[nfbcs] How many of you got CS jobs through cold interviews?

Thu May 26 05:59:16 UTC 2016

Experience, paid or volunteer, is critical. As a hiring manager, I look 
first at internships and actual experience. School work is good, but it 
doesn't set you apart from your classmates. I think programming this 
summer is a good idea, but I'm not aware of your situation. Applying for 
and finding a job is a full time job in and of itself. Plus the longer 
you're looking for a job, the more likely a perspective employer will 
wonder why you haven't already been snapped up. If you have the means to 
not work for the summer then building up a portfolio may be a good idea. 
There are open source projects you could contribute to and then you can 
point to your code and contributions when applying for positions. Sorry, 
but I don't think there's an easy answer here.

Employers can give you feedback after the interview process, but very 
few do. I've only gotten feedback from Rackspace, Google, Nvidia and 
Dell recently, and only Rackspace and Google did this as part of their 
normal process. It can be useful, but it can also be distracting. The 
feedback I got from Rackspace for example didn't make any sense to me, 
and I got it from  my HR contact. I appreciate that it's part of their 
process, but I felt like they were just going through the motions to 
check off a box on their process. I think most companies don't provide 
feedback because, depending on what they say, they could get themselves 
into trouble, but saying nothing is perfectly safe.

On 25/05/16 19:42, Amanda Lacy via nfbcs wrote:
>> Do you have some kind of portfolio to share with job prospects?
>
> You mean besides a resume? I'd focused exclusively on school work and
> hadn't had time (or much energy) for any projects. I know, not the
> best decision. I want to spend all summer programming now that school
> is over, but my friend doesn't seem to think this is so important.
>
>> Don't go after the comfort jobs,...
>
> Which jobs are those?
>
>> go after ALL of them and inform them you can assist with 508/WCAG 2.0
>> compliance.
>
> I'm afraid I'd be lying if I did that. I've never done web-related
> anything. My favorite class in school was operating systems. I'm aware
> that such regulations exist, but that's about as far as my knowledge
> extends in that area. It didn't seem like an interesting technical
> problem to me, so I never pursued it.
>
>> Interviews are never pointless. You learn something new from every interview...
>
> Which raises an interesting question: When I'm rejected from an
> interview they never say why. I think they're not allowed to. So how
> do I learn these things for the next one?
>
> On 5/25/16, Joshua Hori via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hello Amanda,
>>
>> Do you have some kind of portfolio to share with job prospects? That's
>> always helpful.
>>
>> There's plenty of jobs available out there where developers don't have any
>> information on how to make their apps accessible. Say that you'd be willing
>> to work with developers to come up with new features and ensure that they
>> are accessible to assistive technologies. Don't go after the comfort jobs,
>> go after ALL of them and inform them you can assist with 508/WCAG 2.0
>> compliance. A federal mandate. You are more valuable than you realize at the
>> moment. Especially to the small start-up businesses.
>>
>> Interviews are never pointless. You learn something new from every interview
>> you participate in. How to answer, how to react, how to respond, what
>> questions should I ask at the end of the interview, should I look up this
>> company in google before the interview, Do you interact well with the
>> interviewers, and so on. All of it is experience to become a better
>> interviewee. I was horrible at my first few interviews, but I'm a champ at
>> them now. I'm also not as nervous anymore.
>>
>> No one will know your skills or that you need a job if you stay home. If
>> nothing else, create small programs which fit the business needs of small
>> companies around you.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joshua
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tami Jarvis via
>> nfbcs
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 1:58 PM
>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Tami Jarvis <tami at poodlemutt.com>
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] How many of you got CS jobs through cold interviews?
>>
>> Amanda,
>>
>> Congratulations! And here's to a great start on your career! /imaginary
>> glass clink/
>>
>> So... I don't know how applicable my career experience is to someone
>> starting out now with a shiny new degree, but I generally agree with your
>> assessment of the usefulness of cold interviews. It may depend on the market
>> in your area and vary by employer, all that jazz. Then again, if you don't
>> play the lottery, you won't win, so there's that.
>>
>> Applying for jobs and going through the interviews that come your way will
>> increase your chances of getting into the job market more quickly.
>> Professional networking, picking up volunteer projects, being where you can
>> get to know prospective employers and they can get to know you -- these
>> things are more likely ways into a good career.
>>
>> Just my opinion, and it's really flavored by where I am geographically and
>> other stuff. Here, certainly, it's just who you know, but it's a small
>> town.
>>
>> Mostly, I wanted to congratulate you and wish you the best.
>>
>> Tami
>>
>> On 05/25/2016 01:33 PM, Amanda Lacy via nfbcs wrote:
>>> I just graduated and I'm wondering how many blind people with CS
>>> degrees actually get jobs this way. I never have. I know one blind
>>> computer scientist in person and he says that the only way he's ever
>>> gotten work is through people he already knows. My sighted friend
>>> seems to think I should be doing lots of interviews, but they seem
>>> pointless for the same reason playing the lottery is pointless.
>>> Thoughts?
>>>
>>> Amanda
>>>
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>>
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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail