ashyk36 Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Helloooo, If there are any software testers out here would you please be able to help me. My question is what questions can be expected to pop up in an interview? Thank you very much in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Are you going in as a graduate or an experienced hire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashyk36 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 graduate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Questions will depend on your degree and experience. They will want to know about projects that you did at uni. Its a good chance to talk about anything technical you did so they can see what skills you can bring to the team. Find out about the testing system they have in place or if thats not possible research up on testing techniques. If you dont know how they approach testing ask them in the interview. It shows signs of being keen and willing to ask and learn. You can then start discussing that, so you turn a negative into a positive and they will like that. Make sure you do your reasearch on the company and the software they produce They may ask some technical coding questions to get a feel for your knowldge but in most graduate roles they would expect to train you up and any knowledge you already have is a bonus. Big thing for them will be do you fit into the team. My best advice is relax, enjoy it and remember an interview is a two way process. They are interviewing you for a position in the company but you are interviewing them to see if its the right place for you. With that in the back of my mind i never found the interviews so intimidating. Good luck with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 +1 on what Will says... Its always worth doing your homework on the company, so you can ask them questions. That always shows good initiative that you have made the effort to research them. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Ah and another thing. Lots of interviewers like to throw odd Ball questions into the mix. These may seem very odd, but dont panic. All they want to see is how your mind works and how you can break down a problem and come up with a logical answer. Often there is no right answer they just want to see ow you cope under pressure and how your mind works logically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Dont be late, iron your shirt, and make sure you've had a shave! Research on the company in question is important. Just 10 mins on their website to find out what they do. Shows you've got the right attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Something I haven't seen mentioned but can't stress enough is to write you CV tailored to each and every job you apply for, if the job spec asks for someone with skills X,Y and Z I want to see those skills listed somewhere bloody obvious. If I get 50 CVs for one role and somebody has listed skill Y on page 7 I'm not going to even get that far, the CV will be in the bin even if they could possibly be Jesus applying for a role as a priest - writing that you can turn water in to wine on page 7 or hidden in a huge paragraph just isn't going to get read! Will's post is a good one so I won't re-iterate what he's said, a few expansions though: Questions will depend on your degree and experience. Very true, at graduate level they won't be looking so much for what you know, they'll be looking for how your mind works related to the position - so a logical thought process is most likely to be a factor for a software testing job I would have thought. Find out about the testing system they have in place or if thats not possible research up on testing techniques. If you dont know how they approach testing ask them in the interview. It shows signs of being keen and willing to ask and learn. You can then start discussing that, so you turn a negative into a positive and they will like that. I can't stress this enough, you're a graduate so they're not expecting you to have a wealth of knowledge, they're looking for someone they can mould to their requirements - to do that they need someone who will ask the right questions, take on board the answers and apply that new knowledge. Make sure you do your reasearch on the company and the software they produce This is important for any interview regardless of experience, if someone turns up to an interview and hasn't even bothered researching the company I would disregard them immediately. I've found it useful to take a folder (leather bound if possible but that's a small thing) containing a spare CV or 2, a few prints of relevant parts of their website (things like what the core products are, number of employees, countries they operate/have offices in, recent news) and any other interesting bits of info you can find on the company elsewhere - opening the older to show a print of the website immediately tells the interviewer that you've prepared and have done your homework on the company. Be aware that interviewers may either test you on what you've printed or will jump to the conclusion you've learnt it and use the time to ask other questions that you can't prepare so well for though. Big thing for them will be do you fit into the team. My best advice is relax, enjoy it and remember an interview is a two way process. They are interviewing you for a position in the company but you are interviewing them to see if its the right place for you. With that in the back of my mind i never found the interviews so intimidating. Further, the employers probably need to fill the position more than you need to accept it! If they don't fill the position soon, even with a less than perfect candidate, the company/team will be failing to perform (e.g: revenue:sales staff, customer satisfaction:support staff). It's especially hard to obtain head count in this economic climate so the role will tend to be seen as a vital position to fill. I feel that the more jobs you've done the more you realise that the recruiting company is more desperate for the right staff than the good staff are of finding the right role. Software testing covers a very wide range of roles though, do you have any more info on the role to see what they do and where they're trying to position you? Haydn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashyk36 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 Fantastic posts, quality. Thank you so much. @HaydnH The company is looking for a graduate that has experience in C programming/C++. They say in the description that any knowledge of telecommunications may be advantageous. ( I have university experience in both C programming and telecommunications). The description also states that I should be able to take feature requirements and write comprehensive test case documents based on a combination of existing requirements and design documents. The company itself delivers software to aid call centres (increase productivity, customer satisfaction and security). I have also been told I will be put in a 2 hour assessment with a group of people to complete a task. This is the first time I would have been is an assessment of this sort, are there any tips on this? (I am not so confident around people I do not know). Again thank you for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 The company is looking for a graduate that has experience in C programming/C++. They say in the description that any knowledge of telecommunications may be advantageous. ( I have university experience in both C programming and telecommunications). The description also states that I should be able to take feature requirements and write comprehensive test case documents based on a combination of existing requirements and design documents. So make sure these points are listed near the top of your CV and that the description of your time at university expands on what you've done in these areas, although if you're asking about an interview you've probably already submitted your CV. Also it sounds like you're pretty much the ideal graduate candidate for this role based purely on your education, so speak loudly and be confident! If you're voice sounds loud to you it probably sounds normal and confident to others. I have also been told I will be put in a 2 hour assessment with a group of people to complete a task. This is the first time I would have been is an assessment of this sort, are there any tips on this? (I am not so confident around people I do not know). Getting along with other candidates should be fairly easy, they're all there for the same reason and probably just as nervous as you will be! Try and enjoy getting to know and working with them, smile and show you're happy working in a group. While the quality of your team's solution may have a part in the task, they're probably looking for how you work as part of a team more. Will you express your ideas openly? Will you back down and support someone else's idea if it's a better solution than yours? How do you work around problems? Do you show leadership qualities? Don't be surprised if you have to present your solution to the recruiters and the other groups at the end of the task - this is an area most people dislike, do a google search for presentation skills (speak loudly, smile etc) and be prepared. Haydn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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