How much prep can you actually do for a CS interview ?

[LanaL]

I have a CS pre recorded interview tomorrow .

All it says in the job advert is that it will focus on strengths . From what I’ve read you don’t have to rehearse answers as they want to kind of see you in the moment.

I wouldn’t know where to start ! There are about 30 words on the CS strengths “ dictionary “ - some I don’t even know what they mean - I’m printing it off so it’s there for a glance when need be . I know they like answers to be Aligned to the STAR method - I can only really think of how to use this when I’m asked for examples .

I’ve sat and thought of a few examples for questions i have seen online but realistically there could be so many questions - I could spend all day !

Some things I can’t even think of answers ( what’s the most exciting thing thats happened to you for eg - I can’t think of anything work related ! )

I know I’ll have to try to answer using the star method and show what I do well and how I consistently do it and get good results - but without knowing the questions it’s really hard to prepare.

Do I go on all night trying to think of an answer for every question they could ask - or do I actually get a good nights sleep and try and just be my natural self tomorrow and answer as best as I can ?

Im so stressed !

For strength based questions, they want to see that you're engaged. So sit forward, be animated. You don't have to answer strength based questions with the STAR method (in fact, I'd argue you can't) but try & show you've considered your answer. So, if you were asked 'is it better to start a project or finish it?', don't be afraid to state what you prefer & why, but you could acknowledge that sometimes you won't be able to start or finish because you may be reallocated during its lifetime.

I was asked last year what I was proud of recently. I was able to pull a recent example that still gives me the warm fuzzies nearly a year later. I remember I was grinning my head off as I gave my answer, was animated while I did & kind of let my personality come through.

Must have worked, cos I got the promotion! 🤣

Yes you can prepare- the more the better IME.

I found these videos a really good guide https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaPe_iWYv1472S2KQCDGATIxE8XXivPEW

Does it say anything about behaviours in the spec?

I've a top tip! As well as answering about your strengths try and give answers as if you were doing the role so it looks like you've thought about it! So "if I were working on ... My strengths would be ..." . For this part of the role my strengths would be ... As I've worked on ...".

I'm a completed finisher so I always weave that into my strengths.

But yes be animated and interested. Good luck!

I’ve watched a few videos about certain questions and answers and thought of a few but I have no idea what they will ask me. Absolutely nothing about behaviours it just says strengths .

That’s really helpful , thank you !

Was there no behaviours in the job advert? Interviews usually focus on the main behaviours and use strength questions as a sort of secondary view, usually asking a warm up question like what do you like to do on a weekend so interviewers can see you looking naturally engaged and enthusiastic.

Scour the advert for behaviours they are looking for. Have examples where you have behaved in that way in a STAR format, focussing mostly on A. Just think about your former achievements that would set you in good stead for this role and be ready to adapt them depending on the question.

i thought about this question and I thought I would say about finishing my degree whilst working .. or should I be more specific about work? Nothing springs to mind lol

Nothing about behaviours , just strengths

I'm intrigued as to the format of the rest of the interview as the strength based questions only give you 2 minutes to answer. There isnt much you can do to prepare for these but i think the best thing to do is to just have a think about things you've done or do in your current role, or outside of work, so they're fresh in your mind to adapt in response to the questions. They will be looking for how natural your response is alongside whether you demonstrate that particular strength.

Good luck!

Doing a degree whilst working is absolutely a strength. You managed your time effectively, met competing deadlines and invested in your and your employers future. You would be open to further training or learning and you enjoy utilising the knowledge and skills gained from your degree. You are personally invested in continuous improvement and building on feedback

That's what I hear when someone does this. I also did my degree whilst working full time!

Thank you ☺️ I actually did a similar role ( well it was customer service , inbound calls , unhappy people ! ) whilst doing my degree too so I thought I could add in that I needed to be able to focus on this job too, customer service is important etc …… in a way I’m saying “ look - I did a similar role before and I did a degree and teacher training at the same time ! 🤣”

I expected more - it said experience too when I did my application , but that was just for that that it was mentioned . But all the application asked for was my employment history , so I didn’t know if it meant experience as a skill or my actual working experience , so I put down what I’ve done and then for each I put my roles and responsibilities then underneath that I put skills and strengths ( as I didn’t know if strengths needed to be included in that ) as in what I had gained / had to display there - things like “ Excellent customer service skills “ then I wrote what I did , regularly, how it built that skill and how it was effective . So , I thought maybe that showed good strengths and it’s why I’ve got an interview .

BUT - it was so quick ! I did the test (scored average on 2 and above average on 1 ) then submitted the application on the same day , around 230pm . By 11am the next day I had an invite to a pre recorded interview . So I wonder if they’ve actually read all my application as it was so quick ? The interview only takes 15-30 minutes it says in the email.

It is an AO role I think , so a low grade , and there are 100 roles - so I guess a lot of work to do over 100 Face to face , or even live , interviews . Maybe it’s a case of - if you do ok on the test, they glance at your employment history to see if you have any relevant experience then put you in for interview and go by scoring on that. It’s a shame though that it’s pre recorded as I know I have experience ( the role says no prior experience needed ) so if I fail at interview I don’t feel like they’ve got a proper chance to really know me .

I guess what will be , will be ! If I’m meant to get it I will, if not I’ll keep trying x