Interview tips?

[Froge]

I just got an interview for the intern position of quality assurance analyst at a mobile / web game dev company next Thursday.

I've never done a job interview before. From my research, it'll be 45 minutes long, split exactly between technical questions and personality assessment. There are seven other interviewees I'm competing with, and I'm not sure how qualified they are, but I'm a first year CS student so I can only assume the worst.

Interview tips?

[Yuhaney]

Keep eye contact and be confident.

[Traggey]

Personality is 70 % of it, they want people that will fit into the team and surroundings.

[Daemian]

Yep, and be positive. At all times.

I don't know about the eye contact, you could make the interviewer uncomfortable.

[7heDubz]

Don't be shy, Personality, Confidence, And do your best to be not anxious.

[VaeVictis]

Eye contact is a big one, but be careful not to stare (bring a note pad for notes so you can occasionally glance at it to break it up).
Bring some questions ready, it lets them know you're interested and have done research (i.e. What does it take to be successful at (company name?)'.
If you are asked about a weakness, put a positive spin on it (i.e. 'Sometimes it appears that I may be slow to make a decision, but I like to do things right the first time.').
Firm handshakes, but not 'HULK SMASH!' handshakes.
Be ready for potential tricky questions (i.e. 'Where do you see yourself in 5 years?').
Lastly: smile, pay attention, and show up five minutes early.

[Wooderson]

quality assurance analyst at a mobile / web game dev company

Just wondering, what the hell is one of those?

[Romulator]

I think it is a person who looks over how something is presented and/or works. Sorta like testing but focusing on how everything works and analyses mechanics for smooth gameplay.

[Focalize]

Idk about typical cs interviews (you never look at the bulletin boards or random walls for mock interview sessions do you, I saw a poster right beside the dropboxes) but here's what I took away from some career training events.

Anyway for a typical business interview dress appropriately to make a good expression; for people in the industry of corporate greed, we usually show up in a suit. Shave or something, I know it's hard for uni students but try to look neat. The more your dress shirt contrasts with the colour of the suit the more professional so make a judgement. The last time I visited Google, (awesome) people were working in jeans so idk business casual might work. Yes nail that handshake,do it before you sit down, pls don't stare into the interviewer's eyes weird, but maintain a natural eye contact to tell them that you're listening and interested the whole time; don't make anime/bl references or witty puns or talk about cats, answer questions concisely (don't ramble on), don't sound like you're perfect, do sell yourself and talk about what you've gained from experiences, show that you're a team player etc. show interest/passion, if you have to fake it do so, but the job itself does sound interesting, do some research and be honest abt what interests you in that company. Then prepare for the most common non-technical interview questions like "tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses, where do you see yourself in five years" stuff like that. For the weaknesses you list out don't just leave them at that, talk constructively about how you can improve. I personally don't find interviews as intimidating as public speaking which I had to do like 2 days ago, didn't go too badly but I'd rather have a conversation with an interviewer and have that channel of feedback as reassurance. End the interview with another handshake after asking all your questions. The interviewer is also human and (s)he doesn't bite, so just be professional, friendly, show that you're passionate and willing to learn, and know your technical stuff too.

good luck and happy year of the unicorns

[Rapture]

If you got friends, or friends of friends, who you genuinely think they did this as a job and were actually "good" at their job. Or anybody with good experience IYO. It would be good to talk to them about what you can expect to happen.

Keep asking yourself why they should pick you instead of any of the other candidates all the time. (Got to build yourself from their as being the best the instant you see them, or something cheesy along those lines)

And just practice for the worst, keep saying your lines in front of a mirror and practice with other people and try to get a solid foundation down. Don't let yourself stutter or look like a moron when they blindside you with a question that you aren't prepared for or have to think on the spot on how to answer it. (Practice those to, if you get 'stuck on the spot'. Think about how you should respond with a "straw-man", or divert the question elsewhere, or be professional in asking them for some time on how to respond to their question... Politicians, reporters, actors are types of people who have to use this skill a lot. So observing closely at interviews of important/well known/respected people can give some invaluable clues)

Prepare for the worst, for things like. "What would you consider your worst or least best attribute about yourself"

They might ask something similar to that to test how you react.



Like said above, start the conversation with a strong hand-shake (Practice it so you don't under or overdo it). You would be surprised how powerfully subtle as a hand-shake can move an entire initial impressions in your favor.

Little subtle things like your position in your chair, your hair, no stains on your clothes (HUGE THING, don't let any stains or anything of the like distracting your interviewer(s)), the way your eyes are looking, all the subconsciousness things that you take for granted will determine how your interview really goes.