Interview Questions Decoded, Part 2
What are some of your hobbies?
What they're really asking: How well-rounded are you? What do you do outside of work that might transfer positively into the workplace?
Tips: Emphasize any hobbies or activities that may relate to the job. Help the interviewer learn more about you and perceive you as a person, rather than a job candidate. Therefore, don't just answer questions, respond to them.
Would you be willing to pursue an extra certificate or credential?
What they're really asking: How is your attitude? How flexible are you?
Tips: Tell the interviewer how important professional growth is to you. Understand that the person who will impress the interviewer the most is the one willing to do the extra work.
What were you hoping we'd ask today, but didn't?
What they're really asking: Is there anything special about yourself that you want us to know?
Tips: Consider this a "show and tell" opportunity. Use materials from your portfolio to convince them how valuable you'll be to their organization.
Do you have any questions for us?
What they're really asking: Are you prepared to ask questions? How interested are you in this position?
Tips: List five or six questions on an index card. Ask at least one question, even if all of your prepared questions have been answered. Never say, "No, you've answered all of my questions."
Interview Questions Decoded, Part 1
Tell us about yourself.
What they're really asking: What makes you special? Why should we hire you?
Tips: Prepare several selling points about yourself. Give a quick "elevator speech" that overviews your experience and achievements.
What are your greatest strengths?
What they're really asking: How do you perceive your talents and abilities as a professional? Will you be an asset to our organization?
Tips: Sell yourself. If you don't promote your strengths, nobody else will. Prepare six or seven responses. Be "confidently humble."
What are your greatest weaknesses?
What they're really asking: How honest are you being about yourself with us? How realistic are you?
Tips: Present your weakness as a positive. Don't talk too long or emphasize your downfalls.
Why are you interested in working here?
What they're really asking: How dedicated are you? Do you have a passion for this type of work?
Tips: Keep your answer simple and to the point. Stay away from such responses as, "Many of my friends have worked here." This response isn't very impressive.
Why should we hire you?
What they're really asking: Can you convince us you're "the one?" Can you sell your "product?"
Tips: Make a powerful statement about the value you'll bring to their organization. Toot your own horn, but be wary of sounding arrogant.
Explain the ways of authentication techniques in ASP.NET
Selection of an authentication provider is done through the entries in the web.config file for an application.
The modes of authentication are:
<authentication mode=”windows”>
<authentication mode=”passport”>
<authentication mode=”forms”>
Custom authentication needs installation of ISAPI filter in IIS. It compares incoming requests to a list of source IP addresses and a request is considered to be authenticated if it comes from an acceptable address.
What is Authentication in ASP.NET?
The process of identifying a user through the use of an ID and a password is known as Authentication.
The ASP.Net authentication providers are as follows:
Windows Authentication Provider:
It is in conjunction with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) authentication to secure ASP.NET applications
Forms Authentication Provider
It is an application-specific login form which performs authentication using user code.
Passport Authentication provider:
It is a centralized authentication service provided by Microsoft that offers a single login and core profile service for member sites.
How to save data from dataset?
The modified data needs to be sent back to the database in order to save it. Therefore, to send the modified data to a database, the Update method of a TableAdapter or data adapter needs to be called. The Update method executes either of INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE depending on the RowState in the table.
In Visual Studio a TableAdapterManager component is used for saving the proper order based on the foreign-key constraints of the database.
Although the procedure to save the data may change depending upon the applications, the following steps throw light on the generalized concept:
The code sends updates to the database should be written within a try/catch block.
The data row should be located to determine the problem area and the code should then be reattempted.
What are the various objects in Dataset?
The DataSet class exists in the System.Data namespace. The Classes contained in the DataSet class are:
DataTable
DataColumn
DataRow
Constraint
DataRelation.
Why Do They Ask That in an Interview?
The company wants a team player and an independent worker
When you are asked whether you work better alone or in a team, what they really want to know is how you interact with others and how much direction you need when you're assigned to work by yourself.
If you use time alone well, are you able to keep your boss posted on your progress at reasonable intervals? Are you good at brainstorming in a group, the one who comes up with rapid-fire ideas? Or are you the person who is likely to mold them into a collaborative effort to find a solution for the challenge at hand? Either alone or in a team, you want to convey that you can interact well with co-workers at various levels of authority, but that you're a person who can be productive and come up with answers on your own as well.
Remember, an interview is a two-way street, and that's true where questions are concerned. Be sure to ask questions that show you have researched the company and that you're aware of current issues faced by the company and the industry it's in. You need to show an interest in the company if you want it to show an interest in you.
For years, people have been counseled to envelope their "weakness" in an answer that actually makes it sound like a strength. But job interviewers have heard them all, and those answers tend to sound hollow these days. Rather, choose a time when you had to face a significant challenge or adversity -- without getting too personal -- and tell how you overcame that dilemma and were improved by it. Tell what you learned and how that newfound knowledge benefited you as a professional. People who recognize their weaknesses and show they want to do better are showing a prospective employer they are willing to do their best, even if it means learning from mistakes.
Things to Tell an Interviewer
The best way to show these traits is to take the initiative and have several personal stories that you can tell, taking maybe 30 to 90 seconds each. You may want to start by developing your stories around these seven areas:
1. Times where you either made money or saved money for your current or previous company.
2. A crisis in your life or job and how you responded or recovered from it.
3. A time where you functioned as part of a team and what your contribution was.
4. A time in your career or job where you had to overcome stress.
5. A time in your job where you provided successful leadership or a sense of direction.
6. A failure that occurred in your job and how you overcame it.
7. Any seminal events that happened during your career to cause you to change direction and how that worked out for you. I want to emphasize that an interview should not be an interrogation. It should be a conversation between two equals. When you accomplish this you come away a step closer to your goal of landing the job you really want, because... It's the conversation that wins an interview, and it's the conversation that wins the job. To have a conversation, have your stories ready.
