Rough day yesterday and it feels like I'm sinking deeper...
I'm an unemployed tech manager 45m, that is looking to get a start in iOS programming. That is like switching from managing a baseball team to looking for a job as one of the players. Now, its not that I can't do the job, which I can but the first interviews are usually phone interviews where the person asks technical questions about anything and my memory is shit.
Yesterday, on a phone interview for an entry level position at a company (I would love to work at), I was asked a lot of questions some of which I couldn't remember the exact answer although I had worked with it before. The end of the call left me depressed and sick because I knew my effort was not enough. It just destroys me that only my memory is being tested but not my real ability to do the job. These interviews are rare as gold and with each passing one I get more depressed and its now affecting my confidence. This just sucks.
Posted May 21, 2014, 10:34 AM UTC
Don't get too down on yourself. For phone interviews, if you can anticipate a technical interview, prepare yourself. It is usually fine to ask your recruiter in advance whether you should anticipate a technical interview or behavioral interview.
Either way, if there is even a chance of technical questions, look up stuff ahead of time. Write it down, print stuff out, and have these resources in front of you during the interview. Especially for programming, you need to have a piece of paper to write down stuff, diagram stuff out, etc.
During the interview, sit in front of a computer. If they are really just asking you something that you can't remember, then look it up (you should take calls on some hands free device). Questions that involve pure memorization are stupid IMO anyway. Be vocal about your thinking process, usually the interviewers are more interested in the way you think rather than summoning some facts.
You mention you were a tech manager before, so if you see the chance, try to highlight this experience during the interview. Even during technical interviews, you can show them how you shine as a person. I know exactly how you feel, I have bombed at least one technical phone interview and felt like a retarded shit afterward, just learn from it and be ready for the next one.
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
I knew ahead of time. I spent 3 days straight mind mapping all the requirements listed on the job post. I knew/know conceptually what everything was doing. However there are 30-50 libraries (prob more), each with an ave of 60 objects, each object can have dozens of properties and methods and function, each function or method could contain at least 2 or more parameters and each parameter could have an average of 3-4 constants. So it gets rather large :) I even had code example in my mindmap, yet none of it helped me because he didn't ask me about anything I documented. There wasn't even an exchange of pleasantries, it was basically, "hello, I'm Dave and you know this is a tech interview so let's get started...first question...". Fuck, why not just send me an online survey so they don't waste time having to talk to me?!
I have done my fair share of conducting tech phone interviews and it does save time, but I never focus on memorization as a measurement of ones grasp of a platform. I always ask them how they would go about solving a particular problem. Usually, functions, libraries, etc. would be mentioned as a by product of their solution if they actually used it. It does take a little longer to conduct (more probing questions) but I know I'm not discounting anyone because they are nervous or have less than stellar memories. I have never, ever hired anyone that couldn't do the job using my approach.
I did think of using Google to search but he would have heard me typing or I would have broke focus/concentration on what he was saying as I was typing/reading so for me that wasn't a viable solution.
Oh well, I feel a lot better today but I'm still slightly pissed.
Thank you so much for caring enough to respond. If a resume with the name miss_engr crossed my desk and I was hiring, I would hire you in a second :)