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Jsor posted:This is why I said no spaghetti, FTR, it was a really bad joke about the potential employer thinking he'll write spaghetti code. But seriously, don't order spaghetti. It makes a huge mess and no one looks good while eating it. Order a salad because that's what responsible adults eat.
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Jan 5, 2015 17:24
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Acer Pilot posted:Ok, I guess no hand held food then and nothing with too much sauce? Jesus christ, stop overthinking. Try just pretending you are a normal person who can have a conversation over lunch and don't eat like Garfield. Bonus: This tip works for literally every meal with any number of companions! Che Delilas fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Jan 5, 2015 |
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Jan 5, 2015 17:39
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Just order the exact same thing as the other guy orders, with all modifications intact. Make sure you eat it at the same pace as he does, too.
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Jan 5, 2015 17:42
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EAT THE EGGS RICOLA posted:Just order the exact same thing as the other guy orders, with all modifications intact. Make sure you eat it at the same pace as he does, too. And maintain intense eye contact the entire time as you chew your food.
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Jan 5, 2015 18:11
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Claim you're not hungry, then beg or steal the interviewer's fries.
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Jan 5, 2015 18:13
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bonds0097 posted:And maintain intense eye contact the entire time as you chew your food. Mirror your body to his (his left hand on the table, your right hand, he leans back you lean back, etc), match your rate of breathing to his. He should at least be mildly sexually attracted to you by the end of the meal. qntm posted:Claim you're not hungry, then beg or steal the interviewer's fries. It's not an interview, it's just lunch with an old boss, which is why this is so silly.
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Jan 5, 2015 18:18
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Newbie Programming Interviews/Get a Job Megathread: How do I
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Jan 5, 2015 18:22
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Edit: joke already posted
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Jan 5, 2015 18:29
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I will be live posting the lunch and using all the tips in this thread. Thanks goons! e: yeah, I'm probably way over thinking this. Acer Pilot fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Jan 5, 2015 |
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Jan 5, 2015 18:40
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I have an interview with a company on Wednesday. I've learned a good bit about the company, but I don't know if there's anything specific I should make sure I know. What are the recommended bits to research in a company's work?
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Jan 5, 2015 19:22
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As long as you know something, you're probably fine. Can you name a couple of their products? Is there a reason you want to work in that industry? (I've done a lot of educational software, so that was always an easy answer for me)
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Jan 5, 2015 19:53
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Having tea and cookies in my new office. Not a bad turn around for this time of year. Still hate that IT never makes an image for new devs so I have to spend a few days setting poo poo up, but hey, I'm still paid the same. 
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Jan 6, 2015 19:14
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New job day 2:
Tunga fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Jan 7, 2015 |
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Jan 6, 2015 23:26
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So uh, I just got an offer and they want an answer by the end of tomorrow. This certainly sounds like an exploding offer. They said they'd be happy to set up time to "further discussions." I think they offered 5k below the average salary in my city too. Advice? I want at least 2 weeks to think this through.
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Jan 6, 2015 23:51
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Acer Pilot posted:So uh, I just got an offer and they want an answer by the end of tomorrow. This certainly sounds like an exploding offer. They said they'd be happy to set up time to "further discussions." Are you not worth at least the average salary in your city? If so, go ahead and take the offer. Otherwise, turn it down. Reasonable offers come with reasonable deadlines.
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Jan 7, 2015 00:47
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bonds0097 posted:Are you not worth at least the average salary in your city? If so, go ahead and take the offer. I'm thinking this too but would it hurt to ask for more time? They seem to pay more than EA at least.
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Jan 7, 2015 00:54
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Hello, I'm a STEM non-CS/Engineering graduate (biology) considering software engineering as a career path. Unfortunately I have no formal CS training or courses, so I think my best bet is to pursue an MS in CS to "legitimize" myself as a software engineering candidate and provide access at campus linked internships and offers. However I'm not sure how to fulfill the CS pre-reqs having already graduated, and ideally I'd like to attend strong target schools for a master's. Would UC Berkeley continuing education courses (through their Extension dept) or similar be acceptable for fulfilling pre-reqs for master's programs? It would be most convenient since I live close to campus and I'll be able to continue working full-time while enrolled. Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance. If it matters, my undergraduate GPA is solid and I'm confident about scoring well in my GREs. It's the pre-req course acceptability that I'm worried about. theDOWmustflow fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Jan 7, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 01:05
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I'm doing a master's now, and from doing research beforehand, it seems like each master's program will have different - and often very specific - requirements for pre-reqs; you should probably ask each school what the pre-reqs for their program are.
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Jan 7, 2015 01:09
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Thanks for the advice! Quick follow-up question, is 30 too old to enter as an entry level software engineer? I'm 27 now, assuming I complete my pre-reqs and finish a 2 year masters, I may very well be 30, maybe 31.
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Jan 7, 2015 01:37
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If you're more mature than most junior devs you'll be fine. Your resume doesn't list your age, does it?
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Jan 7, 2015 01:53
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Space Whale posted:If you're more mature than most junior devs you'll be fine. Your resume doesn't list your age, does it? It's pretty easy to infer a minimum age for someone, if you assume that they entered college straight out of highschool you just do this year - starting year of college + ~18. e; Not that I think anyone is going to give a poo poo. The March Hare fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jan 7, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 02:52
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Once HR gets your completed onboarding paperwork back and sees from your date of birth you're over 30, you'll be sent to carousel after orientation.
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Jan 7, 2015 03:33
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theDOWmustflow posted:Thanks for the advice! I'm 29, almost done with Master's, in Junior Dev position that followed an internship. No one asked my age, really; I wouldn't worry about it.
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Jan 7, 2015 04:12
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Doghouse posted:I'm 29, almost done with Master's, in Junior Dev position that followed an internship. No one asked my age, really; I wouldn't worry about it. I graduated with my BS at the age of 28 and roughly 30% of the engineering school graduates were of a similar age. There are lots of people coming out of the military or pursuing a change of careers. I don't think it's weird at all to be a junior dev at 30.
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Jan 7, 2015 05:49
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One of the interns at my work just turned 33 a month ago. The nice thing about this industry is people usually care more about what you can do than who you are.
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Jan 7, 2015 06:17
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theDOWmustflow posted:Thanks for the advice! Grad school does that to you. I know plenty of folks that started out as software engineers in their very late 20s or early 30s (granted, that's PhDs, but still). I haven't had any employer care about my age either during my recent job search.
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Jan 7, 2015 09:38
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shodanjr_gr posted:Grad school does that to you. I know plenty of folks that started out as software engineers in their very late 20s or early 30s (granted, that's PhDs, but still). I haven't had any employer care about my age either during my recent job search. Started in my late 20's with a Bachelor's, for various reasons that are completely irrelevant to anyone. Like I mentioned in the other thread, the days where you are expected to attend college for exactly four years immediately after high school and then get a job at one company and stay there for 40 years are over. It doesn't mean ageism doesn't exist. It's just not something you should be terribly concerned about.
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Jan 7, 2015 17:23
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I interviewed with a company yesterday that made me feel like they didn't really know what I'd actually be working on as a developer for them. I was being interviewed for a Jr. Dev position, and I learned that: 1. they had a totally different stack from mine (not a problem), 2. they were interested in developing more internal tools (scheduling, CRUD stuff) for the company, 3. I would only be the second developer on the team (which makes me feel less confident about it), 4. the company was still very young and I didn't get the sense that their product did anything yet By the end of it, I was still confused on exactly what I'd be doing. My best interpretation is that they want me to work on the internal tools, which is fine, but not something I think I'd enjoy doing much, especially when I'm more interested in data visualization and front-end development. Is it normal to be unsure of their expectations at this point in the interview process? I should mention this is a startup, so there's like 5-6 people total in the company right now. I would much prefer a larger one, where I can get some mentorship and guidance. Plus, I dunno if I really want to work for a startup that literally just started...
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Jan 8, 2015 22:10
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Can't hurt to keep interviewing to practice but you're definitely right about finding the right fit. Being picky is a luxury we get to have in this field currently.
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Jan 8, 2015 22:12
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And I'll be damned if I don't take advantage of it. Right now, though, I gotta practice my whiteboarding and interviewing. Also, I've gotten a really oddly high amount of responses from startups on AngelList - has anyone used it before, and if so, what was your experience like? It feels like it's a great way to become visible, but I'm not sure if there's any downsides to it I'm missing.
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Jan 8, 2015 23:34
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Pollyanna posted:And I'll be damned if I don't take advantage of it. Right now, though, I gotta practice my whiteboarding and interviewing. I've used it in your position, it seems like most places are willing to reach out/talk to whoever but it quickly becomes pretty clear that one/the other will not fit. It's like any other job marketplace really. Expect a lot of noise, learn to filter.
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Jan 9, 2015 00:24
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The March Hare posted:I've used it in your position, it seems like most places are willing to reach out/talk to whoever but it quickly becomes pretty clear that one/the other will not fit. It's like any other job marketplace really. Expect a lot of noise, learn to filter. I think the best way to put it is "OKCupid For Startups".
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Jan 9, 2015 00:45
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Acer Pilot posted:So uh, I just got an offer and they want an answer by the end of tomorrow. This certainly sounds like an exploding offer. They said they'd be happy to set up time to "further discussions." Decline. Do not underestimate the opportunity cost of working for a shithole. Edit: Unless I was cash desperate for some reason, I would try to only ever work for a place that pays in the higher end of the areas payscale because you more likely will be working with the best people and will become better yourself as a result. If you slum it you'll acclimatise to the slum. return0 fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Jan 9, 2015 |
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Jan 9, 2015 03:28
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Pollyanna posted:And I'll be damned if I don't take advantage of it. Right now, though, I gotta practice my whiteboarding and interviewing. Just about everything on AngelList is pisstrash. There are a few high profile companies on there but 99% of them are startups that either came out of horrendously lovely incubators or are just one bootstrapped MBA who's an investment away from getting the ball rolling.
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Jan 9, 2015 04:35
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triple sulk posted:Just about everything on AngelList is pisstrash. There are a few high profile companies on there but 99% of them are startups that either came out of horrendously lovely incubators or are just one bootstrapped MBA who's an investment away from getting the ball rolling. So this might be off-topic slightly, but how does one go about picking a good startup? They all start to blend together after a while, and while I enjoy the startup lifestyle, the one I'm at is starting to circle the drain unless it gets some series A funding in a couple months. I honestly don't know how I got into this one but I certainly have no idea of the right questions to ask during a startup interview about the stock and such.
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Jan 9, 2015 04:48
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I have to agree on this. I like the idea of startups, but I've found that the vast majority of them look like they'd topple over if I breathed on them wrong. I would much prefer to be at a more established company, where I can actually get some kind of mentorship and learn the ropes. What should I be doing if I want to work for something more along those lines? I've also been told that if you do decide to work at a startup, make sure it's at the very least series C.
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Jan 9, 2015 05:01
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Pollyanna posted:
Yeah I did this and we're stable enough that I feel like I'll never get fired for something stupid, small enough that I play sports/do karaoke with the CEO, and big enough that I get paid pretty well and have good perks.
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Jan 9, 2015 05:52
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I dunno about having to wait until C. It all depends on what you're comfortable with and the impressions you get from interviews. For me, personally, I'm interested in getting in closer to the ground floor than later.
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Jan 9, 2015 16:38
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Doh004 posted:I dunno about having to wait until C. It all depends on what you're comfortable with and the impressions you get from interviews. Yeah, I'm not exactly a newbie in IT (7 years  ) and I will say I've learned more in the last 6 months at this startup where I was part of the initial hiring round than I have in the last 3 years. It's terrible if you want mentoring and guidance, but great if you want to just be allowed to pick whatever stack or platform you want to work with and just run with it. I think the "creative freedom" is the thing I love best about it - I don't have piles of legacy crap dragging me down into the abyss of Change Control and 6 hours of meetings. Some common sense rules keep things from breaking in production, but other than that, it's basically a case of whatever a person wants to use, they get to use.My question was more on what to look for around red and "green" flags - e.g. what do I want numberswise as far as equity, how do I figure out if the CEO is just a big bullshitter or if he actually has some business acumen, etc.
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Jan 9, 2015 17:20
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If AngelList isn't the top resource/approach to take, what is? Aside from networking, which has the best chance of success but I suck the most at, trolling AngelList has been my best bet. What else should I be doing? The advice I've gotten from my program's career advisor has been "get your name out" and "let people come to you", but that feels way too ineffective to me.Urit posted:Yeah, I'm not exactly a newbie in IT (7 years I can definitely see the appeal of not being herded around/limited by meetings and protocols and everything, and one day I want to be on the decision-making top rather than part of the lower rungs, but I'm definitely not at that point yet. You've got seven years under your belt, I've got, like, one and a half. There's a lot learned in those seven years that I wouldn't have, and I'd just flounder at this point if given creative freedom. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 18:33 on Jan 9, 2015 |
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Jan 9, 2015 18:30
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