ND CS INTERVIEW GUIDE
By: Tyler Sammons
Preface
As a student at the University of Notre Dame, I’m sure you are well aware of the fact that it is never too early to start looking for a full-time job or a summer internship, and I’m also sure you have already researched how to do just that. You should keep consulting outside resources, but this is a collection of my personal advice in regards to the job search, and may be more relevant because we come from similar backgrounds.
When to Start
Right Now! Obviously, it is better to start your job search earlier than later, as there are often more opportunities and it also gives you more time to prepare. That being said, I also want to make a point that no matter when you start, you should not feel like you are behind, because you are not. At Notre Dame, it can often feel like you are behind the curve if you don’t have a job secured by the end of the fall semester, however, this is not normal. There are many students at other schools who in all honesty do not begin looking for jobs until after they graduate, and when you take this into consideration, you yourself are most likely way ahead of the curve.
In terms of specific time periods, it is not unheard of to begin making contacts at target companies and crafting applications during the preceding summer. It would be great to have your resume polished and ready to go towards the beginning of the fall semester. Then, it is open season in terms of applying and interviewing for companies from the beginning of fall semester through the entire spring semester.
Extra-Curricular
In terms of activities that will improve your job search, the best thing you can do is work on outside coding projects. Contribute to open source projects, create an app, create a website, learn a new framework, go to hackathons. In every industry, there are things top companies expect applicants to do outside of the normal course load at university, and for the computer industry, one of those things is working on side projects. Hopefully you find this fun, because it definitely can be—you can be creative and make something you or your friends would want to use!
Creating your Resume
If you don’t already have well-crafted resume, I would recommend setting up an appointment with the career center to create one. They have people specifically dedicated to helping you do this, and it will be easier than doing it on your own. You don’t need an overly stylized resume—good old times new roman in black and white on 8×11 paper will do just fine. What is important is the information on the resume, it’s relevance, and the order it is put in. Put your education at the top, your work experiences from most to least relevant next, each with two to three bullet points describing exactly what you did and how it is relevant to the position you are applying for. Next, you can put some projects you have created on the side along with some brief descriptions. Conclude your resume with some of your interests / extra curricular activities. In terms of styling, I would say use no more than three font sizes in your resume, one typeface, and use boldface text and underlines only where it is necessary. Once you have finished your resume, have some of your friends and professors look it over, and make changes where necessary. You should view your resume as an ever-evolving description of your skills and experiences—it is never finished.
Networking
Networking is that one buzzword drilled into every student’s ears from day one, but which nobody every gives you much practical advice regarding. However as a college student at the University of Notre Dame, there are a few concrete things you can do to network and help you find a job. First, make sure you have a LinkedIn, and add any friend / acquaintance you want to keep in contact with professionally, I’m sure you will have many options. Once you have an active LinkedIn, you can begin leveraging it. For example, if there is a company that you are really interested in, you can search it on LinkedIn, at which point the site will suggest the closest connection you have to that company. You can also search for the Notre Dame community within that company. Eventually, you should be able to find Notre Dame alum that worked there. Now, you can either message them over LinkedIn, or search the site “mynotredame.nd.edu” to find their current email address. When cold-contacting somebody, don’t ask for a favor off the bat, send a nice message along the lines of “Hey, I’m a Notre Dame student interested in company ‘X’ and would love if you could offer me some advice regarding the job application process.” Most likely they’ll give you some helpful information, and they may even give you a nice recommendation or an important contact. Other than these steps, just keep making genuine connections with the people around you, and attending relevant industry events at Notre Dame.
Finding Positions
When it comes to finding jobs to apply for, the career center is a great resource that you should leverage to its full extent, but not the only place you should go. In terms of the career center resources, definitely use the “goirish.com” website along with its advanced search functions to apply to jobs and set notifications for new and interesting positions. You should also attend the career fair. However there are many companies that you may be interested in that are not affiliated with Notre Dame. This is when you should use your Google skills to scour the web for interesting positions. There are plenty of job boards that can be helpful, including “indeed.com”, “angellist”, and many others. Once you find a position you are interested it, apply for it using the standard application, and maybe utilize some of the networking tips I described above.
Preparing for Interviews
Okay, so you have created your resume, submitted it to some companies of your choice, and have finally received invitations to interview! The first thing you need to do is make sure you know what type of position you applied for, and tailor your strategy to that position. For example, if you applied to a primarily tech position, you need to get studying for those heavy-duty technical interview questions, and worry less about the soft skills. If you applied to a consulting position, you may need to practice more behavioral interview questions, and come prepared with questions relevant to the consulting industry.
In terms of tech interviews, the go-to guide is the book “Cracking the Coding Interview.” I recommend getting that book as soon as possible, and to start working through it at your pace. The most important thing is that you keep your studying consistent and high-quality. Eventually you will work your way through it, and will be much more prepared for those algorithm questions Google is going to ask you. It is also crucial to have practice in-person, either with a friend or a mock-interview sponsored by the career center. There is a big difference between solving a problem in silence by yourself and talking your way through it with another person. The more practice you can get the better. In terms of jobs that may not be as technical, for example consulting, make sure you have some responses ready to go for the more common behavioral interview questions. They can me more difficult than they look. In either case, research the company well and have some sincere questions ready to go for your interviewer. After your interview, send a nice thank you email out and reiterate your interest.
Throughout your job search, you will most likely screw up some interviews—many interviewers even expect it. Just keep practicing and keep applying, eventually something will hit.
Conclusion
Searching for a job is stressful, and there are many ways to do it. As a student at the University of Notre Dame, remember that you are ahead of the game, and are employable. If you follow the steps above, and apply to enough companies, you will almost certainly find a job, and there is a good chance you will like it. Good luck!
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