Often experienced technology professionals take it for granted that their skill sets speaks for them. Their failure to understand what is expected out of their experience in the job market affects their employment prospects. The Smart Techie spoke to five companies to get an insight into what they look for in an experienced technology professional during the interview process. Here is a slice of their answers:

Rahul Khanna, Recruitment Manager, FCG Software services
In experienced candidates, we firstly have a look at the attitude of the person, and then gauge as to whether he or she can adapt to various situations and work in other domains. While covering the traits that are personal to the candidate we do not discriminate the selection process based on his or her looks. However their body language is assessed, to determine whether the interview is taken casually or not. Nonchalant attitude can be determined by the kind of resume submitted. Resumes should be professional and reflect the experience and the diversity he or she has in the technical field.

One may be highly skilled as a techie but still fail to get selected if basic etiquette is not followed during the interview. It is important to switch off the cell phone while answering to the interviewer. That’s basic courtesy. We do not consider such candidates if they do not follow decorum, for the fear that they may continue in the same manner even while attending company discussions.

Shankar Bhaskar, Director, Metric Stream.
We have three basic criteria to judge candidates in the first round of the interview. Firstly, the number of times the candidate has changed jobs is ascertained. Secondly, a check on the kind of roles undertaken is gleaned through. Thirdly, we look into his or her managerial skills.