Category Archives: Interviews

guest blogger, Interviews, IT Project Management, Project Management Interview Questions

6 questions to expect at a web developer interview

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When preparing for an interview it’s important to consider a few typical questions your potential employer may ask you. We all know the interview process can be a daunting task, and it’s essential to come across as a competent and confident individual to be in with a chance of bagging that dream job. The focus of your potential employer’s thought process, is whether you are good enough to work for their company, so the significance of interview preparation should not be overlooked. For that very reason, we have compiled a series of web developer interview questions below, so you can walk into the room and communicate an air of wisdom and clarity when put under the microscope.

1.       What are your past working experiences?

You can expect to answer a relatively broad question about yourself to begin with. The interviewer is merely trying to get a feel of your personality and an elaborated version of the information presented in your CV.

Think2.       What kinds of sources do you follow to keep up with industry trends and developments? 

If you don’t already follow a handful of blogs relating to the web development industry, now is the time to start reading! The interviewer will be very interested in knowing how committed to the profession you are, and your specific viewpoints. This is that very thin line between your dedication to the skill and your own self-improvement, or something you perceive as just a job.

3.       What are your most favourable programming languages?

It is a simple fact that when we excel in a certain task, this generally results in a person favouring that subject. There are at least one or two programming languages a web developer will be most proficient, and the interviewer will be interested to hear the skills you can bring to the company and why it is you favour those languages over others.

4.       What kind of problems have you faced while writing code?

When your interviewer asks you a question about the problems you’ve come across in the past, they do not want to hear “I haven’t come across any problems”. Every developer at some point in their career has been confronted with a challenge, your interviewer is looking for details of what your problems were and what you did to tackle them.

5.       What is W3C and what does it stand for?

W3C stands for World Wide Web Consortium and it is the international standards compliance for web development. Their aim is to radically improve the way people develop new technologies, and this is something any established web developer should be familiar with. Your interviewer will most likely ask you this question, so if you are ignorant to the workings of W3C, start searching the web for answers now.

6.       When concerning case sensitivity, what is the principal difference between HTML and XHTML?

The interviewer is attempting to establish your basic knowledge of languages and the finer details involved. Expect to be asked a series of technical questions to test your knowledge and capabilities.  To answer the question above, HTML is not case sensitive but XTML requires lower case for all tags and attributes.

As you can imagine, these are just a small collection of the possible questions your interviewer may ask you, but it’s most definitely a good starting point. When considering what to expect at your interview, ask yourself these three questions; “What are my past experiences, what kind of skills do I possess, and what do I expect from the future?” Elaborate on these three questions and you’ll find yourself where you want to be in no time!

Good luck!

Karly Edwards is a freelance copywriter writing for Computer Recruiter, an IT recruitment agency based in Cardiff, South Wales: http://www.computerrecruiter.co.uk

guest blogger, Interviews, IT Project Management, Project Management Interviews

5 typical project manager interview questions

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The interview process is an imperative hurdle to conquer in order to secure the job you desire. It will be the difference between successfully answering the questions provided, or voicing a chaos of answers only to witness the job slip through your fingers. As a project manager, your interviewer will primarily be looking for your ability to perform well in certain situations, and examples of where your skills have delivered a project on time, in budget and with fantastic results to boot!

In preparation for your next interview, there are a selection of project manager interview questions listed below, so you can get in, answer the questions, and get hired!

1.       Give an example of your experience with managing different projects

Your potential employer is looking for a clear and honest explanation of your past experiences at a former company, and how you handled yourself in those situations. The question seeks to find out more about your management skills, and ultimately, how your skills can benefit their company.

Problem or Solution2.       What kind of techniques would you use to motivate ineffective team members?

This would be a good time to give an impressive example of your leadership skills. If you have experienced an unproductive team member at your previous job, communicate what the problem was and how you motivated them into becoming an efficient and key member of the team.

3.       What kinds of project management software do you use?

The point of this question is quite simply, “are you up to date with the latest technology, or are we going to have to spend our resources to get you up to speed?” Like many companies, they would rather have an employee enter the company with the knowledge of certain processes firmly in place, instead of hiring a novice. So do yourself an act of kindness and make sure you’re familiar with all the latest tools.

4.       How do you handle politics in the workplace?

The ability to keep the peace between team members while maintaining the focus of the project is key here. Your interviewer is asking for an example of a time where employee differences may have had the potential to be detrimental to the goal of the project, and the actions you took to resolve the issues.

5.       How do you close your projects?

Your employer isn’t interested in hiring an employee who fails to close projects well. This is your opportunity to shine and provide examples of projects you’ve successfully managed from beginning to end. Include details of team member and client feedback, and how you evaluated those results to present a positive end solution.

The most powerful tool to employ before your interview date is preparation. These questions will be sure to assist you in your adventure into the menacing world of the interview process and help you see the way forward in your career progression. With a splash of confidence, a pinch of positivity and a heap of preparation, go grab this opportunity with both hands!

Karly Edwards is a freelance copywriter writing for Computer Recruiter, an IT recruitment agency based in Cardiff, South Wales: http://www.computerrecruiter.co.uk

Interviews, PMO, Project Management, Stakeholders

Project Manager Interview questions – stakeholders

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I always receive a mixed response from candidates regarding interview expectations, most are confident that once they are interviewed they will be offered the job – great to have such confidence and I hope the theme continues that way. However there are a number of candidates who find interviews terrifying, understandable if you haven’t had much experience of interviews or it has been a long time since your last one. The element of not knowing what to expect is where the fear kicks in for most, in this article I want to address Stakeholders.

Now, whether you are a Senior Programme Manager or a Project Admin, stakeholders are arguably the most important element of project success. Whenever I have seen a project not reach success, it has often come back to a failing communication element.

stakeholdersHere are some questions based purely on the stakeholder aspect which you should look to consider and compare with your own experiences, so you can create a number of responses to use in your forthcoming interviews. Remember to take a holistic approach to your responses, giving detail about the project/situation, your actions and finally the results achieved.

  • How do you identify the key stakeholders on your project?
    • Realistically this can be as simple as a meeting with all involved and/or;
    • Rating their level of interest and involvement in the project.
  • Once identified, what do you do next?
    • Think about stakeholder mapping, communication plans etc.
  • Give me an example of a strained stakeholder relationship, what did you do to resolve the issue?
    • A great question, which answered correctly, can really draw out your relationship building skills. Soft skills as more important than process in PM.
  • When working with external stakeholders, how do you ensure a balanced communication process is maintained?
    • This is an interesting question; it could be a trick to see what information you are willing to share with outsiders to the company. Always difficult to gauge how organisations work, some are transparent whereas others like to keep all issues in-house. Of course the core part of the question is really asking how you keep in touch with the external parties, always check questions which might generate a leading response.

Once you have some good examples to talk through – practice, give the questions to your partner/friend/colleague and run through them, ask them back what you just told them to see if you are communicating clearly. Practice makes perfect and it is all too easy to get embroiled in internal terminology (from your current/previous company), and you need to be able to engage all at the interview including HR and other non-PM people.

guest blogger, Interviews, Recruitment

3 Things You Shouldn’t Forget Saying During A Job Interview

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We bet you dream of building a really good and successful career. But every career starts with a successful job interview, doesn’t it? Your main task is to make a good impression on a job interviewer and make him understand that you differ much from other candidates (in a good way of course). It’s clear that there are many cliches a majority of candidates use to attract the attention and make an impression, but interviewers know them perfectly already, so, they rarely work today. It’s high time for something different!

InterviewsDo you want them to hire you? There is no need to use assignment help for that: just remember these 3 things to say during an interview to make an impression of a potential employee they actually need.

Ask them questions

Certainly, they will ask you many questions, and you will have to answer all of them. But remember, that your job interview is not a grilling: you have the right to ask questions too! Moreover, you should do that in order to show your interest towards this job and the company itself.

But our tip here will be the following: forget about all those cliché questions every interviewer heard a thousand of times already. Your task here is to attract the attention and differ from other candidates, so, your questions should be as original as they can be. For example, you many ask an interviewer about what he personally likes about the company he works at. Quite unexpected though logical, isn’t it? Or ask about what they expect from you within the first month of your job there.

What will be your value to their company?

It’s clear that a company that hires you wants to earn money. Your task is to show them how you can bring this money to them. Just try to demonstrate what your skills and knowledge can be used to achieve and bring the results they want to see. Do you have any ideas how to improve their business? Do you know how to make a company better? What new will you be able to bring them if they hire you? Just answer all these questions to an interviewer before he asks about that. It will prove the fact you totally understand what they need you for, and you know how to give it.

Your examples

While telling an interviewer about your skills, knowledge and achievements, don’t forget to support your answers with good examples. They will prove the fact that you are a person of a word, and you don’t just try to make an impression by telling about something you didn’t actually do.

Show an interviewer that you perfectly understand a job you will do in case you are hired, and you know all the requirements needed for this job. But anyway, don’t try to impress by knowing everything! Remember, that no one likes people who just boast, so, avoid long monologues about what a unique and perfect candidate you are.

The article submitted by , a pro copywriter and blogging enthusiast, who is always ready to help you with writing on different topics.