Tips for newbies when going for interviews

Working at Abacus e-Media I've had the pleasure to be involved in interviewing and assessing candidates at a junior level but also those that are well experienced and looking for new challenges. Predominately most interviewees come through agencies but there have been candidates that are completely inexperienced in interviews; more importantly this being their first interview.

As a result I wanted to give some general tips and advice for interviewees who want to get into web development. So lets get started.

Research about the company

This is such an easy mistake to make. If you invest half a day or a day finding about the company, their clients, products, solutions etc then it already makes a great impression. It gives the interviewer an idea that you're willing and keen for the job.

Greeting

At your initial meeting with the interviewer greet with a firm handshake, look them in the eye and smile. Body language is such a great introduction. Look at the example of world leaders when they meet.

Be prepared

Be prepared to answer technical questions. The interviewer may ask about HTML, HTML5, Accessibility, CSS, JavaScript, optimisation and more. So take the time and be ready to answer these. They may even ask you to illustrate your answer on a whiteboard or on a computer.

Be confident

Be confident in your replies. If you didn't understand the question then ask for them to repeat it. Interviewers aren't perfect and may ask a question which they might understand but generally doesn't make sense. If you don't know the answer to something, just say it that you don't know. Try not to be too quiet, it may show insecurity about your answers which the interviewer might interpret as not being confident in the role. So speak at your normal conversation rate and make a joke about IE. :D

Expand on your answers

With web development there is no one answer. You should expand on any and all questions the interviewer may ask. But also take control and ask the interviewer whether they'd like to know more. Last thing they need is for you to waffle on when you've already answered the question.

Also, be totally open with your replies but don't be aggressive like you know it all.

Portfolio

Graphic designers love showing off their best work and there's no exception for front-end developers. Ok we may not have much pixel pushing abilities but we are masters of multiple discipline and need to think about code implications, performance and browser support. You must have examples of any sites that you have worked on and explain why something was coded in a specific way.

Front-end developers or any coders for that matter, in my opinion, should have a Github account and show off code. You should also have examples and demos on your site, Github or even in JSFiddle. This I think would be a minimum an interviewee must have.

Contribution to the web

The web is open and based on open standards. It's basic languages (HTML, CSS and JavaScript) are the building blocks of any websites or a web app. You should be subscribed to mailing list which keep you up to date with HTML developments but also join IRC channels where you can ask, question and teach other like minded developers. This shows your willingness to help others but also develop yourself to gain extra knowledge.

Since you should have a Github account you should've also forked and at least made contributions to any of your favourite projects.

Questions

Lastly ask questions. Ask about the company's upcoming projects, company work ethic, opportunity for remote working. You can also ask about company finances if that interest you. It's good to ask questions because it shows that your curious but also aids in both sides in making a decision about the job posting.

Lastly don't fret if you didn't get the job. It doesn't mean that you should stop pursuing your dream; ask for feedback and improve for the next time.

Good luck!