
Today I had my very first job interview for an HTML and CSS coding position. I didn't get the job, but I did gain valuable insight into where I need improvement. I want to share my experience in the hopes that someone else learns from my mistakes.
The day before the interview, I did a drive by of where the business was located. I have heard horror stories of people being late to or missing interviews because they made a wrong turn or just could not find the place. I wasn't about to make this mistake. Comfortable that I knew where it was, I next went to buy my interview outfit. I made some calls to friends who work in the tech industry to get a feel for how I should dress. Button down shirt, yes. Jacket, no. Tie, optional(sign of respect). It took me a while to find clothing that was appropiate, that I felt comfortable wearing, and that I could afford(My first stop was Banana Republic; when I saw that a tie cost a minimum of $50 dollars, I fled. I ended up buying three ties from Ross for $10 bucks a piece). Once that was settled, I went home, took care of my daughter until she fell asleep and then went to my computer to do a little company research. The company I was about to interview with works with insurance agents/agencies to aid them in direct marketing and offer them business tools that facilitate their business. It seems to me a facinating niche market.
Interview day.
I was woken up by my daughter around 7am with her morning chant "bottle, bottle, down, down, play?" Took care of her till 8:30 and then got dressed. I was painfully reminded of how long it had been since I last tried to tie a tie. Getting it on my third try, I finished whatever else I needed to do and was out the door by 9:30. I turned on the radio; OPB was broadcasting an interview about some depressing topic. I switched the channel to some sort of techno, drum & bass. That was more like it. I decided to blast the heat to warm up my hand which always get cold when I am nervous. I over shot one of the traffic circles, but realized the mistake soon enough to get back on track. I arrived to the interview on-time and ready.
I told the receptionist that I was here for a meeting with so and so and shortly there after was greeted by my interviewer. We went to a conference room down the hall to begin. As far as I could tell the interview went smoothly. He asked me about my experience level and I gave the most honest answers that I could. Advice that I was given, which seems like common sense now is to be as honest as possible. I guess there is nothing worse then saying you know about something, or know how to do something, and have it discovered later not to be the case. We next went on an office tour and I had the chance to meet some of the employees from the different departments.
This is where things went bad.
I failed to mention that before the interview concluded, I was told that I was to be tested on my coding skills. All of a sudden a crack appeared in the shiny suit of confidence that I was wearing. In the test, I was asked to design a logo in photoshop and change some CSS on a website in the works. I can do this, I can do this. Then I was sat before a Mac. I don't know how to operate a Mac OS since I have been working on Windows up until this point. Also I have been using Dreamweaver to create my sites. No Dreamweaver to be found on the premises. He was using Coda to edit HTML and CSS. I had never used this tool before. Let me take a moment to say that when you get nervous, you can lose focus and not hear things because your mind is racing. "How long do you think this will take you?" "Ah, um, twenty minutes." I responded. He left me so that I could work. I won't go into much more detail except to say that it took me longer than twenty minutes to complete the project.
After what felt like an eternity of pain, I completed the project and got feedback. My design skills are lacking. I should think about taking courses, and then the dreaded, "We will contact you about our decision"(translation: Sorry buddy, you didn't get the job). I collected what was left of my self-esteem and thanked my interviewer for his time(He was very nice during the entire process). I waited the rest of the day for a call that never came.
Instead of beating myself up over the experience, I tried to look at the positive side of things.
1) I got an interview: It takes a lot just to get into the door.
2) I got positive feed-back about what areas I could use improvement: Not only do I need to improve my design skills, but I realized that I need to improve my semantic coding practices. It also wouldn't hurt to learn Mac OS.
3) I got insight into what I might expect the next time I interview: This is priceless. Next time around I'll be better prepared.
Looking at it from this perspective, I can lick my wounds and face the new day, armed with a little more knowledge than I had the day before.
Good Luck!
Jeff