Crossroads Crash Course Interview Flashcards
Why do you want to work for us?
Based on my research, this company meets my goals of being strategic, customer-centric, and respectful of employees.
What do you find most attractive about the position we are discussing?
I see opportunities to grow in my career, learn new technologies, and the ability to have a positive impact.
What are your strengths?
I continuously look for opportunities to improve and automate processes. Fo example, when we had issues with testers not showing proper evidence I did two things. First I developed a test reporting template. Second I developed a test tool in which developers tested by writing configurations and test scripts, executing the scripts, and then saving the results in a test library. The results which is an HTML file for easy viewing, would contain the script so you know exactly how test was performed, input and output files used by program being tested, and both before and after snapshots of the data. The result was higher quality testing and consistency in test results.
Tell me about a time when you achieved your greatest accomplishment.
My last project of 13 years is where I had the most impact, leaving behind a legacy for which I am greatly known among my team. - Procedures and other valuable documents now exist. - Wrote many automated tools to simplify procedures (the CAT, Pautotest, Validation tools, etc.)
What are you looking for in salary? What was your last salary?
Mid 80s
What are your career goals? Where do you want to be in 5 years?
I am interested in making a longtime commitment for my next position as I have done in the past working for IBM. I am confident I will have similar opportunities here.
Why should we hire you? What contributions can you make?
[Requires good understanding of job requirements to answer this.] I have earned a reputation as a developer that gets the job done. For example, when there is a very tight schedule I have found ways to divide the work up, having developers help each other. I would have an under assigned developer help with the planning and implementation of unit test cases. I have a passion for improving and automating processes.
What are your weaknesses?
I sometimes have a problem staying engaged, performing tedious manual work. So I like to automate processes whenever I can. As an example, I was helping to capture some information for an audit which required adding data from various reports to an Excel spreadsheet. So I automated the process which could be reused in future audits and reduced the risk of manual human errors.
Tell me about a conflict with a boss or co-worker. How was it resolved?
One of my colleague’s wasn’t excited about using the new test tool I had written. He likes to test the way he is accustomed to testing. So some changes to the test tool were implemented as a compromise.
Why did you leave your last position?
Every year IBM moves jobs offshore to increase profits. My position was one of many that was moved this year. I am looking forward to new opportunities where I can contribute.
What do you know about our organization?
[Research web site, talk to employees] Mission: Services: Products: Markets: Size: Scope:
Tell me about yourself
- I am a software developer with 17+ years of experience translating business requirements into well engineered, tested, and deployed applications.
- Improving processes to increase productivity and aid in cross-training is what I am well known for amongst my peers. I do this by automating and documenting procedures.
- I am looking for a software development or test position where I can collaborate with others to provide an application with a great user experience.
