Computing & IT Interview Questions & Answers

It was a really relaxed day, they are really friendly, they don't test you but they use the day to see what kind of a person you are and if you will fit in with their company and their values. The one on one was him just trying to know me as a person.
He asked a few questions, not too many, it lasted 10 minutes, My advice is know the company, know their values and know why you want to work there, that is vital.

I wouldn't say any other questions where too difficult but describe yourself in 3 words would be the hardest

Just be yourself, if you fit in you'll know, know the company is a must, don't be over powering but don't be too quiet and just make sure you enjoy the day.
Ask questions, there is no right or wrong answer, make sure you mingle with everyone there and try and be involved with discussion with the current graduates.

A really relaxed day, they give you an introduction, you do a personality test, then individual exercise, then a group exercise then one on one interviews, they are more just seeing how you are as a person though.

The intitial telephone interview and the first one and one interview were simple enough - standard competency based interviews (Can you give me an example of when you have had to.../have demonstrated skills... and often followed by "what would you do differently if you were to do it again?") and questions about why you want to do the particular role and some questions about the company.

"Can you give me an example of when you have had to influence someone?"
"Can you give me an example of when you have had to deal with confrontation?"

Prepare.
Find out a lot about the company - what it does, its history and information about its products. You may be asked what you know about certain products.
Practise competency questions and lots of them. The majority of questions during interviews are competency based, asking about your skills and previous experience. Be specific when giving an example, remembering to use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Also think about what you could have do differently regarding your examples - they want to see your analytical skills.
Especially give examples pointing out your strengths which match the requirements of the position you are going for.
Think about why you want this particular role.
Be patient and be polite.

There were 8 candidates and we began with a group based exercise involving working together and making a decision on a scenario where we had to distribute a grant to certain companies.
We then had a test, using cards, which was essentially about spotting patterns and using your analytical skills.
We then were to prepare a 15 minute interview regarding a technical project we had undertaken.
Finally there was a 1 hour interview with a senior person from the role which you are applying for and someone from HR.
Assessment centre is in Abingdon and transport and accommodation is paid for by the company.

After updating my CV on graduate-jobs.com, I was contacted on the phone by a recruiter representing QA consulting. He explained the role in detail and sent over documentation via email for me to review. After reviewing the material I was rung back and he gave me an overall summary of the offer and answered any questions I had. At this point I was asked for availability for a telephone interview, to which I responded that I could do it immediately.
The phone interview involved speaking in detail about my university course along with some typical interview questions. After the interview the recruiter got back to me within the hour informing me that I passed the phone interview and if I would be available to speak to one of the trainers on skype. I however was busy the rest of the day, so the video interview took place the day afterward.
The video interview was instead of an assessment day and involved a face to face interview with a trainer who asked technical questions (mainly object oriented programming and Java based) and some business based questions. Shortly after the video interview finished, I was contacted by the recruiter who offered me a position on the training scheme.

- Describe the concept of object oriented programming
+ follow up

- Study object oriented proramming ocncepts if you have not done it before
- Study some basic java
- Be ready to speak in detail about any relevant courses or projects you have done in the past
- It is helpful to have good presentation and speaking skills

Video interview instead

PRE ASSESSMENT CENTRE
Initial telephone interview was very relaxed, basic questions such as 'why IT'.
One way video interview consisted of around 4 questions such as 'why FDM?', ''Tell us about yourself'. Given 60 seconds to answer each question with prep time before each question.

ASSESSMENT CENTRE
3 interviews lasting 5 minutes each, see below for more info.

Would you sacrifice the quality of work to meet a deadline.

Technical and business pathways are assessed together so do not stress if you lack knowledge of coding. Be confident and friendly, show an interest in technology and a willingness to learn. Don't be afraid to engage in conversation with interviewers. Professional dress code.

Introductory presentation. Short exercise where candidates introduce themselves to the group.
Venn diagrams/set notation test. Information booklet provided for test and revision material given prior to assessment day was very useful.
Maths test. GCSE level maths.
Aptitude test. General knowledge, logic, basic coding and IT questions.

3 interviews (5 minutes each): Very friendly interviewers. Each interview has an un-assessed practice question.
Interview topics: -Interest in IT/FDM
-Degree/education
-Personal qualities

My assessment centre comprised of series of events. Out of which one to one interview was first. In that first I was asked general question like why I want to go for this role and was also asked to give a presentation on me. The interviewer was very friendly and made me feel comfortable. After that we had a group activity followed by one on one technical interview.

The most difficult question for me in that interview was that I was given a diagram and have to draw connections between the different components shown in it. It was difficult because I have not seen anything like that so I didn't had much knowledge about that.

Just going through the website will help a lot. Try to interact and make connection to people you meet there. And keep practising the aptitude test question and try to build accuracy in lesser time. The practice question given on there website to practice are important as they have lots of facts and figure. And generally these are the same figures from which they ask question. So practising from them would be beneficial and can get you extra score.

The assessment centre was very nice. There were 16 candidates that day including me. The environment and people were very lovely and helpful.

At the start of the day, we were given a short presentation on the history of the company and the work it does, after which we were given a comprehension test and a Java test for 40 mins. The main part of the assessment day was the group task, though. We were asked to come up with an idea for a food-based technical product, design a marketing campaign and website, and finally present everything as if to a board of investors after which we had to answer any questions they had. During the day, we also had 1-1 technical interviews. The whole day was enjoyable, but pretty stressful.

What are the principles of object-oriented programming?

Brush up on Java and your presentation skills. The main purpose of the assessment is to see how you work with others as well as making sure you are competent for the role. Try to stay relaxed and it should be fine.

The assessment day wasn't help in the office as usual, but in a museum just down the road. While a nice setting, it wasn't a a reflection of the usual working environment.

The phone interview took 15 minutes asking questions such as why you want to work in the IT industry; what attracts you to FDM group; and general questions to gain a quick insight into basic competencies to assess your suitability for FDM.

If you were successful you would be invited to an assessment centre which included 3 separate tests and 2 interviews. The interviews revolved around 3 specific themes: FDM and the IT industry; your degree and career history; professional and personal motivations

The 1st interview was with the account manager of Hong Kong (Held over Skype), which was used to assess my knowledge in general topics within project management as well as my competencies.

Whilst the 2nd interview was with face-to face with a UK manager. This was a very relaxed conversational approach towards the interview that felt like they genuinely wanted to get to know me on a more personal level with regards to the themes describled above

What are the most important issues the IT industry is currently facing?
What is the reason for the current oil prices for hitting its current all time low (This question was a real curveball)

To prepare for the tests, you can use google to help to find suitable resources to ensure you are well prepared.
As for the interviews, I would recommend researching their company as best as possible using a SWOT analysis to gain a general background of the company as well as opportunities and threats that can affect the IT industry.
Read up on top news stories within current affairs as a few curveballs could be thrown into the mix.
And most importantly BE POSITIVE!!

Within the assessment centre we were asked to perform 3 tests:
Numerical (30 minutes) - which included basic arithmetic maths
Basic IT aptitude test (60 minutes) - this included situational questions, logical and verbal reasoning, as well as some basic programming questions
Venn diagram test (60 minutes)
For the most part these tests aren't too difficult as long as you spend a minimum of 2-3 days preparing for them to familiarise yourself with the terminology as well as how the questions are asked, though its important to note they are a tad tricky.

Telephone Interview around 30 mins - This consisted of a set of comptency questions which I had to give real (and different) example. Example questions.. Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a new situation? Have you ever had to persuade a team to do something? How did you achieve this? Why did you choose Capgemini? Who are Capgemini's competitors? I was also asked about my degree and what I enjoy ouside of work/study.

Assessment Centre- This started with a meet a current grad where we could drill them for questions. We were then split in to two groups. One set went to do their presentations and interviews whilst the others did a verbal reasoning test. We then change round. After lunch we did a group exercise where we were watched and assessed by the people who interviewed us.

What do I think the most annoying thing about consultancy would be?
Give me an example where something hasn't gone right and what you did?

Make sure you do your research about the company and make sure you get involved with the group activity without taking over. For the presentation remember they are looking for solutions and as long as you can justify why you're doing it, it doesn't matter if it turns out to be wrong.

Assessment center ran smoothly, it was based in Woking and all expenses were paid. The staff were easy to talk to and the questions were not too hard. I found it quite fun.

I applied through a recruiter and the process took about 2+ weeks. I began with applying through one of the recruiting agencies and then someone got in touch with me. I was then told that I had made it through to the final interview which was a 3-4 hours interview at their Paddington office with 3 people. One of them being HR, another one was a senior manager and some other person who asked me behavioural questions. The interview began with the first person asking me about myself; about how I found out Cerner and what do I know about them. I had over researched the company and the person was really impressed with my knowledge. I had also done my final year project on healthcare industry which is what they do, hence that made a good impression on the interviewers as well. It lasted for 45 minutes and then I was given a short break before I could go to the next person.
The second person was HR who was interested in my background, my interests alongside competency based questions etc. This interview lasted for about 30 minutes, where I had to provide my details such as nationality, right to work etc.
The final interview was with the senior manager who asked me about my academic background, my employment history and all the technical questions. This covered transferrable skills, interpersonal skills etc. I used STAR technique for most of the answers and related the examples back to my experience. This interview lasted for about 50 minutes I think, and then I was told that recruitment agency will get in touch in about two weeks. Hence,
To add to that, all three of them gave me an overview of the company from their perspective and that was an interesting aspect as it differed for each of them.

Describe a difficult decision and how you made it.

I used STAR techniques for most of the answers, make sure you use it as it gives them the impression that you analyse each situation you have been through in your career/life and that you understand how you would go about solving it if you faced it again. Another thing is don't panic if you don't know something, just say you don't know. We are graduates with no experience or may be one year if you do placement, so they don't expect us to know everything.What they do expect is that you should be capable of and eager to learn new skills.

N/A

To apply to the HR Assistant role I had to submit my CV and Covering letter to the HR department. After this I was contacted to attend an assessment center. The assessment center started at 9am and finished at 4pm however candidates were sent home at lunch time if there were not successful. The day started with an ice breaker which consisted of a shield exercise where you had to answer the following questions about yourself. Your biggest achievement, your role model, your career ambition and a quote you live your life by. After the ice breaker we took part in a group exercise for 45 minutes surrounding health initiatives for the company. The final activity of the day was a "About Me" presentation which we had to prepare for the day. This was presented to four of the HR department. After lunch three successful candidates were asked to go through to the interview stage. There were two interviews, one focusing on competency questions and one on your personality.

After the "About Me" presentation the panel asked questions about the company and why you wanted to work for Computacenter so it is key to research the company before the assessment day.

The interviews were relaxed and the interviewers were friendly. The question were focused on previous work experience but they understood if you did not have any previous experience within HR. I would advise others to be yourself and enjoy the day.

There were 8 people attending the assessment day and three candidates stayed after lunch through to the next stage. I enjoyed the whole day as it was well organised and the atmosphere was relaxed.