Interview process

  • HR screening level: Do you meet the base requirements
    • first filter by resume key words, then make sure you meet a base standard
  • Junior engineer level: Could I work with you - might be direct mentor/peer
    • genuiely interested in them, could be friends after working
  • Hiring manager level: management
    • will be able to hit goals without a lot of supervision, how much efforts do I need to get this person productive
  • Senior manager level: culture fit and leadership potential
    • will this person stick long enough with the company and become a leader

Pre-interview research

  • Company's site: culture, product set, and mission for asking specific questions
  • Recent news: medium-to-large companies' strategic moves, how will my role support those goals
  • Interviewer profile: interviewer's linked profile, blog, twitter

Mistakes made in the past

Complaints

  • Each company / boss / colleague has their pros and cons so each decision is just a choice. As an optimistic and friendly person to work with, you need to focus on the positive side of things instead of negative side of things.

Matchness

  • Know what you want and what a company can give to you / what the company want and what you can give to a company.
  • For big companies
    • Pros
      • The benefits packages are better: Larger companies, in general, are better about providing benefits like health insurance or retirement plans. The smaller a corporation's revenue is, the less likely it can afford to pay for benefits.
      • You Can Switch Job Without Leaving: Large companies need a lot of people working a wide variety of jobs to operate. While your specific role may be specialized, it's possible to change positions and explore a new area without leaving the company
    • Cons
      • Changes Happen Slowly: Shaking things up at a big company can take a lot of time. Even if your company is open to new ideas (which isn't always a given), getting your department to move to a new model or create a product can take a lot of time.
      • You Won't Know Some Coworkers: No matter how social or friendly you are, if you work in a company with hundreds or even thousands of employees, it will be impossible to know everyone. Inevitably, some aspect of your job will be affected by someone you've never met. It may be the CEO, the head of payroll, or the legal department, but someone will make a decision that determines how you work and it may be difficult or even impossible to speak to that person directly.
      • Your Fulfillment Can Be Determined by Your Surroundings: Your quality of life will vary greatly depending on the team you get assigned to. Being part of a good team will make your life wonderful, a bad team will make your life miserable. Whom you work with has a major influence on your career (don't expect promotions in a dying product).
  • For small companies
    • Pros
      • Your Success is Visible: Especially if you're starting out in a new career, working for a small company is a great way to establish your abilities and gain references and reputation that can follow you for years.
      • Your Company is More Agile: Being able to work closely with all of your coworkers doesn't just mean they can see you. You also have access to a lot more of the company's moving parts. Being able to speak directly to your upper management and voice concerns or pitch ideas can result in much faster movement.
      • Your Responsibilities May be More Varied: In a smaller company, you may be required to exercise a different skill set without leaving your desk. Especially in a startup environment, you may be called on to fulfill more roles outside a narrowly-defined job description.
    • Cons
      • Your Failure is Visible: That can become a double-edged sword, though, when you screw up. Obviously, a good employee would want to minimize failure regardless of who can see, but it never feels good when the majority of your coworkers all know when you've made a mistake.
      • The Benefits Package Are Smaller: Smaller companies typically don't have as extensive of a benefits package as larger companies do.

Arrogance

  • Be specific, not arrogant: Arrogance is a red flag. To make myself sound good without be arrogant, I need to be specific by giving just the facts and letting the interviewer derive an interpretation.

Verbosity

  • Limit details: Stay light on details and just state the key points. When possible, try to translate it or at least explain the impact.

    By examing the most common user behavior and applying the Rabin-Karp algorithm, I designed a new algorithm to reduce search from O(n) to O(lgn) in 90% of cases. I can go into more details if you'd like.

Personal

  • Do not take it personal. Everything should be related to the job.

Give structured answers

Overview

  • Starting your response with a "nugget" that succintly describes what your response will be about. This technique grabs your interviewer's attention and makes it very clear what your story will be about. It also helps you be more focused in your communication, since you've made it very clear to yourself what the gist of your response is.

    Interviewer: "Tell me about a time you had to persuade a group of people to make a big change" Candidate: "Sure, let me tell you about the time when I convinced my school to let undergraduates teach their own courses. Initially, my school has a rule"

Detailed description

S.T.A.R.
  • Definition
    • Situation/Task: Describe the situation you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past.
    • Action: Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did.
    • Result: What
  • You start off outlining the situation, then explaining the actions you took and lastly describing the result.
  • In most cases, the action is the most important part of the story. Unfortunately, far too many people talk on and on about the situation, but then just breeze through the action. Instead, dive in the action. Where possible, break down the action into multiple parts. For example, "I did three things. First, I .." This will encourage sufficient depth.
S.H.A.R.E.
  • Definition
    • Situation: Describe a specific task.
    • Hiderance: Identiy any hindrances or challenges faced.
    • Action: Explain the actions you took in response.
    • Result: Discuss the results or outcomes from your action.
    • Evaluation: Evalutates whta you learned from the experience.

Things to prepare

A story for each bullet point on resume

  • Start with an overview: overview of the problem, solution, and your role - let interviewer go deeper
  • Communicate clearly: test of communication skills and logical thinking
  • Role in the project: identify what you are responsible for, and be prepared to give deeper details on that part. Demonstrate you worked well with your team
  • Technical knowledge: did you make key design decisions, or did you just follow instructions? Make sure you come across as truly knowledgeable

Interview preparation grid

Common questions Project1 Project2 Project3
Challenges
Mistakes/Failures
Enjoy
Leadership
Conflicts
What you'd do differently

Think about what it says

  • Initiative/Leadership: The candidate tried to resolve the situation by addressing it head-on.
  • Empathy: The candidate tried to understand what was happening to the person. The candidate also showed empathy in knowing what would resolve the teammate's insecurity.
  • Compassion: Although the teammate was harming the team, the candidate wasn't angry at the teammate. His empathy led him to compassion.
  • Humility: The candidate was able to admit to his own flaws (not only to the teammate, but also to the interviewer).
  • Teamwork/Helpfulness: The candidate worked with the teammate to break down the project into manageable chunks.

Questions Know yourself

Tell me about yourself

  • What the interviewer is really asking:
    • What is your career plan
    • Why are you interested in their company
    • First, it gives interviewers a general idea of your background – whether you are an experienced engineer, a new grad or a series entrepreneur and so on. More importantly, it provides information about why you are relevant to the job.
  • Structure: Chronological order
    1. Current role (Headline only)
    2. College: What you are interested in
    3. Post college and onwards
    4. Current role (Details)
    5. Out side of work
    6. Future. Why you are interested in role, position, company

What are your strengths

  • Key points: Unique strength combination. Domain knowledge + Soft skills + Subject Master. How your strengths will help you be an independent worker and a team player.
  • Answer:
    • Soft skills: I really like make presentations and share what I learn with others.
    • Domain knowledge: I really want to become an expert in a specific area.
    • Subject master: From the personality perspective, there is a book called "Strengths Finder 2.0" and it offers a set of online assessment.
      • One of my dominant strengths is focus. I thrive in environments where goal-setting discussions are commonplace and clearly defined objectives are agreed upon. By nature I am industrious and persistent and I am always able to stay on track with little supervision.
      • The other of my dominant strengths is learning and sharing. I love learn new things, make presentations and share what I learned with others. In the future, I could become the software engineer who is really great at public speaking.
    • From the professional perspective, in the future, I plan to find a specific area where I can become an expert such that I am always the problem solver and stopper in that area. In addition, after settling down on the position, I hope that I could learn more domain knowledge and have more understanding on the product side, rather than just being a software engineer.

What is your ideal working environment

  • Key points:

What is your greatest weakness

  • Goal: Trying to see how well you respond to a question that's intentionally meant to throw you off your game. They want to see how you react to a question meant to throw you off your carefully memorized path as well as gauge just how good you are at being self-critical and aware. It is an onion question.
  • key points: A weakness I am solving, not too critical. Do you learn from those experiences? Do you have a hard time taking criticism without getting defensive?
    • I hate confrontation and in the past. Sometimes I found myself compromise what I wanted or needed in order to keep the peace. This was a real problem, especially in team situations or when I was supposed to be leading a group because there are times when you need to tell people things they might not necessarily want to hear.
    • Since then I've realized this is a weakness of mine and I've worked very hard to overcome it. Now instead of avoiding these situations, I take it as an opportunity to practice being more assertive. I take the time to listen to each side of the situation and make sure that if I have any comments or criticisms, I spoke out for myself. I want to gaurantee that my solutions are constructive ideas instead of peaceful patches.

What's your proudest professional achievement

  • What the interviewer is really asking:
    • What really motivates you
    • Whether you are a team player
    • How well can you do the job
  • Key points:
    • Why this achievement makes you proud
    • What are the skills and qualifications that contribute to this achievement
    • Talk about any team members
  • Answer:
    • During my internship in Finra, I built a permissions compliance system within three months. At the end of my internship, my system already run in production system. This was also beyond the expectation of my manager.
    • I used Python Boto libraries to coordinate Splunk and many AWS services including IAM, CloudTrail and S3. I developed my program in Linux servers and it is also the first time I work with version control systems.
    • In order to deploy the system in production environment, I needed to work closely with other department and many team members. To guarantee that I will finish building the system within three months, I have daily standup meeting with my manager to guarantee that I am always on the right track.

What's the most challenging project

  • Key points:
    • To identify your skills and see how well you manage a project/situation
    • To see what kind of approach you use in dealing with challenges
    • To recognize your decision-making skills, planning abilities, and budgeting techniques
    • To see if the company would benefit from you.
  • During the interview:
    • Explain the project briefly and concisely; you wouldn’t want the interviewer to lose interest. It’s better if you keep your answer short and simple, but make sure that you have included in your explanation all the things that can build up your character.
    • Don’t make it sound like you’re bragging about your achievements or successful projects: Establish your skills and abilities without going overboard or sounding arrogant.
    • Give the interviewer an indication of how you manage tasks. Explain your general approach to handling challenging projects.

Plans for learning new programming language

  • I am most interested in learning Clojure, Node.js and Go.
  • Reasons that I am interested (but not crazy) in Clojure.
    • Clojure is a JVM reboot of one of the oldest languages Lisp. It also has great modern concurrency features. Clojure provides a hybrid of functional programming and mutable state, which makes it suitable for a large pool of problems. Learning Clojure is just like learning one of the oldest and newest language at the same time, ; )
    • Clojure is not a really popular language in industry.
  • Reasons that I am interested (but not crazy) in Node.js
    • Node.js enables doing full stack development with one language. It will bring efficiency and a large pool of work forces to industry.
    • However, I am not an advocator for programming in one paradigm. Programmers should feel free to use what fits the job most. In addition, syntactically Javascript is kind of ugly. I am not sure I want to do every web development project in Javascript.
  • Reasons that I am interested (but not crazy) in Go
    • Go is invented as a C++ replacement for doing system-level programming. It has been used in more and more projects (Docker) and companies (Uber).
    • However, Go does not have as broad applicable scenarios as Node.js.

Questions: Career development

What are the important lessons learned when you transit from a student to a professional developer < id="transition-student-developer"></a>

  • Importance to improve raw productivity
  • Importance to communicate well

Why do you want to work for us

  • key point: 1. Passion about the technology. Passion about products. Great work-life balance. Great career promotion opportunities. 2. Technical competency. In a word, I could learn a lot of things and make a lot of contribution here at XXX.
  • Why you believe that you will bring more values to the job and company than it will cost the company to hire you, and give examples. If the company has discussed four critical tasks that need to be tackled, and you have the experience and talent to do them, confidently review the skills you are bring with you which will successfully accomplish your goals.

Why should we hire you

  • Relate past experience, which represents success in solving problems, which may be similar to those of the prospective employer. “As my record indicates, I have made a meaningful contribution to my previous /present employer and I will be able to bring the same experience to your company.” OR “My qualifications and experience gives me the necessary skills and abilities to make a meaningful contribution to your company.”

What did you dislike about your last/present job

  • key point:
    • Limit on negatives: The top management has changed, and their philosophy is not one I agree with. The company is downsizing and future growth no longer looks positive.
    • Focus more on positives that motivates you: What I enjoyed most about my present situation is working directly with ....That part of my job provides me with a lot of challenge and gives me the personal satisfaction of knowing my talent is being used to the company's advantage.
    • “Due to economic cut-backs...” OR “Reduction in the work force due to economic problems…” OR “To obtain a position that offered more opportunity and challenge”. Do not cast any negative shadows over your employer or boss, no bridge burning parties or you might as well get up and leave now. You should have a legitimate reason that takes little conversation like health reasons or family issues.

What is your plan in the next five years

  • key point: clear goals, self-improvement, Combine your development with company's development.
    • Team perspective: Currently within my team I am the implementor, basically carrying out the directives of someone else. In five years, I hope I could be the major contributor and initiator of the team who comes up with ideas and take most responsibilities.
    • Personal perspective: Learn more about XXX technology.

Reason for leave employment

  • Career growth
    • You can easily say that you are looking for a change in role and wanted more growth, or even that your position was getting stagnant. This might be an acceptable reason for quitting your job, but this by no means gives you leeway to criticize your job.
  • Looking for challenges
    • One of the most common and simple reasons is that your job was at a standstill and you wished to seek newer avenues and greater challenges.
  • Restructuring
  • Relocation
  • Enhanced Education
  • Workplace distance

Questions: Work-life balance

How did you manage your time and prioritize your tasks?

  • What the interviewer is really asking:
    • How do you manage multiple projects
    • How easy it would be to manage as an employee
      • How organized you are
      • Whether you can stay focus under pressure and deadlines
  • Key points:
    • How you specifically manage your time
    • Demonstrate that you are easy to manage
    • Work-life balance is important
  • Sample answer:
    • First, I usually write down a list of things I need to do under each category of project.
    • Then I estimate how long each of them will take. For really big tasks, I will break it into a list of small tasks.
    • Next, I will prioritize them. If there are too many deadlines, I will meet up with my manager/teammates to discuss which ones are more important.

Questons: Teamwork

How do you deal with conflicts

  • Similar questionns
    • Tell me about a team project when you had to work with someone difficult.
    • Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work.
    • Give an example of a time you had to respond to an unhappy manager/customer/colleague.
    • Tell me about a time that you disagreed with a rule or approach.
  • Key points: Do not take it personal. Discuss the difference. Figure the best solutions for team/company.
  • Steps
    • Talk with the other person
      • Ask the other person to name a time when it would be convenient to meet.
      • Arrange to meet in a place where you won't be interrupted.
    • Focus on behavior and events, not on personalities.
      • Say “When this happens …” instead of “When you do …”
      • Describe a specific instance or event instead of generalizing.
    • Listen carefully
      • Listen to what the other person is saying instead of getting ready to react.
      • Avoid interrupting the other person.
      • After the other person finishes speaking, rephrase what was said to make sure you understand it.
      • Ask questions to clarify your understanding.
    • Identify points of agreement and disagreement.
      • Summarize the areas of agreement and disagreement.
      • Ask the other person if he or she agrees with your assessment.
      • Modify your assessment until both of you agree on the areas of conflict.
    • Prioritize the areas of conflict.
      • Discuss which areas of conflict are most important to each of you to resolve.
    • Develop a plan to work on each conflict.
      • Start with the most important conflict.
      • Focus on the future.
      • Set up future meeting times to continue your discussions.
    • Follow through on your plan.
      • Stick with the discussions until you’ve worked through each area of conflict.
      • Maintain a collaborative, “let’s-work-out-a-solution” attitude.
    • Build on your success.
      • Look for opportunities to point out progress.
      • Compliment the other person’s insights and achievements.
      • Congratulate each other when you make progress, even if it’s just a small step. Your hard work will pay off when scheduled discussions eventually give way to ongoing, friendly communication.
  • Follow-up: What if you cannot persuade your colleagues although you try a lot?
    • If this thing is on my priority list, I will insist on my idea. Put my idea into practice quickly and verify it is right or not. If after fast prototyping and I found my idea is proved to be wrong, I will correct my errors.

Tell me about a time you failed? How did you deal with the situation

  • What the interviewer is really asking:
    • Whether you could actually identify times that you could do better
    • Whether you learn from those past mistakes to become a better employee.
  • Key point:
    • Step 1. Pick a time that you failed in a situation where is understandable you could run into trouble.
    • Step 2. Take responsibility for any part you played in that situation.
    • Step 3. Elaborate on all efforts you spend to overcome the problem.
    • Step 4. Prepare for the lesson you have learned and plan to prevent future failure.

Have your suggestion being adopted

  • Key point: 1. Communication skill: How you can logically, reasonably and professionally 2. Evidence research and hard working: How do you collect information, ask opinions from experts

Describe your idea boss

  • Did you ever work with a person who could combine his/her talents with yours and others to create synergy

What will you do if you are 100% that your boss is wrong

  • Key point: 1. Depends on the scenario. In a casual chatting, informal meeting 2. If my boss does not like other people challenging him, then I will go with his ideas. For the specific part I feel he is wrong, I will let the fact speak for me and before implementation, ask if I made some changes, will it be fine? In this way, I will avoid conflicts and simultaneously get the job done.

How do you finish an impossible task

  • Key point: pressure handling. Prioritize

Have you ever did more than required

  • Key point: Self-motivated. Independent problem solver. Initiate

How do you compare yourself to your peers

  • Be confident about your capabilities, but know you have room to grow. You may want to note individual contributions as well as team contributions.

Belbin's team roles

  • Action oriented roles
    • Shaper
      • Shapers are people who challenge the team to improve. They are dynamic and usually extroverted people who enjoy stimulating others, questioning norms, and finding the best approaches for solving problems. The Shaper is the one who shakes things up to make sure that all possibilities are considered and that the team does not become complacent.
      • Shapers often see obstacles as exciting challenges and they tend to have the courage to push on when others feel like quitting.
      • Their potential weaknesses may be that they're argumentative, and that they may offend people's feelings.
    • Implementer
      • Implementers are the people who get things done. They turn the team's ideas and concepts into practical actions and plans. They are typically conservative, disciplined people who work systematically and efficiently and are very well organized. These are the people who you can count on to get the job done.
      • On the downside, Implementers may be inflexible and can be somewhat resistant to change.
    • Completer-Finisher (CF)
      • Completer-Finishers are the people who see that projects are completed thoroughly. They ensure there have been no errors or omissions and they pay attention to the smallest of details. They are very concerned with deadlines and will push the team to make sure the job is completed on time. They are described as perfectionists who are orderly, conscientious and anxious.
      • However, a Completer-Finisher may worry unnecessarily, and may find it hard to delegate.
  • People oriented roles
    • Coordinator
      • Coordinators are the ones who take on the traditional team-leader role and have also been referred to as the chairmen. They guide the team to what they perceive are the objectives. They are often excellent listeners and they are naturally able to recognize the value that each team member brings to the table. They are calm and good-natured, and delegate tasks very effectively.
      • Their potential weaknesses are that they may delegate away too much personal responsibility, and may tend to be manipulative.
    • Team Worker (TW)
      • Team Workers are the people who provide support and make sure that people within the team are working together effectively. These people fill the role of negotiators within the team and they are flexible, diplomatic and perceptive. These tend to be popular people who are very capable in their own right, but who prioritize team cohesion and helping people get along.
      • Their weaknesses may be a tendency to be indecisive, and to maintain uncommitted positions during discussions and decision-making.
    • Resource Investigator (RI)
      • Resource Investigators are innovative and curious. They explore available options, develop contacts, and negotiate for resources on behalf of the team. They are enthusiastic team members, who identify and work with external stakeholders to help the team accomplish its objective. They are outgoing and are often extroverted, meaning that others are often receptive to them and their ideas.
      • On the downside, they may lose enthusiasm quickly, and are often overly optimistic.
  • Thought oriented roles
    • Plant
      • The Plant is the creative innovator who comes up with new ideas and approaches. They thrive on praise but criticism is especially hard for them to deal with. Plants are often introverted and prefer to work apart from the team. Because their ideas are so novel, they can be impractical at times. They may also be poor communicators and can tend to ignore given parameters and constraints.
    • Monitor-Evaluator
      • Monitor-Evaluators are best at analyzing and evaluating ideas that other people (often Plants) come up with. These people are shrewd and objective, and they carefully weigh the pros and cons of all the options before coming to a decision.
      • Monitor-Evaluators are critical thinkers and very strategic in their approach. They are often perceived as detached or unemotional. Sometimes they are poor motivators who react to events rather than instigating them
    • Specialist
      • Specialists are people who have specialized knowledge that is needed to get the job done. They pride themselves on their skills and abilities, and they work to maintain their professional status. Their job within the team is to be an expert in the area, and they commit themselves fully to their field of expertise.
      • This may limit their contribution, and lead to a preoccupation with technicalities at the expense of the bigger picture.

Questions: What are your Salary requirements

  • What are your salary expectations for the job
    • I’m more interested in finding a position that’s a good fit for my skills and interests. I’m confident that you’re offering a salary that’s competitive in the current market.
  • When interviewers press further for a specific number
    • Well, according to my research and past experience, my understanding is that XXX K per year is typical based on the role and requirements.
  • What are you making now
    • Since this position is not exactly the same as my current job, let’s discuss what my responsibilities at this company will be and work together to determine a fair salary for this position.

Questions to ask at the end

Why ask questios

  • Having well thought out questions to ask during your interview is part of the research process in you understanding if this company and role would be a good fit for you. I can think of a few times in my career when I completed my interview with a company and thought, "This is not going to be a good fit," and completely withdrew myself from the entire process.
  • In preparation for your interview, you should do a lot of research on the industry (if you’re switching industries), the position itself, the company, their competition, their business model, and if you're able to, you should also research the person with whom you are meeting. I’ve interviewed candidates who knew more about the company than even I did. If you’re going to research your interviewers, you’re doing so to be informed on their experience and perspectives, but also to identify potential commonalities. You may have mutual colleagues or have worked for the same company in the past, or have the same alma mater. Commonalities can help establish credibility. Word to the wise: if you’re going this route, keep it to the professional details and not the personal details because nothing screams “crazy stalker” like leading your q&a time with, “So I saw online that you have three kids…”

Sample questions

  • Common questions
    • What does success in this role look like to you? or How will performance be measured?
    • Why did you join this company, and what keeps you here? / What brought you to the company?
    • What's your favorite and least favorite thing about working here?
    • What do you wish you’d known when you first started in your role here?
    • Biggest challenges for the person who takes on this role?
    • What are this company's/this team’s top 3 priorities over the next year?
    • What are some lesser known facts about working at this company?
    • What are the habits of the top performers on your team?
    • Or you can (and should) ask some domain specific questions:
    • I read that you’ve recently implemented xyc tool. What was the thought process behind choosing that product versus building a homegrown product that can be tailored to your needs?
    • Why have you chosen to have a centralized sales function vs. on the ground sales people in various regions?
    • What's the typical career path for someone in this role?
  • Edgier questions
    • What’s been your biggest mistake here and how did you recover it?
    • I’ve noticed there’s recently been quite a bit of leadership turnover. Can you shed some light on that from an internal perspective?
    • What changes here could potentially lead you to want to leave the company?
    • What do you potentially see as my gaps as it relates to this role?
  • Small companies only
    • Who will I report to and what is his/her background
    • What does a typical day or week look like for my position
    • Who else will be on my team and who outside of my team will I work with frequently
    • What growth opportunities are available for a person starting in this position? Could you give me an example?

Things to ask your boss

  • Short-term goals:What's the most important achievement you hope to accomplish in your current role?
    • This question will give you insight into your manager’s short-term motivation, which will give you a better idea of what your goals and objectives should be. Managers, unfortunately, aren’t always clear with employees on their goals and plans, but if you understand a bit more about what your boss is focused on, you can better prioritize your own responsibilities and position yourself for success in your boss’ eyes.
    • For example, perhaps your organization is in the middle of an acquisition and your manager’s goal is to create a smooth transition for the newly merged department. With that information, you should be aiming to help her to succeed in that, whether that means spending a few weeks beefing up company documentation or simply volunteering to assist with training.
  • What are your career goals
    • The answer to this will give you insight into your manager’s long-term goals. Does she want to be a VP by age 35? CEO by 50? Does she want to start her own business one day?
    • Knowing her long-term plan will help you understand why she might make certain decisions. For instance, maybe she volunteers your department for a project that doesn’t seem important to you, but it puts her squarely in the visibility of top executives—which could put her in the perfect position for a promotion.
  • What Should I Know About Your Work and Management Style
    • Does your manager expect you to be available 24/7? Respond to emails on weekends? How does he or she handle stress?
    • Asking this straightforward question may not get you all the answers (i.e., a micromanager may not readily admit to micromanaging). But even if you get just a tiny bit of insight, you’ll have a better sense of what to expect and how to handle it.
  • What’s One Thing I Could Do Differently?
    • Having clear expectations is the key to delivering winning performance—and this question is a sneaky way to find out those expectations. For example, if your manager says he’d like you to make more of an effort to actively participate in meetings, you’ll know that he values a collaborative environment of ideas—rather than coming up with every initiative himself. And knowing that can help you perform exactly to his expectations.
  • How Would You Like to Receive Feedback From Me?
    • To prepare yourself for an eventual point of contention, ask how your manager prefers to get feedback—you’ll get a much better response if you play by his or her rules, whether that means scheduling a one-on-one meeting, rather than catching him or her off guard in a hallway conversation or summarizing your thoughts in an email.
    • Once you know how to deliver your feedback, you’ll be much more prepared to ask for what you need: Whether you’d like more frequent updates on deadlines, regular one-on-one time, or faster decision-making on projects, it’s important to be able to feel comfortable making these requests.

Offer negotiation

  1. Just do it. Almost no one likes negotiating. But it's so, so worth it. Recruiters will not revoke an offer because you negotiated, so you have little to lose. This is especially true if the offer is from a larger companny. You probably won't be negotiating with your future teammates.
  2. Have a viable alternative. Fundamentally, recruiters negotiate with you because they're concerned you may not join the company otherwise. if you have alternative options, that will make their concern much more real.
  3. Have a specific ask. It's more effective to ask for an additional $7,000 in salary than to just ask for "more". After all, if you just ask for more, the recruiter could throw in another $1000 and technically have satisfied your wishes.
  4. Overshoot. In negotiation, people usually don't agree to whatever you demand. It's a back and forth conversation. Ask for a bit more than you're really hoping to get, since the company will probably meet you in the middle.
  5. Think beyond salary: Companies are often more willing to negotiate on non-salary components, since boosting your salary too much could mean that they're paying you more than your peers. Consider asking for more equity or a bigger signing bonus. Alternatively, you may be able to ask for your relocation benefits in cash, instead of having the company pay directly for the moving fees. This is a great avenue for many college students, whose actual moving expenses are fairly cheap.
  6. Use your best medium: Many people will advise you to only negotiate over the phone. To a certain extent, they're right; it is better to negotiate over the phone. However, if you don't feel comfortable on a phone negotiation, do it via email.

Templates

Thank you letter

  • Template one

Dear Mr./Ms. XXX: I would like to thank you again for the opportunity to interviewo for the XXX position with YYY company. Although I am disappointed that I was not choosen, I enjoyed meeting you and your colleagues and learning more about the company.

I am still interested in opportunities with YYY and would appreciate it if you would keep me in mind for future openings in your company.

Thank you again for your consideration.

Sicerely, ZZZ

  • Template two

While it pains me to see this opportunity go, I want to thank you for getting back to me. I also want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me. It was such a pleasure > to meet you and your colleagues and learn about the organization. After spending the time talking with you and doing my research, I really do believe that the XXXX industry is where I want to work. I know that I am not in a position to ask for favors, but if you have a moment to spare I would love any additional feedback. Please do not feel obligated to answer this question, but if there was something you noticed, it will help me in my job search and I would be most appreciative.

I hope everything works out with you and your new intern/associate.

Sincerely, ZZZ

Reschedule

Thanks a lot for all your previous efforts in preparing me for the onsite interview at XXX.

During the past half a year I have been studying and interviewing a lot to be ready for the strict interview at XXX. Originally I prefer XXX. But Reason1, Reason2, Reason3. I think all these factors will affect my onsite performance. I really want to be a member of XXX and be at my best state for the onsite interview.

I understand that rescheduling a full day of interviews involves a lot of work and people's schedules being moved around. I also understand that available positions fill up pretty quickly at a highly competitive company like XXX. So I usually try to avoid rescheduling whenever possible. I really apologize for all the inconvenience and rework brought by me. I guaranteed that this is my first and last time asking for rescheduling the onsite interview at XXX.

If rescheduling is possible, I will be really appreciated and try my best to make all your efforts worth it. XXX

I will be looking forward to hearing back from you!

Ask for an extention in deadline

Hello XXX,

Thanks for your help and reminder.

I am really interested in the position within YYY, especially the product I will be working on and the manager I will be working with. I have also met with many engineers coming from YYY within Silicon Valley such as WWW and ZZZ. Generally speaking, they are all really strong software engineers and benefit a lot from their past experience in YYY. From the entire hiring process, I feel that YYY really cares potential candidates, always care its employees and want to guarantee they are happy at YYY. For example, reason1. reason2.

In terms of preparation and planning, I have prepared a lot during the past half a year, as you can see on my github KKK. So actually it is a long long journey for me and a really really big investment for me.

But sometimes things just happen and go beyond people’s control. For example, I have no control on what will happen on the company sides' scheduling. Sometimes it is just really hard to arrange things in a way so that all the offers come together and I can make a more informed choice. I have one additional onsite interview with BBB this Friday and another onsite interview with CCC on the next Tuesday.

From my perspective, this is not a simple choice because it will at least decide my life in the next coming 2-3 years, or even my entire professional career. Since YYY is in CCC, it also means a completely different friends/peers circle for me. I really want to guarantee that I am truly passionate about the work I will be doing in YYY. Then the question is: How could I persuade myself that this is the best fit for me? On one hand, I need to have an in-depth understanding about the product, manager, teammates I will be working with. On the other hand, I need to understand what other options I have. This is really not a easy choice for me. If I handle it casually, I feel that I am not really responsible for my future and the next job.

From YYY's perspective, I understand that this team is moving forward at a really fast pace and want to get everything ready as soon as possible. I can guarantee that once I decide to accept the offer from YYY, I will just need little time relocating or resting between the old and new jobs.

Could you please give me an additional week to consider this offer? I should be able to have all the options on the table by the end of next week. Once I decide, I don’t need lots of additional time to relocate or rest. I think that this is the most responsible way not only for me but also for YYY because by then I will get a better understanding about whether I truly belongs to YYY.

Thanks for your help, ; )

Ask for an increase in salary

Hello XXX,

It has always been such a pleasure to work with you. You are one of my nicest HRs I have ever worked with and also one of my best friends within YYY, ; ).

Yesterday I have spend the whole morning with the team, met my potential managers including AAA, BBB, CCC and all other team members. They are all really friendly and happy about the things they work on. The product also has a promising future.

As I mentioned in my previous email, I got an offer from the DDD team within EEE. I also get some offers from some local startups. I know that different companies' offer packages are not comparable because companies are at different locations and have different tax policies, and there are just so many other things to consider about a job offer. The reason why I mention offers is to demonstrate that I am really worth the price and this is the fact that employers should know and respect. I am not a greedy guy and all what I do is to make sure I will be happy at YYY, not feeling being treated a little unfairly.

In addition, I really performed well during the onsite interviews, discussed multiple ways to solve a same problem and implemented my solutions elegantly. In terms of enthusiasm and passion for the position, I took the trouble to meet with all of my team members and managers at YYY. I believe that it will be a great fit.

I mentioned all of these details just to show my level of professionalism and my competency for the job.

For the offer package from YYY, I need to speak for myself. I would like to have MMM increase in annual base salary, NNN increase in sign-on bonus and WWW increase in stock options. Could you please help me re-negotiate the offer package?

I will be looking forward to your response, ; )

Best, JJJ

Attachement for the job offer from EEE. ......

References

  • Cracking teh coding interview 6th Edition by Gayle Laakmann Mcdowell.

results matching ""

    No results matching ""