IT Interview - Software developer - What to research for the test.

[rw409168]

Greetings,

I have an interview next Tuesday for a company that in their own words "Operate from two secure sites and run managed database services solutions for many blue chip clients. We have billions of rows of data under active management in our secure data centres which are regularly audited by our customers, our suppliers and third party data security consultants."

The words "Database" and "T-SQL" come to mind.

Details from the position are as follows:-

* Predominantly programming with some database work.
* Experience of ASP. Net. C#, SQL Server 2005 onwards or Oracle would be an advantage.

Now the problem here is that alone is a HUGE area to cover to try to prepare for a test.

I thought about reading the basics of databases(DBMS/RDBMS) , practice my T-SQL, Object Orientated programming techniques with .Net, Multitasking (threads etc.,) and ASP.net basic and fundamentals.

Form the details provided and general experience with IT does anyone have any tips or pieces of information of what I should be getting to grips with before my test?

I can program in vb.net but not C# (though have basic experience with Java, C++ and actionscript). Never used asp.net and am ok with T-SQL and used Ingres in my deep dark past and NOT Oracle.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rob

 

[kjv1611]

Do you know they are going to provide a test? If so, it could be a generic programming test that basically tests your ability to understand programming, problem-solving, critical reasoning, that sort of thing.

I know our company uses primarily a test that scores you based on your mental abilities related to programming, or at least considered related to programming.

The BEST thing to do, if you have the time, the equipment, and the tenacity, would be to build your own setup to at least be in the same range of stuff as the company you want to work for. Try to build something that would at least give you a practicing point. Then search for possible scenerios/issues online, such as in forums, and try to figure them out yourself. You'll force yourself into hands-on training that way, and you'll force yourself to try and find the best solution for each problem.

That's what I would do if I could just make myself do it. I have a hard time just doing things to do them, for practice. But I have a friend who is a senior level dba, and he's really done well by setting up test environments on his own, then reading up on some of the latest trends, problems, whatever, and trying to recreate that at home.

 

[genomon]

Here is a good stop to make to check up on your T-SQL & SQL Server knowledge:

http://blogs.lessthandot.com/index.php/DataMgmt/DataDesign/sql-server-quiz-can-you-answer-all-these

Beir bua agus beannacht!

 

[kmcferrin]

By all means you should look to be challenging yourself, but you may be being a bit unrealistic here.

If they list 4 or 5 skills that they are looking for and you have (maybe) one of them, then you're probably not qualified for the position. And while it's great that you're willing to learn and set up a test environment to get the fundamentals down, it's fairly unlikely that you will be able to learn enough in the span of a couple of weeks to impress in an interview.

Now you may well have not provided all of the relevant details here, and if that's the case I apologize for coming off a bit harsh. But from the details that you have provided I think you might be better off finding another opportunity or learning new skills than you would be cramming for an interview.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
MCITP:Virtualization Administrator 2008 R2
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator

 

[SQLSister]

One thing I would brush up on is the issues concerning running extremely large performance critical databases.

Hoever, if you haven't worked in this environment, don't get your hopes up too high. People in this arena are looking primarily for people who have demonstrated experience with performance because it is very easy for a developer who isn't familiar with high performance large databases to cripple their systems.

"NOTHING is more important in a database than integrity." ESquared

 

[jmeckley]

I can program in vb.net but not C# (though have basic experience with Java, C++ and actionscript)

understanding the concepts of OOP is more important than the language/syntax. I'm a C# dev and dream of the day when I can add to my team. The first thing I would look at is OOP skills. I don't care what language they are currently using. I want to know if they recognize common design patterns and understand the SOLID design principles. if they understand this they can code in any language they chose. at that point syntax is picked up in a matter of hours/days.

That said, I echo kmcferrin's comment. the fact you are asking these questions sends up red flags for me.

Jason Meckley
Programmer
Specialty Bakers, Inc.

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