Tomorrow, I have an interview as an SDET with VISA. This will be my 10th interview since I've gotten laid off, and I'm sick and tired of getting interviews, but failing every single time. If there's one thing I noticed is that I fail primarily at white boarding. I know how to code and I'm quite experienced, but when it comes to writing some mundane algorithm such as an atof function, or reordering a linked list. It's not that I can't do those, it's that I hate writing it out on a board with someone watching me and taking notes, rather than on an IDE getting it done with trial and error if necessary. Out of about 12 positions I've interviewed for that require whiteboarding, I've only gotten ONE of those jobs (technically, I would have had another, but they were so anal about a reference that was impossible to verify regarding that ONE time I tested a windows phone and not caring about the fact that I can actually DEV for the Windows phone). So I think it's safe to say that is my biggest weakness.
For those that are wondering, this is the job description:
Sr. SDET Mobile (MMA): We are looking for an experienced mobile QA Engineer at our Bellevue, WA. This engineer will be focused on designing and executing cross browser/OS tests as well as mobile web/apps. Responsibilities include creating a test framework that will automate testing across all mobile devices (iOS, Android, Tablets, phones) for mobile web as well as and native apps.
If you enjoy diving deep to solve complex testing challenges with an emphasis on automation and quality processes then this job is for you.
Responsibilities:
• We are looking for strong candidates who can design mobile automation solutions from the ground up
• Experience with automation of mobile and browser-based applications
• Experience automating tests for mobile devices running on iOS and Android operating systems
• Must have cross browsers testing experience on both PC and Macs as well as emulators
Requirements:
• BS in Computer Science/Engineering, Software Engineering, IS, or other related field and/or at least 5 years equivalent combination of experience and/or training as a software QA Engineer
• Agile Experience
• Demonstrated knowledge of the software development life cycle, especially in the analysis of software design and code development and its application to testing.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills with a passion for testing
• Ability to write automated test scripts, code in C# and JAVA and understand complex .NET projects.
• Demonstrated knowledge of SQL and RDBMS concepts.
• Objective-C and JavaScript experience
• Knowledge and/or experience in finance/payment industry a plus
I do have experience in most of these, but not all of them. Let's focus on what I do have first:
- Automation of web based apps for iOS, Android and PC browser based platforms.
- 5 years of IT experience in the QA field.
- Agile/Scrum experience
- Test automation using Java.
- Objective-C and JavaScript.
- Prior experience with payment related apps.
What I don't have experience with:
- SQL and RDBMS
- C# and .NET for test automation.
So, I've been spending some time to prepare for this interview. I've never used SQL on the job before, and RDBMS is a new acronym to me. I can read and understand C# (even though I don't like the language), but have never done any C# automation.
On my last position, we used Selenium Webdriver for our web based automation, which appears to be high in demand. It's not in the description, but I'm planning to demonstrate this ability either way. So what I'm attempting to do is to setup Selenium on my Macbook, build a basic web based app, and setup Selenium to perform automation. It will be simple, but I think it would prove that I know what I'm doing.
So, my questions are as follows:
1. How do I improve my whiteboarding skills?
2. Do you think I can get the job even though I've never used SQL on any of my previous positions?
3. Will this presentation be worth demonstrating or just overkill?
One thing I'm doing now is reading up on Big O notation, because I have never heard of it before until it came up in a job interview. I googled it, and it said that you should never go to an interview not knowing what it is because you will embarrass yourself. So far, I'm not having an easy time grasping it for some reason, but I'm going to keep trying because I REALLY want this job!
Shogun.
