Most of them are students from North American universities seeking an internship with us. Some were in their third year of undergraduate studies while others were completing their Ph.D.

For each position we post, we receive hundreds of such applicants. Their profiles are impressive (at least on paper) so we can afford to be highly selective and make the students jump through hoops. But we don’t.

My Interview Process

When I first started I used to ask tough algorithmic questions. What I learned pretty quickly was that you don’t need gruesome interviews to separate the most talented candidates from the rest.

This goes against my instinctual bias as I love algorithms and mathematical problems. But I also found a tenuous correlation between those who could make a Red-black tree twerk to their command and great web developers.

Of course, teams working on implementing database engines instead of web development, might benefit from said twerk masters.

At any rate, in most cases, if your candidates need to study a book specifically on how to pass interviews to survive your tech interview, your process might be broken and you might be missing out on a lot of great candidates who didn’t spend the past three months optimizing for the interview on Leetcode.

Now, I conduct a quick 30-minute interview asking questions considered basic by most. Candidates who do well during their first interview and are likely to get the job are promoted to a second interview.

This second interview, conducted with my manager and me, is not technical at all. It’s mostly about explaining what we do, selling the candidate on the idea of joining us, as well as answering questions they might have. In essence, the “hard” part is the first interview.

During that technical interview, I don’t ask tough questions. The questions I ask are arguably very basic.

What I do, however, is ask questions that give away one’s experience with web development. I also really pay attention to the answers I get. I don’t need hard questions, because the answers to these basic questions are extremely telling.

A Basic Question Example

I’ll give you two examples of basic questions I ask. The first one is, what are your two favorite programming languages? Let’s say that the candidate replies, “Python and JavaScript”. I will then ask them what they like about each and list some technical differences between the two.

Guess what? Great candidates will give away in their answers a deep understanding of types. Less strong candidates will confuse dynamic typing with weak typing and struggle to mention any difference between languages that are quite different. If they do, to rule out nerves, I’ll drop hints to see if the poor answer is due to a lack of knowledge.

From here, we turn it into a conversation from which other questions arise. Asking you about your design choices for a particular project you’re passionate about tells me a lot more about you than reciting the solution to an A* problem.

Here is another one. What are some differences between a GET and a POST request?

A weak candidate will not be able to name any differences. That’s an easy way to weed out people who put React and Redux on their resumes but don’t have any familiarity with web development in practice. Or people who followed some tutorials on YouTube without actually understanding what’s going on. Résumé inflation makes this occurrence sadly common.

The most frequently mentioned difference is the data submission method (URL vs body). Generally speaking, that’s what I expect to hear given the lack of seniority of prospective interns.

However, even with such a basic question, stellar candidates will start talking about idempotence, caching, security concerns, data size limitations, ASCII vs binary, conventions within the REST paradigm, etc.

Now, some candidates are more loquacious than others so I tend to ask follow-up questions to fish out knowledge of other differences if that knowledge is there.

For example, if the answer is, “POST submits the data with the body while GET puts it in the query parameters”, I might ask them in which scenarios that can be problematic. Or even, “Why is it a bad idea to use a GET method for a login form?”

The question is as simple as they come for web developers. But the answers can be very telling.

I often hear from candidates who didn’t make the cut that they still enjoyed the interview process and remark on how they found it less stressful.

Does It Actually Work?

In case you’re wondering, the success rate of this approach has been remarkable. So much so that I have other teams reaching out asking us about our secret sauce.

BTW, I think recruitment is only one ingredient of the secret sauce. Another substantial ingredient is our stellar senior developer team members who are paired with new interns to mentor them, as well as other initiatives we have to train them effectively.

On that note, a telling sign that this approach works is that the candidates we select grow quickly when they join us.

The aforementioned senior developers were interns hired with this process years ago and they are simply amazing. Even when I look at the LinkedIn profiles of former interns we couldn’t keep on our team once they graduated, I see impressive careers at some of the best companies (and a few who founded their own successful companies).

And finally, the interview is only one data point in the many factors I consider when evaluating a candidate. Past projects carry a lot of weight too, for example.

This overall approach works for us. I’m not claiming it will work for everyone but perhaps a different way is possible within the industry.

The post I Ask Basic Questions During Technical Interviews appeared first on Programming Zen.

It’s been a while since I last posted on this blog, but I’m back and ready to write about all things related to programming, technology, AI, and of course, everyone’s favorite tool ChatGPT.

There have been quite a few “events” in my life since we last chatted (including separating, selling the house, and moving to a new city). But through it all, I’ve remained passionate about technology and the ways in which it can change our lives for the better.

Speaking of change, as an engineering manager for IBM’s Skills Network team am excited to announce that we’re currently offering four new internships for Canadian students (six positions in total). These internships are an incredible opportunity for those looking to break into the tech industry and make a real impact. Here’s a quick rundown of the positions available:

• 3 Software Developer positions
• 1 Data Scientist position
• 1 UI/UX Designer position
• 1 Growth Marketer position

Our past interns have had amazing experiences working with our team, learning a lot, and many of them have gone on to have career-changing roles in the industry. We’re dedicated to helping our interns grow and develop, and this internship is a great opportunity to do just that.

To be eligible for this opportunity, you must be currently enrolled in a university or college, reside in Canada, and be able to commit to a full-time 8-month internship starting in May and ending in December 2023. Please note that NO EXCEPTIONS will be made for these requirements, unfortunately.

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to learn, grow, and start your career with IBM. Apply now at the links provided above. And if you’re not already a subscriber, be sure to subscribe to this blog in the blue box below, so you don’t miss out on any future posts.

Best of luck to everyone who applies!

The post New IBM Internship Opportunities for Canadian Students appeared first on Programming Zen.

When I asked for quotes from our current interns on the team, here is what they had to say:

“Why are you wasting time writing a post.” — John

“I’m debugging here.” — Samantha

“For Pete’s sake Antonio, it’s 3 am in the morning.” — Tyler

Jokes aside, our current (and past) interns absolutely love their experience in our team at IBM.

In order to make this as clear as possible, I’m going to explain things in a FAQ format.

Q: What are the requirements?

You must be:

• Based in Canada;
• Legally allowed to work in Canada without a sponsorship;
• Enrolled in college or university.

Q: What roles are available?

• Software Developer (4 months) (Closed, as we received 400+ applicants for this position.)
• Software Developer (8 months)
• Data Scientist (4 months) (Closed, as we received 400+ applicants for this position.)
• Data Scientist (8 months)
• UI/UX Designer (8 months)

Apply by clicking on the links above.

Q: Can I apply for more than one position?

Yes! For example, if you are fine with both 4 and 8-month development internships, you can apply to both positions.

Q: How many positions are available in total?

We are hiring 10 interns in total.

Q: Do I have to be enrolled in a co-op program?

No. Despite what the job postings say, co-op enrollment is preferred but not required.

Q: Is this going to be a remote position?

It’s hard to predict the future when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. These internship positions will definitely start off remote, but there is a small chance (for the 8-month positions, at least) that you’ll be required to go back to the office when it’s safe to do so. The office is located in Markham, ON, Canada. If it comes to that, at the time, out-of-province students will receive relocation assistance.

Q: Who are you looking for?

We are looking for enthusiastic students who are passionate about technology. In my experience, the most successful candidates are resourceful and will employ all tools available to succeed in their job (including mentorship and support from our senior developers and data scientists).

Q: How big is the team?

We currently have about 20-25 people on the team, divided for the most part between data scientists and developers. Half of our developers and data scientists are interns, so we put a lot of emphasis on growing interns into fully qualified developers and data scientists. Most of our full-time regular team members were interns in our team at some point in the past.

Q: I don’t have all the skills listed in the job posting, can I still apply?

Think of the “preferred” skills listed as a wishlist for the perfect candidate. The perfect candidate might not exist, however. So apply if you have an interest in the job and you have at least one or two of the required skills listed.

Q: What’s the hiring process like?

• You apply for one or more positions.
• If we think you’re a good fit, we’ll schedule a 30-minute web interview with me and one of my developers (or data scientist for the Data Science positions). This is a technical interview. You won’t be solving algorithmic puzzles or anything like that. Sample question: What are some of the differences between GET and POST requests?
• If you do well in the first interview, you’ll be scheduled for a soft skills interview with me and my manager (an IBM CTO). This interview is even less stressful than the first one. It’s mostly about getting to know you better, your interests, ambitions, etc. Above all, it’s an opportunity for you to learn much more about our team, what we do, and for you to ask questions freely.
• If you did well in both interviews, we’ll inform HR that we want to proceed with you. So the rest is just paperwork.

We don’t have a whole lot of time. May is coming fast. So if you are interested, seize the opportunity and apply now for an internship at IBM! I look forward to speaking with you.

The post Get an Internship With My Team at IBM appeared first on Programming Zen.

We’re hiring a few backend developers, frontend developers, as well as data scientists (interns). The internship will start in January, last 4 months, and take place at our Markham, ON, Canada Software Lab location.

You must be enrolled in a Co-Op program at your university/college and be eligible to work in Canada to be considered for this position.

IBM internship positions

To apply, please use the following links:

• Backend Developer Intern
• Frontend Developer Intern
• Data Scientist Intern

You can apply for more than one position if you wish.

What to expect from our interview

Interviews are scary, amirite? Lucky for you, I perform the technical interview. I don’t ask brain teasers (i.e., how many useless interview questions are currently being asked in New York City?) or algorithmic questions.

I also do not ask you to solve anything on a virtual whiteboard, code anything on the fly, or expect you to remember specific details you can easily Google while performing your job.

Instead, we’ll have a technical conversation about your previous projects, and I will ask you more general questions that tend to reveal with greater accuracy your current understanding of software engineering (or data science).

For example, if you list REST APIs on your resume, I might ask you what’s the difference between 400s and 500s errors. I’m not going to ask you what a 413 error represents.

The most promising candidates will proceed to a second interview with me and my manager.

This second web interview has little to no technical questions and it’s just an opportunity to learn more about you and your ambitions, and for you to learn more about our team and ask questions.

At that point, we’ll decide who to hire. That’s it. No gruesome six rounds of interviews. Easy peasy.

This easy-going interviewing method has enabled us to hire great candidates with virtually no false positives.

What we value

It’s worth noting that we value cultural contribution over cultural fit. We don’t need clones of our existing team members, as excellent as they are. We need people who add something to the team and bring fresh new perspectives.

Also, don’t doubt yourself. If you are interested, apply. We value passion and attitude over raw experience. A bad hire is not someone who doesn’t know much but is willing to learn. A bad hire is someone who knows everything but can’t work in a team.

If you apply, feel free to email me your resume as well so that I can speed up the interview process.

Our interns tend to love the experience in the team and will often come back for another internship or as regular employees once they graduate.

Talk to you soon.

The post New IBM Internship Positions in My Team appeared first on Programming Zen.

One of the many beautiful views from our office at 425 Market St in San Francisco.

IBM has a high-profile internship program called LEADing to Africa, aimed at students who are interested in working and making a difference in the MEA region (Middle East and Africa).

The basic premise is that students will have an internship with IBM in, say, the US, then they’ll return to their studies until graduation. At that point, successful interns will be given ample opportunity to apply to obtain full time employment with IBM in the country of their interest in Africa. In most cases, this will be the student’s country of origin, but not every one of our applicants is from Africa.

After countless technical interviews that I conducted, and a great deal of paperwork, I’m happy to report that I’m on assignment as a Software Developer Mentor for 20 brilliant students from universities such as Cornell, Berkeley, Harvard, etc. The students hail from all over the country and, originally, from all over Africa. Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, but also a few from India, China, and solely from the US.

The IBM Analytics Emerging Technologies LEADing to Africa Students.

I’m part of the IBM Analytics Emerging Technologies team, so our focus for the students is on cutting edge technology, particularly with regards to Big Data Analytics (with Apache Spark) and Data Science. When it comes to Spark, aside from my mentorship, it doesn’t hurt that we are sitting in the IBM Spark Technology Center at 425 Market St in San Francisco.

After a solid week of training we divided the students into five small teams, each working on one project that has both a data analytics component and a social good one (in most cases, specific to Africa) as well.

A team hard at work during our training hackaton.

I’m beyond excited to work for something so meaningful and to have the opportunity to interact with so many young talented people from all sorts of backgrounds.

Stay tuned for more posts on the project and my adventures in America.

The post On Assignment in San Francisco for IBM LEADing to Africa appeared first on Programming Zen.