For Tech Interviews, Research Means Trying the App

Every time we’re doing some hiring, I get inspired to help candidates present themselves better. I learned a lot from both Career Services in college, as well as from employers who ran workshops, so I’d like to give back.  Last time, I wrote 10 tips on how to land an internship at a startup. We’re hiring interns again, so I’m back with this extended tip on trying the app.

Whether you’re applying for an internship or a full time job, you should do some research before coming in for an interview. (You should research before you even apply! Getting a job isn’t just about volume of applications, but about matching.)  With Wallaby, we have a free web app, free mobile apps, and a free Chrome extension.

In short, there isn’t a single excuse for not trying the software.

I can guarantee that I will ask you what you think of the product. If you say “I haven’t really tried it,” I may keep talking to you, but that’s pretty much the end of your chances for employment.

Earlier on, when we had fewer products and were younger, I let this slide for a few people. No more.  I don’t care how qualified you are–if you are not going to take the five minutes to try our software, it is a pretty damning indicator of your attitude.

When I ask what you think of the app, just give me some real feedback. You could say that it’s great, but is missing feature “X.”  You could say that it’s confusing. You could say that you don’t really understand it, but you see the big vision and want to work on that.

Quite frankly, I’m pretty hard to offend, so you can try saying whatever. What is an imperative is that you have a viewpoint and that you have tried the app.

We have some interviews coming up next week, so we’re about to see how the latest batch will do. I hope they all download the app and give it a try.