First interview can be a real nightmare for both the candidates and interviewers. I’m sure you’ve heard and read hundreds of stories on how a job interview can go wrong. If you’ve gone through many interviews of different shape and form you probably know how to play this game. Nevertheless, for many intern and junior level candidates first interview may be stressful simply because they have no idea what are the expectations.
Let me give you some tips on how to survive the first interview at Tooploox (and make a good impression).
1. Dress code – what kind of code is that?
We appreciate great code, however dress code is not the code we really care about. I’ve read an article recently about the importance of the first impression and how great quality, non-brown clothes can help you get a job. We do appreciate a good taste, actually any kind of good taste, so feel free to wear whatever you like. We honestly don’t care even if you’re wearing a Viking costume.
2. So where would you like to be in 5 years?
This is one of the most common, yet controversial interview questions. It may seem to be a good way of checking candidates long-term plans. So what is the problem? First of all, it gives a precise time limit. It is extremely hard to plan that far ahead. I have no idea where I’m going to be 5 years from now, do you? Second of all, it gives the impression that there are some “good” and “bad” answers. You can find advice on how to answer this question “correctly”. We are interested in your plans and goals you want to pursue that’s why we ask only straightforward questions with no hidden meaning.
3. Other top cliche questions we don’t ask:
We are not asking about 3 strengths and weaknesses:
@matbeal: My favourite was a friend who was asked what her weaknesses were. She replied, “Jazz hands!” (With accompanying gesture.)
What about the “tell me about the most stressful situation” question? Yup, not gonna happen here.
Although it might be interesting to know, we are not going to ask which animal you would like to be. It’s great if you would like to be an elephant or an opossum but we have no idea how we could use this info during recruitment :)
@AllDesignPrint: I was asked, “If you could be an animal, what would it be?” I replied,”What sort of a stupid question is that?” Didn’t get the job.
4. Cause all I want to do is just talk talk talk to you
There was a stereotype that software developers were “weirdos”, spending their lives in a basement, avoiding sunlight, soap, and most importantly people. It’s a relief that it’s not true (in most cases) because we’re looking for people with awesome soft skills. Tooploox has got a flat structure with no managers and no project managers. We need to see that you will be able to communicate with our clients and teammates.
5. Are you fit? Team fit!
And while we’re talking about soft skills, there is another thing that really matters to us. We have been building Tooploox with strong emphasis on how people get along. This is one of the reasons we engage the entire company in our recruitment process, so we can exchange opinions and discuss whether candidates fit in the team.
Now you’re ready for the first encounter! Good luck!
Graphics by Anna Langiewicz
