The most important part of our guide, from my experience, is the section on interviewing. I had no idea what to expect when going into interviews for the first time and it would have been nice to have some understanding of how to prepare. It’s hard to tell someone exactly what to do to prepare for an interview because everyone prepares differently, just like everyone studies for exams differently. But it is nice to have some pointers of places to look for sample questions and an idea of what to expect when I step in the room. I actually did not find out about Hacker Rank until working on this project and I think that would have been an incredibly useful tool when preparing for interviews. The best advice I’ve ever received about the job interview process is that if you do not end up with an interview or an offer, you should not be discouraged. If anything it means you would not have been a good fit at that company which would have ultimately made you unhappy. If you do not receive an offer it means that is not where you are meant to be right now, and there is a better opportunity for you somewhere else.
I do not think that colleges should necessarily change their curriculum to prepare us more for the job interview process. I think if you pay attention in your data structures and algorithm classes you should probably be prepared enough. I prepare for interviews very differently than anyone I’ve ever talked to. Most people do a bunch of practice problems and read entire books on interviewing. I instead do the push ups of learning the concepts in my classes and then doing a quick review before an interview so they are fresh in my memory. I think if you know your stuff and you know your field, you should be prepared.
If I had to change the ND CSE program to better prepare students for the work force, the one thing I would add is testing. Some sort of explanation or practice testing would have prepared me a lot for the internships I had. It was one of the big components that my company looked at when it came to return offers. If I had to change the ND CSE program to better prepare students for interviews, I feel like I would maybe have one optional class, that students could take if they want to have a better understanding of the interview process. Even if it was like a 1 credit optional course that met once a week, at least having an open discussion about people’s experiences and possible problems would be very helpful.