Meet with a panel and know how to code and what projects you have on your resume down pat. This helps guide the conversation to your strengths, something that will help you.
The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Dealertrack by Cox Automotive (Mississauga, ON)
Interview
First of all, Dealertrack, Dealertrack Canada, Cox Automotive Canada all of them are sister companies of Cox Automotive. HR delayed my interview three times. If I didn't follow up with HR, she probably wouldn't reschedule the interview again because there was a big miscommunication between HR and the hiring managers. HR basically didn't know the interview happened or not. After a quick chat with HR, I interviewed with a hiring manager who was very rude and arrogant, trying to humiliate me. He never let me finish my answers. Although I learned that the hiring manager was wishing to bring me to the on-site (final) interview, I didn't want to continue with this company because I have self-respect and values that don't allow me to work with arrogant and rude people. So, don't waste your time and do not apply here if you have any self-respect.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What do you know about the company? Different class types in C#? What is an abstract class? What is a sealed class? What is an interface? What is the difference between Angular and React? Are you familiar with Agile methodologies? Are you familiar with Oracle solutions?
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Dealertrack by Cox Automotive (Sandy, UT) in Mar 2018
Interview
I was contacted by a recruiter. We talked about my skillset and what I had been working on and determined that dealertrack might be a good fit. They sent over a hackerrank problem that is pretty easy (it had to do with string manipulation) that you have to complete in three hours. After that, they do a phone screen for 30 minutes, and after that they bring you in for an onsite. They tell you to block out 4 hours, but if at any point you "fail" then you are sent home immediately.
I made it through the first interview which was basically an hour of trivia - what is x, y, and z type stuff related to javascript, OOP, html/css, C#, and more. After that, the 2nd manager came in and started with some more C#/OOP questions then had me code a problem on the whiteboard that was pretty easy - (I didn't use LINQ but I'm sure I could've gotten bonus points if I did).
After that, he went into a database design question where he started me with two tables and said I can modify and control the DB any way that I'd like, and then started asking a series of SQL questions. If the query he asked for couldn't be answered, then you were supposed to alter the DB so it was designed well for the query. This is the part I failed at, and I don't think it was a particularly hard DB problem- I just don't have any experience with DB design.
When I tried my best, the manager told me my design was bad. I told him that I don't have any experience in DB design (and my resume also didn't indicate that I did).
After I told him that I don't have DB design experience, he abruptly ended the interview and then somebody else came and told me that that was all they had wanted to see for the day.
It left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth just because I felt like they hadn't warned me or asked if I had a skill, and it's one that I don't have on my resume, and then they tested me on it, then told me I wasn't what they were looking for. I felt like they wasted a lot of my time since I could have told them up front that if they were looking for that then I wouldn't have been a good fit.
Every company wants to get good developers. Some care more about the high-level problem-solving ability, others focus more on previous experience and a defined skillset. This company felt like it focused on the latter (which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Various knowledge based questions - what are the HTTP verbs, what does this css property do? etc.