Tech Nerd job interview question

[HankCowdog]

At a Job Fair, approach the interviewer with a firm handshake, state your name…but do NOT hand over your resume. Take the next 2 minutes to state your major, what type of job you are seeking, and something special about the firm that excited you. After your 2 minute well prepared speech has been delivered…then hand over your resume.

I have been the owner of two companies and a manager at two other engineering/tech focused companies. In that time I have interviewed dozens of prospective employees. What @richmeyer said is sound advice: allowing the interviewer to focus on YOU first and your CV second is a good way to make a more solid impression.

I would also recommend that you do some research on the company in question in preparation for the interview, and have a prepared question to ask the interviewer about the company’s work/clients/corporate culture. This will show the interviewer that you have also taken a specific interest in that company rather than just checking a box/going through the motions. Lots of info about companies is available on the company’s website/press releases/Facebook/other social media channels. Doing a 5 minute Google dig the night before the interview can be worthwhile.

[kbraby]

I’ll also expand again. I’m disappointed how few candidates have any questions. Having good questions can be a way to show you are interested in the long term, not just a job. It can show you are proactive, and self starting. It can highlight your team player attitude. Yet I’ve not seen my candidates make use of the opportunity.

[michaelb]

While giving a resume second sounds good, at the most recent job fair I recruited for (two years ago), there were a number of students who would walk up and recite a prepared speech that was a) too fast to understand, b) didn’t let me ask any questions, and c) amounted to their resume in verbal form. Even worse were the number of people that would give that speech and then walk away immediately. In those cases, I enjoyed having the resume first so I could tune out the speech, lol.

The best things I saw were people who were obviously familiar with our company, knew the types of things we did and maybe the jobs we were hiring for. They were personable, willing to have a conversation, let me ask questions about what’s on their resume. They had hobby projects or student organization-based projects that they were excited to talk about. That alone was enough to stand out above 75% of the students I talked to.

[Russell_Crow]

@michaelb has hit the central theme here. This employer isn’t just separating the wheat from chaff; you are interviewing them, too. Know something about the division or group you are seeking to marry yourself into. Know a good amount about the prospects of this division you want to join. If it is just a paycheck to you, this probably explains why you are out of your last job and looking for another. If on the other hand, you have done your due diligence, you should have a few questions which will indicate to the interviewer that you know what you are getting in to, and fully qualified to handle it.