So you are fascinated by .NET, and you want the perfect .NET job. You assume your killer resume will do the job. Wrong! The job interview is the key to get recruited. Read on and you just might ace the big .NET interview.

After the Résumé
Recruiters generally feel that if a posting is announced, hundreds of resumes are received however through screening only those candidates whose technical and soft skills match are recruited. This is essential because ultimately everyone has to work as a team. “We take in candidates coming from mid-tier institutes or companies provided they have a passion to learn,” voices Jerry Rajamoney, Senior Manager–Development, Ness Technologies India. Interviews basically consist of technical rounds, an interaction with the project manager and finally the HR one-on-one.

When interviewing entry-level candidates Rajamoney asks them questions pertaining to “‘why’ and ‘when’ should you use ‘what’?” The choices they make reveal their capability. Take the question: “While getting data from Database or Web service, which would you rather choose—DataSet or DataReader?” It has no right answer; rather a candidate’s reasoning as to why he would choose a particular application over the other could turn the scale in his favor. Questions such as this and other logical teasers are asked so that the candidate can clearly know his or her shortcomings. Upon rejection they can improve upon their knowledge or application lacuna for future interviews.

Entry level candidates are generally questioned about functional level projects – the areas where they worked and most importantly their unique contribution. On the other hand interviews for a professional with two years experience who has done five to six multiple projects generally don’t last more than 45 minutes. The latest projects of the candidate is discussed in detail especially the last five or six projects. Rajamoney reveals that, “The two most important questions to glean more about the candidate are ‘How’ and ‘Why’ he has done the project?” Generally the candidates are not aware of what the interviewer particularly wants and the interviewer takes his time enquiring what the candidates know so that he can assess how much they lag behind. A leeway is usually given to those with a year’s experience and they should be at least expected to know why certain aspects of the projects they were involved in were implemented.

A person with five years of experience is required to know the basics thoroughly. Professionals with such experience are required to have learnt many essentials on their own. They can’t excuse themselves by stating that their project’s ambit did not cover the happening (the ones which bring forth ready employment) languages in the software industry. “The Internet certainly helps here,” says Rajamoney. “This is one industry where the Joneses have to keep running always to keep up with trends.”