Interview “Prep”
It’s always confusing to me to see the questions online like “how do I prepare for an ABAP interview?” A certification test is definitely something one should prepare for, but a job interview is supposed to be a conversation about the job and the candidate’s experience, isn’t it?
I’ve heard some people are still doing quiz type interviews and don’t see much value in this. Anyone can just look up stuff online or in ABAP Help. It’s more important to find whether a person can solve problems, be creative, and isn’t a total jerk.
In a way, your daily work is how you prepare for the next job interview. But there are a few things anyone could do to make the interviews more effective.
Your resume (CV): it’s a sales pitch, not a task list. Keep it short. No one cares about the details of an ALV report from 2012 or names of every BAdI implemented. I also find that for developers their resume is typically representative of what their code looks like.
An interview is a chance to sell yourself (yes, job search is a sale and you are a product). Many developers are not good at selling - it’s just not what we do. But you might not get another chance, so gather all your strength, folks. You might have heard about the elevator pitch. Think of one for yourself in advance and work it into the interview.
“Don’t lie” seems obvious, but you’d be surprised. The chances that you’ll be interviewed by someone who actually knows their stuff are pretty high - and getting caught is painfully embarrassing.
One issue I often see even in interviews with experienced developers is that they can’t explain why they did something. “Oh, the architect/senior just told me to do it and I did” is a common response, and it’s just sad. We can’t grow as professionals if we don’t ask “why.” Doing the same thing mindlessly is how developers get into all kinds of trouble.
Good luck in your next interview and I hope it’s not a quiz-type one! JP
