Archive for May, 2009

Tough Job Interview Questions for Engineers

Posted by • May 29th, 2009 • 11 Comments

For many of us, prepping for an interview includes practicing our answers for some basic questions we believe we will be asked, doing some background research on the company and making sure we have appropriate attire for the big day.  But for those in engineering, the type of questions asked may need some additional prep time. 

Since launching our Interview Reviews and Questions feature, we now have a total of over 4,500 interview questions- including quite a few from those in the engineering field.  We thought we’d build on some of the unique engineering questions posted on GigaOm last month.  What’s your take on these?  Interestingly, we’re seeing some valuable feedback – and even healthy debate — from the community on many of these types of questions.

Here is a sampling:

You have two strings, each of which burns in exactly one hour, although not at a constant rate. How do you measure 45 minutes with only these two strings? - Software Engineer Intern, Intuit

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D7: What Do Employees Think About CEO Speakers?

Posted by • May 27th, 2009 • Leave a comment

D7, the 7th All Things Digital Conference kicked off in Carlsbad, CA  yesterday. Top  executives from some of the most well-known technology companies have assembled to discuss the impact of digital technology today and in the future.  

Glassdoor has received a large number of reviews from some of the companies represented and we decided to take a look at how these CEOs stack up based on employee opinion.  AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has one of the lowest approval ratings, at just 29%, while Yahoo’s Carol Bartz and Nokia’s Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo maintain approval ratings of 62%. 

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Pink Slip Capitals: Tips on finding jobs in the cities with the most lay-offs

Posted by • May 26th, 2009 • 1 Comment

Forbes.com recently wrote a piece highlighting the top 5 cities with the most lay-offs thus far in 2009 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  As noted in the article, many of the cities broadly affected are those that are home to some of the largest companies- think car manufactures, financial capitals, hospitality hubs, etc.  It’s not too surprising then, to see the list below of what they found: 

Glassdoor Report: Cities with the most lay-offs in 2009

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Job & Interview Tips for College Grads

Posted by • May 22nd, 2009 • 9 Comments

Unemployment is at a 25-year high and the class of 2009 is faced with a puzzling question of ‘now what?’

According to a survey from National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the class of 2009 is leaving campus with fewer jobs in hand than their 2008 counterparts. The group’s 2009 Student Survey found that just 19.7 percent of 2009 graduates who applied for a job actually have one.

And based on the NACE report issued last week, engineering and accounting grads are the most likely to garner and accept a job offer. Interestingly, liberal arts graduates are more likely to turn down the job offers they are receiving. And to add on top of it, even after students indicate that they plan to enter the job market, many students have not begun their job searches. In fact, just 59 percent of this year’s class has started the job search. This compares to approximately 64 percent of the Class of 2007 and two-thirds of the Class of 2008 had started looking for a job by this time.

Since this class is facing unique challenges due to the economic climate, and rather than us talk about the difficulties students face we wanted to give ...

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How to Control a Job Interview Once the Door Closes

Posted by • May 20th, 2009 • 8 Comments

You have spent hours and hours preparing for this all-important interview.  You want this job and you want to work for this company.  The big moment is here and then this happens….

The interviewer is a few minutes late and you have been looking at her pictures and books as you wait for her to arrive in the office.  She comes in, shuts the door as she apologizes for being late.  She shuffles through the papers on her desk as she mumbles something about seeing your resume here earlier today but doesn’t know where it went. After a painful minute or so of this, she looks up at you and says, “Oh, we don’t need your resume, I want to know who you are without it anyway.  So, where are you from?”

The voice in your head is saying to you, “This is not the way it is supposed to go.  I want her to see my resume and to dig in and talk about what I have accomplished. What am I going to do?”

This is an hour you cannot afford to waste and you need to take control of this interview and leave the interviewer blown away with how accomplished, smart, ...

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Glassdoor’s Blog Highlights: A Roundup

Posted by • May 19th, 2009 • 2 Comments

Feel like you need Cliff Notes to keep up with some blogs? With so much going on with the current job landscape, as well as here at Glassdoor, we thought we’d help you out with some posts you might have missed. Here’s what has been generating the most attention on the Glassdoor blog this past month:

The Hardest and Easiest Interview Questions By Company
How to Prepare for a Job Interview
They asked you what during an interview?!?
Interview Do’s and Don’ts: A Round Up
Impression Killers: What the Interview Says About your Company?
Glassdoor Helps Job Candidates Ready for Interviews at Specific Companies
Oracle to Buy Sun: Larry Ellison to become the Next Steve Jobs?
Glassdoor CEOs: Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Gone?

Any topic you’d like to see us cover in the future?  Let us know!

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The Hardest and Easiest Interview Questions by Company

Posted by • May 18th, 2009 • 78 Comments

Before an interview most of us get at least a little nervous as it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. And we’ve all come out of an interview and sighed with relief, and thought thank goodness that is over!  Knowing what to expect when going into an interview – not only the types of questions but also the general difficulty – can be incredibly valuable.  Our recently launched Interview Reviews and Questions feature does just that.

To date, here’s the run down of the top five companies with the most difficult interviews and the top five companies with the easiest interviews as well as some of the questions job candidates were asked that made for the respective level of difficulty. As you’ll see below, the types of questions stemming from those who have interviewed vary significantly.  Let’s start with those companies with the hardest interviews:

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Best Buy CEO Takes 60% Pay Cut; Employees Show Anderson Can Improve

Posted by • May 14th, 2009 • 104 Comments

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that current Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson saw a 60% paycut in 2009 compared to the previous year, which nets out at a still impressive $1.3 million.  The decrease in earnings for Anderson, and for other top executives, is due to a lower performance bonus this year.  The base salary Anderson received of $1.2 million is however a 6% increase from 2008. The additional $100k comes from benefits provided by Best Buy.

So is Anderson’s lower bonus this year fair? According to employees, Anderson has a 62% approval rating which underscores that there is room for improvement within the leadership of the company. For those 38% of employees who disapprove of the job Anderson is doing, lucky for them Anderson will be retiring from Best Buy this coming June and will be replaced by current COO Brad Dunn. 

Glassdoor Report: Best Buy

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April Review of the Month: What it’s like to Interview at Amazon

Posted by • May 13th, 2009 • 4 Comments

Although, the winner of the Glassdoor Review of the Month may not have received an offer from this potential employer, the software engineer job candidate is now $500 richer. The April Review of the Month comes from an Amazon.com job seeker who provides a constructive and behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to interview at this company.

Here’s why this interview reviews gets top marks from Glassdoor.com:

The Amazon job interview review gives a clear picture of what it’s like to walk the halls of Amazon, how long the entire interview process took (7+ weeks) and offers up details on the interview experience.

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How to Prepare for a Job Interview

Posted by • May 12th, 2009 • 5 Comments

With unemployment numbers continuing to rise, the value of job interview resources also climbs. Here is a quick round up of some job interview advice from Liz Wolgemuth, a reporter with US News and World Report, and Rusty Rueff, Glassdoor.com’s career and workplace expert to help in preparing for that next job interview.

Check out the six summarized tips from Liz following her interview with Glassdoor’s CEO Robert Hohman:

1. Know the company. Ferreting out basic details on the company you’re applying to seems like one of the most obvious efforts candidates would undertake, but it’s not a given that they will. Job seekers should be doing rather ambitious research-reading annual reports, learning company business plans, and setting up Google Alerts so they’re up to date on company news. Some career coaches teach job candidates to learn the issues or problems a company is facing and to prepare some thoughts on tackling those issues.

2. Research the people: It’s important to know what the company does, but it may be even more important to know who you’ll be talking to once you get there.

3. Find an insider: Find someone who knows this company and can provide valuable insights into the work you’ll be doing. ...

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