Coach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/ Hi,

Do you want to learn the C++ programming language or become a C/C++ computer programmer?

Have you ever asked this question? which programming language is the most complex and challenging?? and received the answer C++?

If you answered yes, you are not alone. About 13 years ago, I asked my mentors in computer programming which programming language is the hardest, toughest, most difficult to learn? And got the reply C++. I asked the question because I badly wanted to become a successful programmer. So, I reasoned that if I could prove myself by conquering the hardest programming language, my success in computer programming would be guaranteed.

Recently, a number of C/C+ software developers have been turning to me for help with their computer programmer careers. They do this by taking advantage of the free developer mentoring sessions available to programmers who order my ebook.

So, what could go wrong with the career of a software developer who has conquered one of the meanest, hardest, most complex computer programming languages?

The real problem with learning C/C++ is not whether it leaves up to its reputation for being a tough guy, because it does! The challenge facing those who succeed in learning C/C++ is more subtle. Continue reading and you will find out for yourself soon.

3 months ago, I started mentoring a programmer with real-world programming experience in C/C++, Microsoft Foundation Classes and Windows 32 API and a college degree. He couldn?t get a computer programmer job, so he bought my book and used the free computer programmer coaching that comes with the book to find out why he couldn?t get a job with C/C++ programming skills.

After he explained his situation to me, I presented him with a list of 3 hot programming technologies in high demand. I told him these technologies were so hot that just having them on his resume would land him programming job offers, even though he had been out of work for 2 years!

Well, he acted on the information I gave him, took MASSIVE ACTION and in 2 MONTHS learnt all he could about the 3 hot programming technologies!

Guess what? 2 months after buying my book and taking advantage of my free software developer mentoring, he got the first programming job he interviewed for on the spot, after being out of work for 2 years!

So, why couldn?t a C/C++ computer programmer with real world industry experience and a college degree get a programming job in the middle of the hi-tech boom of 2007?

WHY C++ PROGRAMMERS CAN’T GET JOBS

The simple reason why C++ programmers can?t get a job is that the C++ programming language is not suited for business or web applications development!

But, wait a minute, isn?t C/C++ also one of the fastest programming languages?

Yes C++ is one of the fastest programming languages. But the speed of C++ applies to the speed with which it executes on a computer and not to the speed with which you can code or develop software programs.

STOP! Think about what I just said. Don?t just read it, digest my last statement until you really comprehend it.

C/C++ is the wrong programming language for business or web programming because employers care more about the speed with which you code or develop software and care less about the speed at which your software program executes.

So, why don?t employers care about the speed of execution of C++ programs?

The reason is that the recent dramatic increases in computer processing speed and memory has made the personal computer faster and much more powerful. So, the amount of processing power available on most personal computers makes the execution speed of any programming language sufficient for most business software development projects.

Then, what do employers really care about?

Employers really want their software developers to code or write programs faster. And C/C++ fares badly at this, because it?s one of the meanest, hardest, most complex programming languages to either learn or develop real-world business applications with. The problems of C/C++ does not stop with the difficulty of learning the language. It?s also harder, tougher and slower to develop web or business applications in.

This is the real reason why most employers will not hire C/C++ programmers for business or web application development.

Am I saying that C/C+ is dead?

Certainly not. C/C++ is best suited for software projects like writing operating systems, compilers, computer or video games, data mining applications, scientific applications or applications where the execution speed is critical.

Stop for a moment now and answer this question: do you really want to make money from programming computers quickly or easily?

If you answered yes, I recommend you go into an area of computer programming where the demand is hot and where there are lots and lots of jobs.

That area right now is in internet or web application programming which C++ is unfortunately not suited for.

Secondly, if you want to success in web or business applications development, learn a programming language which allows you to quickly create programs that meet business needs.

After 13 years, I realize that employers don’t care about the beauty of the C++ programming language. Employers care about automating their business processes or making their businesses work better, quicker and faster. Employers also want to hire programmers whose speed of development matches or outpaces their business operations. The ugly truth is that C/C++ is not the right tool for achieving either of these results.

Dear friend, get a copy of my ebook now and learn those programming languages that excel at creating business software applications easily and quickly and you will discover success in computer programming quickly and easily.

Finally, if you are a programmer needing help with your career, no matter how bad your situation is, get a copy of my book and I will personally mentor you and show you how to achieve success in your situation.

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/feed/ 9 Time For Programmer Career Questions Again! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/03/29/time-for-programmer-career-questions-again/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/03/29/time-for-programmer-career-questions-again/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:21:00 +0000 IT Career Coach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/03/29/time-for-programmer-career-questions-again/ What are the computer programming career challenges, issues and problems facing you today?It’s time to have your tough, important and difficult questions on your programming career answered.

To make myself clear, let’s go over some typical programming career questions. You may ask any of these or another more urgent and critical programmer questions.

  1. How do I study difficult computer programming books?

  2. How do I overcome the fear of programming interviews?

  3. How do I succeed at programmer interviews easily?

  4. How do I transition to becoming a contract computer programmer?

  5. Am I too old to become a computer programmer?

  6. What do I need to learn to become better, competent, highly skilled at computer programming?

  7. I can’t get a programming job, what is wrong with my resume?

  8. Am I under qualified for programming jobs?

  9. Do I need a college education to become a programmer?

  10. Do I need to take classes and courses to learn programming?

  11. Should I relocate to find a programming job?

  12. What is the typical salary, wages or billing rate for junior, mid-level or senior programmers?

  13. Should I become a full time programmer or a contract programmer?

  14. I love programming but I hate my job, what do I do?

  15. What do I need to do to become an expert, successful programmer?

These are just examples of programmer career questions. The floor is yours. Ask me for advice, tips, suggestions, help on any programmer career related issue. Make your question as detailed or as brief as you want to.

Begin by posting a question using the comments form below. And introduce yourself first before asking your question.

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/03/29/time-for-programmer-career-questions-again/feed/ 0 Email Me Your Questions In The Next 24 Hours And I Will Answer Them Tell Me How To Help You Succeed As A Programmer http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/12/14/email-me-your-questions-in-the-next-24-hours-and-i-will-answer-them-tell-me-how-to-help-you-succeed-as-a-programmer/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/12/14/email-me-your-questions-in-the-next-24-hours-and-i-will-answer-them-tell-me-how-to-help-you-succeed-as-a-programmer/#comments Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:46:04 +0000 IT Career Coach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/12/14/email-me-your-questions-in-the-next-24-hours-and-i-will-answer-them-tell-me-how-to-help-you-succeed-as-a-programmer/ I want to help you become a more successful computer programmer. So, email me your questions here: contact me, and I will do my best to answer them.

Perhaps, you want to know

  1. How to begin a career in computer programming

  2. How to learn a programming language

  3. How to become a highly skilled, in-demand computer programmer

  4. How to find a high paying programming job

  5. How to ace job interviews

  6. How to prepare a killer resume

  7. How to stay abreast of technology

  8. How to market your services as a computer programmer

  9. How to manage and develop your career

Whatever your questions or concerns, please email them to me here: contact me, and I will do my best to answer them.

Here are a few testimonials from my readers:

“I am an IT student here in Philippines. Your article greatly inspired me. I agree with you that being a programmer has rewarded countless people including me with career flexibility, job satisfaction, career growth, intellectual challenge and above average compensation when compared to the medium income from most careers. I was thinking to quit in world of programming but after a read this, I changed my mind.” – Jec, Phillipines

“Kingsley’s advice on interviewing has helped me get through the interviewing process successfully. The main two things that I implemented from his e-book was: 1) never look at anything you do as something small, like volunteer work, but see it as something that helped you gain experience and 2) be confident during the interview because this lets the interviewer know that you are competent where nervousness gives the opposite impression.” P. Mathias, USA

To learn more about your computer programming career, visit this resource.

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