How To Be Interviewed

<div class="center">
  <h1>How To Be Interviewed</h1>
  
  <p><img src="../../files/talks/codebender-logo.svg" alt="Third Bit logo" width="20%" /></p>
  <h2>Greg Wilson</h2>
  <p>2026-09-30</p>
  <p><img src="../../files/talks/cc-by.svg" width="20%" alt="CC-BY" /></p>
</div>

---

## Why Should You Listen to Me?

-   Worked at six universities, a dozen companies, and a non-profit over 40 years
-   Supervised over 200 undergraduate interns
-   Hired or helped hire that many again while at various companies

---

## Why Shouldn't You Listen to Me?

-   I graduated in a tech boom 40 years ago: you are facing the toughest job market I've ever seen
-   You're probably not a middle-aged straight white guy
-   You're probably not applying for the same jobs I would

---

## The Pipeline (Fall 2024 Edition)

| Stage | Number |
| ----- | ------ |
| Applications | 1700 |
| Algorithmic screen | 1200 |
| First manual screen | 289 |
| Second manual screen | 45 |
| HR screen | 21 |
| Preliminary interview | 12 |
| Coding Interview | 8 |
| Offers | 4 |

---

## Before We Talk to You

-   If you don't meet the legal criteria, please don't apply
-   Page 1 is the only page that matters
-   Nobody says "I'm lazy, stubborn, and anti-social"
-   "42.3% improvement in customer retention" isn't credible
-   Tell me your GPA
    -   I prefer B-B-B-B to A-C-A-C

---

## Screening

-   First screen is 15 minutes with HR
-   If they find out you have misrepresented yourself, the conversation is over
-   Second screen is 30 minutes with me

---

## My Script

| Stage | Time |
| ----- | ---- |
| Introduction | 2:00 |
| Icebreaker | 3:00 |
| What's the most complicated thing you've built? | 5:00 |
| Design question | 5:00 |
| Our company | 5:00 |
| Your questions | 5:00 |

---

## What I'm Looking For

-   Can you explain technical details?
    -   If it's on your resume, I'm allowed to drill down
    -   If you dodge, I'll *definitely* drill down
-   Can you explain why you built something as you did?
-   Can you think aloud / think with me?
-   Do you have interesting questions?
    -   I.e., have you looked at my company's website?

---

## Behavioral Questions

-   "Tell me about a time when…" really means "how do you actually work?"
-   Prepare three or four stories you can adapt
    -   Situation to Action to Result in two minutes or less
-   Own your part: "I" not "we"

---

## Coding Interview

-   Your CV tells me that you can write code
-   But can you debug?
    -   A better indicator than LeetCode exercises
-   We send you a hundred-line program with some bugs and watch you find them
-   How methodical are you?
-   How well do you use your tools?
    -   3.5 minutes vs. 28 minutes

---

## What About AI?

-   It's just another tool
    -   So go ahead as long as I can see what you're doing
    -   Same rule we have for Stack Overflow etc.
-   If you can't explain what it generated, it isn't yours
    -   Pasting answers you don't understand is the same as lying on your resume
-   Use it to practice

---

## The Offer Process

-   Internships usually aren't negotiable
-   But please negotiate for real jobs

---

## How to Improve Your Chances

-   Read and critique each other's CVs
-   Practice Q&A with each other
-   Learn to use your tools well
-   Build a personal website
    -   GitHub Pages is fine
    -   Hosted and interactive is better
-   Be kind

---

## How to Improve Your Chances

-   Read <https://www.askamanager.org/>
-   Learn how to participate in a status meeting
    -   Progress, plans, and problems go up
    -   Context and priorities come down
-   Learn how to review code software designs
-   Learn how to estimate effort
    -   Optimists are tiring…
-   Learn (about) the other 90% of the business
-   Be kind

---

## When You Don't Know the Answer

-   Say so, quickly and clearly
    -   Don't bluff
-   "I haven't used that, but I've used X, and I'd start by…"
-   Show how you'd find out, don't just promise you will
-   The goal isn't to know everything: it's to show how you think when you don't

---

## After the Interview

-   Send a brief thank-you within a day
-   Follow up once, politely, if you hear nothing
-   Debrief while it's fresh: what went well, what to practice
-   A "no" is data: ask for one thing you can improve

---

## Thank You, and Good Luck

<div class="row">
  <div class="col-6">
    <p><img src="../../files/cv/gvwilson-2025.jpg" alt="Greg Wilson" width="300px"></p>
  </div>
  <div class="col-6">
    <p><a href="http://third-bit.com">Greg Wilson</a></p>
    <p><a href="mailto:gvwilson@third-bit.com">gvwilson@third-bit.com</a></p>
    <p><a href="http://third-bit.com/talks/sdgc/">http://third-bit.com/talks/sdgc/</a></p>
  </div>
</div>

<div align="center">
  <p><em>start where you are · use what you have · help who you can</em></p>
</div>