Computing & IT Interview Questions & Answers

My first interview was a one on one at the offices in Guildford with someone who had started on the graduated scheme just over a year ago. He asked me about nearly everything on my CV and it was more of a chat than an interview. I think the aim was to see if I would fit into the culture. At the end he gave me a maths problem to do which wasn't hard if you have done a lot of maths.

I found out the result of that interview in 2 days and was invited back for the following round the next week. This was an interview with 2 people from cyber security, one of whom was on the graduate scheme and one was quite senior. I had to prepare a presentation on a complex problem so I chose a final year university project. They asked a few questions about it and then asked questions about why I wanted the role. They moved on to really to probe me about what I knew about Cyber Security. I felt a bit like they were purposely asking me questions that I wouldn't know the answer to in order to test my reaction.

What are the security risks involved ion BYOD?
How would you explain to a customer that they needed to increase their level of cyber security?

I got the impression from the job description that they would train people up but they are definitely looking for people who are already passionate and knowledgable about cyber security.

N/a

Assessment day involved 60 minute Competency based interview. And a group exercise. The interviews format is based on the competency based questions, to the best of my knowledge;

-Customer focus
-Resilience
-Team Work

These questions then lead onto why you chose to apply for the role. They expect you to make use of the allocated learning materials. Which will be attached with the email invitation to assessment day. And it won't hurt you to know what CGI is currently doing, in my case it was the 'appeal of working on the Galileo Satellite project.' Again the applicant is the driver of conversation in this part of this assessment. This process also involves questions based around your report.

As a tip make sure you show a degree of professionalism when answering questions. One of the questions I was asked was, What drives you? I answered - Perfection, being the best in whatever I pursue. This is drived by my personal moto 'Consistant Motivation.'....and so on. This left the interviewer pleasantly pleased with the level confidence I was showing. So expect to elaborate on answers in an articulate manner.

The most difficult question I was asked was;

Why choose to work for CGI?

They want to establish the reason why you chose CGI over their competitors IBM, Fujitsu, HP.
I answered by declaring my love for a consultancy role but also wanting to work for a global company with a turnover of x amount of £'s and wanting to work on special projects like Galileo Satellite, etc. Also elaborate on what you can bring to the company and how your personal development can be benefited by working for CGI.

Make sure you know what the competitors are doing and how you think CGI can grow and what technologies they should be pursuing.

They presume that you have made use of their learning material which they made available online (tips section for application process) in which they will test you on. which is a basis of another question;

How did you find the materials made available to you and the information on the website?

The other questions were fairly easy and followed the basic competency based questions format.

Make sure you make use of the learning materials provided by CGI and the information provided in the graduate scheme section of their website. This will give good preparation for the one-on-one interview and some help with the written part of the interview.

The written report will undoubtedly play a role in being offered a job so do not treat it as an afterthought. Alot of the roles offered by CGI involve project management and administration duties so formal report writing style is a must with (Harvard) references. And they make this clear in their 'guidance' section of their website on the interview process.

Be well versed on answers to competency based questions. The biggest advantage I gave myself was introducing myself to the group to help break down that 'barrier' before the whole assessment process started on assessment day.

If you are well prepared then you should be ok.

The group exercise, this exercise is based reading a problem statement and working as a team to draw up an answer. The particular problem was that you are evacuated from a sinking ship and you are only allowed to take X amount of items on a rubber a dingy. These items are used to survive on a nearby island until help arrives. This is a timed exercise and tests your teamwork, communication and listening skills.

Make sure you use the room, for example white board and make sure you actively participate and also listen to others.

My telephone interview lasted around 10-15 minutes, however it was cut short as I discovered that I would be required to be geographically flexiable and unfortuanly I can only stay within Manchester area. Apart from that, they sound a phenomenal company to work for and I believe that the interview went well, up until that point.

It wasn't a difficult question but I was asked what the graduate scheme included and what the company's past is. (typical telephone interview questions). However, with the correct research this should be easy to answer. Always do the revision on the company and the scheme.

Research as much as you physically can. Have about a page of notes ready and try to think of questions they may answer. Google 'Telephone Interview Questions' look through and figure out what you think may be right or wrong for the company and write the answer. If it doesn't get asked, no matter only a little time wasted, if they ask a question you are not prepared for, you may not get the job.

I did not attend so I cannot answer.

Phone interview: Got asked questions like why I would be good for the role, my interest in IT, my grades etc.

Video interview: got asked to describe personality, would I be willing to be geographically flexible, what I like about IT, and current IT events.

Assessment day: Had to give a little speech about yourself, informal just to see your confidence I imagine. Had to do tests: there were a maths test, a set theory test (you got info in a booklet) an IT test which asked you things like what does HTML stand for etc? The tests were fine, they don't expect amazing results on the IT because you get trained on it.
There were also three 5 minute interviews. Things like: which of the values are you most like? Do you think change is always good? Would you prefer to complete a task on time which is okay or not on time which is perfect? Why FDM? Apple or Android?

Most difficult question would be the ones I wasn't expecting. Like Apple or Android? Whether change is always good, whether I would prefer to get a task done on time or perfectly?

If you do get the job (like I did) be aware of the contract you are signing. As there are a lot of stipulations that you may not like or be feasible. The assessment day is fun and a good experience all around. Just relax, do the tests and try be logical and reasoning when answering the questions.

The assessment centre was fine. A very long day though. The tests were fine, the people were nice.

A very relaxed phone interview with basic interview questions. Plenty of feedback and was more of a conversation than an interview.

Used the obvious interview formula of eduacation, work experience and general CV questions.

Some basic programming questions but nothing too technical. During the phone interview they take into account your knowledge of Java.

Explain object oriented programming to me as if I was a beginner.

If you have never used Java before don't bother turning up. I was assured that my experience in other programming paridigms would be fine... except it wasn't. The interview was 70% Java specific questions and the Java test was all about syntax and code specific questions. Considering from my initial application to assessment day I had 2 days to prepare, my crash course in OO programming failed. My advise would be make sure you know Java backwards and in the assessment day don't get exploited. I am good at video editing so ended up stuffed with 3 video tasks and a debate which was simply too much - I should have flagged this but was conducting my interview whilst tasks were dished out. I therefore had no time to prepare my part of the presentation and obviously it was far from polished.

When you arrive you receive a quick presentation about NetBuilder. Next stage is to conduct a technical Java test. After this you are handed a booklet outlining around 20 tasks that need to be fulfilled before the end of the day - past that you are given no guidance. The only requirements are that you need to elect a team leader and create a timetable to schedule everyone to have an interview. The tasks include creating a video advertisement and a song among other fun activities. However the clear problem with this system is that the only way to complete eveything on time is to split up the tasks and the two assesors are also conducting interviews in parallel. This means you are barely (if at all) assessed during the day, instead marked on the Java test, presentation and interview.

Applied online, was contacted by a member of the team fairly quickly to arrange interview. There were 2 interviewers both very friendly, was very concise and straight to the point. Numerous questions asked from both people with regards to myself, past employment and skills I possess. Overall experience was very good.

The most difficult question was with regards to the problem solving question. Was very confusing to understand at first, but was later explained by the interviewers.

If selected to the interview stage then keep calm, stay relaxed and try not to over-work yourself. Make sure you have studied the company before hand to understand their views and values, as this is key.

The outside of the building was very nice and professional. Was easy to find as was clearly sign posted. On-site parking made the travel smoother. The assessment centre was very welcoming and helpful. Nice spacious sitting area with TV and magazines.

The interview was unique to any other I've experienced. With no prior warning or any real understanding of what to expect, I was placed into different rooms, completing mathematical exams and solving problems. The interview was not focused upon the role at all, nor were questions asked about myself.

In the UK, approximately how many lamp posts are there?

My advice to anyone applying to this company would be to have no expectations, because it is beyond anything I expected. I would say to 'think outside of the box' and don't expect a regular interview!

I was asked to complete a mathematical examination, within 15 minutes whilst someone watched.
Then I was placed into another room and asked to work out how many lamp posts are in the UK without any figures or materials.
Lastly, I was told that if I had 3 jars of marbles with green, red and red/green assortments, how many marbles would I need to remove to ascertain which jar was which if I knew that every label was incorrect.

There are 3 interviews in total: a telephone interview with the recruiter (they are responsible for selecting and onboarding newcomers); 2 face-face interviews during the assessment centre one with the account manager and one with the trainer.

The telephone interview was to determine my suitability for the graduate scheme with the 2 years contract. They will ask about your capabilities to determine your suitability for that particular graduate scheme pathway, I applied for both Project Support and IT Service Management so they asked me on which path I would prefer more. I consulted with them on both and since I had some experience in coding we decided IT Service Management would be more suitable for me.

They also asked other basic questions to determine my suitability, previous work experience, why do I want to apply for FDM, why a career in IT field and so on. They also explained about the 2 years contract and what they expect from you during that time. If everything is ok, they will go on to invite you to the assessment centre and give more information on that.

At the face to face interview, I was asked to explain how I fit into the core values of FDM. This gave me pause as I blanked out on their core values for a few seconds.

They also asked what recent development in IT that interested me and that I found out more about.

Prepare for the Assessment Centre by researching about FDM and the IT field, also try some free online logic tests and math tests to brush up on your speed and logical thinking abilities.

Interact with the recruiter and the interviewers during the assessment centre without becoming obnoxious. Raise a hand if you need to ask a question, be friendly with the other candidates in the assessment centre. You will not be competing with each other as they are probably applying for different pathways as well.

The assessment centre consisted of a sharing session with the recruiter, she explained in detail about the opportunity and the training provided to new graduates. The clients that they have in their portfolio (mainly MNCs like Standard Chartered, GSK etc.) An HR person also came in to explain about the company, their benefits, support and opportunities provided to their employees.

Next were the tests, about 2.5 hours long together. It consisted of an Aptitude test, Set Notation test and a Math test.
Aptitude test (1 hr)- mainly logic questions and a couple of questions on codes (they will give a few lines of code and you will be asked to find out what the final result will be, basic C knowledge is enough for this)
Set Notation test (1hr)- A booklet with the set notation rules and theory are given for your reference. I found this the most difficult as it needs you to decipher convoluted set notations and Venn diagrams. You need to think very logically to get the correct answers.
Math Test (15min)- Mental arithmetic test where you need to answer 21 questions in 15 mins. Ensure your math multiplication tables, long division are at the top of your head as no calculators are allowed. You are given white papers to calculate on. The questions aren't difficult but the difficulty is in ensuring you are not making errors in calculations and to finish within the time limit

Finally is the Interview section, 2 interviews one with the Account Manager and one with the Trainer. The one with the account manager was more on the correct fit while the one with the trainer is more on your technical capabilities. They will ask about your career plan, how you will fit into FDM and your previous experiences and so on.

There were three stages to the assessment centre. The morning session entailed a group activity. This second phase included a 1-1 interview and the final process included a paper-based test.

What was the most difficult decision you have had to make in the last 12 months and how fill that affect your future?

Make sure you carry out extensive research before going to the assessment centre.

It was a very competitive atomosphere but the experience has prepared me for future assessment centres.

As a new manager in charge of a small team, what will be your priorities for the first week?