I have been at the same company for ages now and considering a move. What are the trickiest interview questions being asked of potential employees right now and how can I prepare for them?

Frank, Open Source Programmer

Everyone’s heard that first impressions are very important; this can’t be truer than in a job interview. But before we go in to some of the trickiest questions you may encounter let’s review some basics.

Every prospective employer will be looking for an employee with confidence – even in IT. Remember to keep eye contact, give a firm handshake when you first meet the interviewer and try not to be too nervous. The real person you need to be afraid of is in HR who already cleared you to be interviewed, so just relax. That said don’t over do it, confident and cocky are two completely different things.

If you encounter a question that you are unsure of how to respond to don’t be afraid to just give an honest answer. There is a fair chance that looking like a great person could be just as compelling as a great candidate. Remember that when you are being interviewed by HR it’s likely that he or she is going to have to work with you every day, so be open and friendly.

Question #1: What is your greatest weakness?

This common question is one that everyone one day will run into. Before you break into your “sometimes I just work too hard” speech, there are a few other options that will definitely go over better. Use something that you actually struggle with in your working life. That said, leave out any major issues that you may have, pick problem number 3 or 4 down the list and work with that. Stay away from major problem words such as ‘lazy’ or ‘unreliable’. The trick to answering this well is after saying the minor thing you struggle with. Talk about how you have been working to improve this problem and have virtually eliminated the problem.

Questions #2 What do you know about our organisation?

This is another question that comes up more often than expected. No matter how great a candidate you seem to be, if you don’t know the company, then you appear uninterested which could be a deal-breaker for them. Always read the company’s website entirely before an interview and do a quick Google search to see if they have been in the news for anything. Not only will this prepare you for this question but give you a ton of great talking points to bring up with your interviewer. Remember to stay away from any negative press they may have received.

Question #3 Why did you leave your previous job?

This can be a difficult question but it is important to stay honest in your response. If you were laid off because of cut backs to the company say just that – there is no shame in it. If you were fired, be as honest as you can bring yourself to be but try not to dig your self into any holes and avoid mentioning any personality conflicts. It’s important to remember they will likely check your references so explain honestly what happened, but from your perspective. Remain positive even when explaining possibly negative aspects. Put emphasis on your excitement to explore a new opportunity in the future in a different type of company.

Question 4# Where do you see yourself in five years?

While it’s important to show that you are motivated and looking to succeed, stability is very important to companies who will need to rely on you long term. Always mention that you see yourself in a similar company or industry as the one you interviewing for. You can say that the company can provide great opportunities for you long term and you see your self as a loyal team player. As long as you don’t go over the top, this question could be a good opportunity to mention your strengths, for example, “Well I’d ideally like to use my leadership skills and step up to a management position. But, of course, I’d be keen to prove myself as a team player first!”

Question 5# Why should we hire you?

A bit like the ‘why shouldn’t we vote you out?’ question on reality shows, isn’t it? Luckily this question normally occurs toward the end of the interview. The previous interview questions will help you to figure out what characteristics are important to them. If there were a considerable amount of questions about leadership in an organisation, for example, then focus your response around that aspect. It always helps to respond that you feel that you can make an immediate effect on the organization and then review your past achievements by giving examples of areas you improved in previous roles. This question will be your last ditch good chance to shine so don’t pass it up.

You’ve heard the old adage “practise makes perfect”, so rehearse these five key questions before going in cold to an interview and you’ll be sure to make a great impression. Good luck with the job search!

There are now numerous start-up businesses in the ‘green’ sector attempting to gain a foothold in this emerging market. These smaller companies offer employees the chance to gain experience across a broad range of areas and the potential upsides can be very tempting – with share option potential and the chance to work with a company set to become a genuine market leader.  (Gordon Group Technology currently has a role for a Senior Software Developer in just such a company http://www.gordongroup.com.au/jobs/)

It’s not just start-ups looking to take advantage of the anticipated ‘green’ boom. The uncertainty, both political and economic, of last year meant that established companies holding off on technological development and R & D projects are now back in the game. Now that the Clean Energy Future package is underway, many of those projects have been given the green light. Renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind and tidal will be the major winners. The governments Clean Energy Finance corporation will make $13 Billion available for investment in these projects – with technology a critical aspect of these new projects.

Energy efficiency experts will find themselves in demand delivering specific advice to small and medium businesses supported by $40 million in grants for Energy Efficiency Information. Of course, this means demand for software and other tools, as information will need to be collected, measured, tracked and stored.  In addition, $1.2 billion from the Clean Technology Program will help directly improve energy efficiency and R&D of low pollution technologies.

It’s the perfect storm – a growing ‘green’ sector, backed by millions of dollars of government support, coupled with exciting new technological developments. If you have experience in either sector the 2012 is your year!

It all started when Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey heard that a former boss, glass artisan Jim McKelvey, missed out on a $2,000 sale because he didn’t except credit cards. Only a month later Dorsey and McKelvey had figured out the code for their mobile payment company, Square (see http://square.com).  In December 2011 they accepted their one-millionth merchant. Jack Dorsey seemed quite happy with this achievement and later boasted on twitter, “To put that in perspective: there are only 8 million merchants who accept credit cards in the US.” The company is gaining 30,000 to 50,000 merchants a month and will process $2 billion in revenue this year.

Square uses a dongle device but there are alternatives. The CSI globalVCard is a Virtual MasterCard app designed for B2B use only as an alternative payment method, without the plastic card. Perfect for card-not-present transactions, such as online, over the phone, catalog purchases, mail in payments, or anywhere MasterCard is accepted.

Although these apps and devices have been mainly seen in the US, they are slowly gaining traction here in Australia, although we have been a bit behind so far. But we’ll catch up. Australia has nearly 1.8 million small businesses, many of which do not accept credit cards. The current credit card system is notorious for being confusing and filled with hidden fees. By contrast, business owners using mobile commerce devices will be attracted to the surprisingly low transaction rates and will also be pleased with the ability to live track transactions from miles away.

M-commerce also encompasses smart phone transactions from the customers end. This includes ‘bumping’ to transfer funds; making purchases through mobile apps and mobile webs browsers; and using the phone as a makeshift credit card itself. These mobile payment methods are booming overseas: PayPal mobile payments grew 14 fold last year.  Frerk-Malte Feller, ex managing director of PayPal Australia, said, “the mobile phone is replacing your wallet in some instances. When I’m heading to the movies, I don’t bring my wallet anymore; I buy my ticket on the way, scan the barcode and jump the queue.” But whilst that sounds great, the fact remains that many Australians are frustrated by the slow growth in the m-Commerce market here.

Most of the major banks have made a start with m-Commerce and last year most of the major banks trialed various NFC technologies. The Commonwealth Bank is probably the furthest along. Late last year they launched their Commbank Kaching app for iPhone4S, 4 3GS and 3G. This free app allows iPhone users to ‘pay anyone, anywhere’ after ordering their iCarte case via the app. The app also allows P2P payments (peer to peer) via mobile, email or even Facebook.  Westpac are still dragging their heels on their NCF micro-chipped ‘stickers’ as are ANZ.

Visa has an app called Visa Mobile for iCarte which allows visa card holders to pay with their visa using their iPhone. You download the app to enable your iPhone with the iCarte accessory, which is manufactured by Wireless Dynamics. This then allows you to make contactless payment at MasterCard PayPass and Visa PayWave terminals. It takes 1.5 seconds and Visa assures us it’s safe and secure. The transaction tracker allows you to keep records of what you have spent and even shows you where the nearest contactless vendor terminal is located. The drawback is that it’s currently only compatible with the iPhone 3GS and 3G models, but they promise the iPhone4 accessory is coming soon.

All these iCarte and ‘stickers’ are only interim technology though until the NFC chips are built into the phones themselves. So far the only smartphones with built in chips are the Samsung Nexus s, Nokia’s C7 and N9 and the Blackberry Bold 9900.  Surely the iPhone 5 (rumored to be starting production this month) will incorporate this new technology? We’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, the banks in Australia seem to be waiting for the telcos and the telcos are waiting for the banks. Each sector cautiously circling this new technology but not quite ready for full commitment just yet. But with Australia being the third highest mobile broadband penetration globally, leading the US and the UK, we are not typically opposed to new technology. Perhaps it’s a case of the consumers being more advanced then retailers? Or perhaps we are cautious of NFC technology because we have little faith in bank security? It’s a matter of time though. By 2014 it’s predicted that 1 out of every smartphone worldwide will have NFC functionality (Juniper Reseach).  Bring it on!

Mobile App Consultants work as project managers to engage teams of highly skilled app developers, usually offshore, to transform the core operation of businesses. Some forward thinking businesses are now using apps not just as an add-on to their websites but as a core business strategy.  US based businesses such as GroupMe, textPlus and photo-sharing firm Instagam are examples of businesses which have cut straight to the mobile app, doing away with the traditional desktop website altogether.

Engineering and design are the key criteria in app development and Mobile App Consultants wanting to catch the wave of this trend are advised to make sure that the mobile software developer and mobile visual designer work closely side by side from the start of the project.  With the multitude of device platforms, from iPhone and Android to Blackberry and Windows Mobile, engineers with cross-platform experience will be a key requirement – although it’s advised that companies start off picking one platform for the initial app launch and going cross-platform later.

For Mobile App Consultants the contracts could be easily extended as app revisions and updates will pile up quickly, as well as extension of the operating systems. For those businesses wanting to invest wisely in this technology the choice of Mobile App Consultant is important and consultants will be expected to provide references and have worked on similar projects before but for savvy developers with business skills this is an exciting new avenue of opportunity.

In Sydney we are seeing clear signs of caution as discretionary spending is put on hold. Companies seem reluctant to hire for any project that does not directly either make money or save money.  However, candidates displaying high technical skills as well the highly desirable qualities of good communication skills, loyalty and willingness to be a team player will always be in demand. Those employees already lucky enough to have a great job with a good company are also playing it safe and we are seeing a noticeable decrease in candidate activity.

Here in Sydney though, we are not complaining. Top companies will always be able to attract quality candidates. And judging by the high number of resumes we receive from overseas candidates, there are plenty of highly skilled IT professionals both locally and throughout the world who want jump at the chance of a top job in Sydney.

Is it better to list every one of all my IT skills (programs and languages etc…) in my CV or to just be broad and a bit generic? Surely if I keep it quite broad then I’ll be considered for more roles?

Mark K, Helpdesk

Salutations Mark

I’ll let you into secret Mark – key words or meta-tags, whatever you’d like to call them, are searched within a recruiters database in much the same manner as a google search – in fact many recruitment firms have google search embedded in their CRM systems, so by emphasising your key words or mata-tags, your resume is prioritised in the future when recruiters search for people. Keep in mind that some agencies have over 200,000 people in their database so being able to find YOUR resume is helped by having a thorough CV.

Let me explain how it works: We might be looking for a fit for the following role: ‘A developer with .Net (3.5 or later) experience; significant Silverlight and Expression Blend experience; who has strong SQL server 2008 skills and understands Agile methodology’. So we’d pick out the keywords -.Net; Silverlight, Expression Blend; SQL; Agile – and we’d run a search to see who we have in the system who has all those keywords in their CV. The guys at the top of the Google Search list go to the top our list of people to call or email regarding the job.  If we are lucky we might save ourselves the need to even advertise the job. The job can be filled in a couple of hours – and that’s especially beneficial when we are looking for urgent contractors.

So just as you would do search engine optimisation on a website, so you should make sure your own CV’s SEO is top notch. Include all your experience and the keywords of everything you’ve ever worked on if you want to find roles in those areas again. What if you want to find a role in an area you have no experience in? Then tell us. Include your dream job keywords in your CV and let your dream job find you!

1.      Project Manager

The strongest demand will be experienced managers with proven local experience. 2011 saw a marked increase in demand for PM’s with agile experience, and the trend for offshore outsourcing continues to grow, with many Indian and Philippino based outsourcers now having physical offices in Sydney. The general theme for 2012 will be cost cutting, therefore we can expect these offshorers to have a good year, so PMs with experience managing offshorers should also have a good year.

2.      Network Engineer

Cloud computing  and the trend for enterprise data to be housed in outsourced data centres means that solid IP / network engineers are vital to ensure the secure transfer of data. Engineers with practical work experience in an organization that has migrated to a virtualized or cloud-based environment will also be popular. In particular, they’re looking for people with VMware and Citrix.

3.      IT Security

As malware makers and cyber thieves develop smarter technology so businesses must find newer and smarter ways to protect themselves from security threats and breaches. Cloud computing has opened up further demand for skilled infrastructure security professionals.

4.      Software Developer

In 2011 demand for developers with strong coding skills such as C# and Java outstripped supply in Sydney for most of 2011. However, there was a dramatic reduction in demand leading into the final ¼, so we are hesitant to make a forecast other than we do not expect this sector to be as strong in 2012.

5.      Help Desk/Technical Support

As long as technology is used in the workplace, there will be a need for support staff, be they internal or remote.  Locally based support staff with great English language communication skills will continue to be highly prized by companies.

6.      Data Warehouse Architects

Businesses’ growing demands for data collection and tracking and using the data effectively points to a solid year for data warehouse experts, developers and analytics/analysts.

 7.       Mobile Apps Development

Without doubt the brightest spot for 2012 – Android and iOS developers will continue to have a strong year as major corporations build proprietary apps for their Tablet / iPad enabled salesforces.

For: iPhone, Android,Windows Mobile, WebOS

Price: $10.00/month subscription

Already established  as an important player in the world of streaming music, Spotify has released a new iPhone app that is allowing users access to over 15 million songs on the go.  For a monthly charge of $10 iPhone users will have access to Spotify’s complete library of music.  Users can stream the music directly from Spotify anywhere they have a wifi or 3g connection.  Users are also given the option of downloading the music to their device to be used when they do not have a connection.  The music syncs up directly with the user’s Spotify account, allowing for easy integration between desktop and mobile device.

Viber

For: iPhone, Android

Price: Free

Want the ability to talk with friends in far off place?  Viber allows users to save money on their phone bill by making free calls and text messages over the internet.  The person receiving the call or the text also has to have the app downloaded, but other than that the process is easy.  VIber can be downloaded free on the iPhone or Android devices, and promises to help save money for people communicating across the world.

Key Ring Rewards

For:  iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows 7

Price: Free

Still holding plastic membership cards on your Key Ring or wallet?- So 20^thcentury.  A free download for any iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows phones, Key Ring Rewards allows people to never have to carry around their membership cards when they go shopping.  Simply scan the barcode and recycle the plastic.  When going through the checkout have the cashier scan your smartphone and it is as easy as that.  The app allows for sharing of the membership cards between family members, and will even prompt you if you need to update your account.   While this is not a life changing app, it will undoubtedly reduce the amount of plastic you need to carry around.

Word Lens

For: iPhone

Price: $10.00

Using the latest image capture and augmented reality technology, WordLens is able to translate real word objects in no time.  Simply point your iPhone at a sentence or title and watch it be translated in real time.   Right now Word Lens is only available for Spanish to English or English to Spanish, but with time the technology will only advance.  Their Promotional Video is a must see to understand this amazing technology.

Mixology

For: iPhone Android

Price:  Free

Becoming a bartender has never been easier.  This app allows one to simply input what type of alcohols and mixers they have available, and immediately a list of the  most suitable cocktails is created.  The app gives detailed instructions and tips for making drinks and stocking a bar.  Most importantly, if you’re missing any key ingredients simply enter your location and Mixology will let you know the nearest liquor store or bar.

Years ago I stupidly drove home from a wedding after a few too many and got a DUI. So now I have a criminal record. I know that companies can run a record check and I was wondering if you thought I should be upfront and  tell the agency about my past when I apply for a job – before they find out themselves?

Tony H., Project Manager

Salutations Tony

So you have a skeleton or two in your closet. You’ve grown up a bit since then, hopefully. We all make mistakes – but are your skeletons likely to be set free from the closet, scaring off prospective employers?

As a general rule, if you have a skeleton lurking somewhere in your past, be upfront before you are put forward for the job by the recruiter or HR – especially if you are asked a specific question about your criminal history and that question and the criminal history are relevant to the job you are applying for. It’s generally very unlikely that a criminal conviction for a minor offence will automatically exclude you from the job. An employer will usually only refuse to employ a person if the person’s criminal record means that he or she is unable to perform the requirements of the particular job, for example a conviction for fraud may exclude you from working in a bank, whereas a past involving a drunken punch-up at a wedding probably wouldn’t.  In some states this anti-discrimination law refers to ‘irrelevant criminal record’ to explain this concept.

If you decide not to mention your past record and an employer does do a police check this may backfire against you. Your dishonesty will be viewed very unfavourably and the employer will almost certainly give the job to one of the other contenders. It’s worth noting, however, that once you are employed in a company, your employer does not have a general right to enquire as to your criminal status – unless your employment is subject to regulations or a contract requiring ongoing disclosure.

There are some sectors, however, where a record will probably put you out of the running for the job. Many government jobs, such those with the Australian Tax Office or the Australian Defence Force, as well as jobs in sectors like banking, finance, or investments or where you’d be working with not-for-profits, the elderly or children are cases where the criminal history of the applicant is taken into consideration. A criminal record may also prevent registration as a lawyer, doctor, optometrist, physiotherapist or architect.  These types of industries will almost certainly do a full police check.  But remember, even if something does come up, your suitability for the role will be taken on a case by case basis, so it’s not necessarily the end of the line for you.

Even despite anti-discrimination legislation the hard reality, Tony, is that your prospective employer may perceive that there is a higher risk of dishonesty, unreliability, or irresponsibility from a prospective employee with a record. It’s expensive and time-consuming to hire new employees and companies will usually err on the side of caution and take the low risk option – and that will usually mean they’ll pick the candidate without the record. Some employers may also be concerned about how their clients or their other employees might react if an employee’s criminal record becomes known.

It’s worth checking the status of your record though as some offences fall under the ‘spent conviction legislation’ and if that’s the case for you then companies must comply with that and cannot hold your past against you. Spent conviction legislation allows some criminal records to be removed after a certain period of time. The idea behind spent convictions is to ‘wipe the slate clean’ after a certain period of time, depending on the offence. If you aren’t sure, find out if your conviction is now regarded as ‘spent’ and if it is then there is no need to mention it at all in your interview. You can obtain a copy of your own criminal record from the organisations such as https://www.nationalcrimecheck.com.au

So, if you do have something rattling around in your closet don’t let that hold you back from applying for your dream job. The truth is that if the employer thinks you’ll do a great job in the role, that’s more important to them than your creaky old skeletons.

Good luck!

The Job Nerd