3 ms·

Ask HN: How should I prepare for an interview?

12 points by zitterbewegung 17y ago

I was wondering how I should prepare for an interview for a technology company. They are a security research firm and they already have looked at my resume. I am already reading the companies website. What else should I do to prepare?

mbenjaminsmith 17y ago
You will probably have to be more specific about the role to get better feedback, but my general suggestions are: 1) Confirm the day before and get the names of everyone you're going to meet 2) Make sure you have all materials you're expected to bring, including several copies of your cv 3) Read the website or other materials to prepare specific questions about the business and prepare questions and ask those questions (they should mostly be related to your role, but a few general should be ok) 4) Arrive exactly 5 minutes before the start time 5) Look people directly in the eye at all times 6) Be yourself 7) Tell the truth, especially when you're tempted to bend it 8) Use language as if you already have the position like, 'I will report to ...', 'I will support ...' 9) Treat everyone like a VIP, even the FedEx guy 10) Smile
- varaon 17y ago
  The parent comment covered it well, but just to make a point: the goal of preparing is to make sure the interview process goes smoothly. Assuming the interview is soon, there's only so much preparation you can do for technical questions in a short period of time. You can't be much more prepared for the technical questions than your current level of knowledge, so the preparation is more about making a good impression based on interpersonal factors.
hga 17y ago
I recommend checking out the site of Ask the Headhunter: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/ http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/ Specifically, start with this page on the "New Interview": http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics5.htm http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics5.htm The philosophy is very straightforward: show them you can do the job by doing the job.
zackattack 17y ago
The best thing you can do is just relax and be yourself. Seriously. If you are a good fit for the job, you'll be fine in the interview if you just act natural. If you aren't a good fit for the job, then I could give you 50 tips on how to micromanage the process and manipulate your way into it, but every day on the job will be extremely stressful and unpleasant. Not a life worth living.
- zackattack 17y ago
  Seriously, why downvote? If your attention is devoted to monitoring things like body language, handshake firmness, etc. then your working memory will not be operating at full capacity, and you're going to be less spontaneous with your code solutions as well as responses in general.
keefe 17y ago
Make sure you sleep well and eat well beforehand. If you are an gym rat like me, a workout is a good way to get the endorphins flowing. I think it's about getting your mind and body into a state where they can offer peak performance the next day.
trevelyan 17y ago
bring a copy of your resume and any supporting materials to the interview even if you know they've seen it. saves people from printing it out, and shows you're organized.
mbrubeck 17y ago
I find it really useful to re-read some reference documentation for any tools or languages I'll be expected to know, and to solve some simple practice problems (e.g. actually write some basic functions). The purpose isn't to memorize the documentation, but to refresh my memory so that I don't have to fish around for basic syntax or rules.

mbenjaminsmith 17y ago

You will probably have to be more specific about the role to get better feedback, but my general suggestions are: 1) Confirm the day before and get the names of everyone you're going to meet 2) Make sure you have all materials you're expected to bring, including several copies of your cv 3) Read the website or other materials to prepare specific questions about the business and prepare questions and ask those questions (they should mostly be related to your role, but a few general should be ok) 4) Arrive exactly 5 minutes before the start time 5) Look people directly in the eye at all times 6) Be yourself 7) Tell the truth, especially when you're tempted to bend it 8) Use language as if you already have the position like, 'I will report to ...', 'I will support ...' 9) Treat everyone like a VIP, even the FedEx guy 10) Smile

varaon 17y ago
The parent comment covered it well, but just to make a point: the goal of preparing is to make sure the interview process goes smoothly. Assuming the interview is soon, there's only so much preparation you can do for technical questions in a short period of time. You can't be much more prepared for the technical questions than your current level of knowledge, so the preparation is more about making a good impression based on interpersonal factors.

hga 17y ago

I recommend checking out the site of Ask the Headhunter: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/ http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/ Specifically, start with this page on the "New Interview": http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics5.htm http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics5.htm The philosophy is very straightforward: show them you can do the job by doing the job.

zackattack 17y ago

The best thing you can do is just relax and be yourself. Seriously. If you are a good fit for the job, you'll be fine in the interview if you just act natural. If you aren't a good fit for the job, then I could give you 50 tips on how to micromanage the process and manipulate your way into it, but every day on the job will be extremely stressful and unpleasant. Not a life worth living.

zackattack 17y ago
Seriously, why downvote? If your attention is devoted to monitoring things like body language, handshake firmness, etc. then your working memory will not be operating at full capacity, and you're going to be less spontaneous with your code solutions as well as responses in general.

keefe 17y ago

Make sure you sleep well and eat well beforehand. If you are an gym rat like me, a workout is a good way to get the endorphins flowing. I think it's about getting your mind and body into a state where they can offer peak performance the next day.

trevelyan 17y ago

bring a copy of your resume and any supporting materials to the interview even if you know they've seen it. saves people from printing it out, and shows you're organized.

mbrubeck 17y ago

I find it really useful to re-read some reference documentation for any tools or languages I'll be expected to know, and to solve some simple practice problems (e.g. actually write some basic functions). The purpose isn't to memorize the documentation, but to refresh my memory so that I don't have to fish around for basic syntax or rules.