Computing & IT Interview Questions & Answers

What do you do when you have a deadline approaching and you still have tasks to complete?

Asked basic questions about education, and interest in applying for this position

As a new manager in charge of a small team, what will be your priorities for the first week?

Describe a situation where you had to show responsibility.

There are 3 interviews in total: a telephone interview with the recruiter (they are responsible for selecting and onboarding newcomers); 2 face-face interviews during the assessment centre one with the account manager and one with the trainer.

The telephone interview was to determine my suitability for the graduate scheme with the 2 years contract. They will ask about your capabilities to determine your suitability for that particular graduate scheme pathway, I applied for both Project Support and IT Service Management so they asked me on which path I would prefer more. I consulted with them on both and since I had some experience in coding we decided IT Service Management would be more suitable for me.

They also asked other basic questions to determine my suitability, previous work experience, why do I want to apply for FDM, why a career in IT field and so on. They also explained about the 2 years contract and what they expect from you during that time. If everything is ok, they will go on to invite you to the assessment centre and give more information on that.

At the face to face interview, I was asked to explain how I fit into the core values of FDM. This gave me pause as I blanked out on their core values for a few seconds.

They also asked what recent development in IT that interested me and that I found out more about.

Prepare for the Assessment Centre by researching about FDM and the IT field, also try some free online logic tests and math tests to brush up on your speed and logical thinking abilities.

Interact with the recruiter and the interviewers during the assessment centre without becoming obnoxious. Raise a hand if you need to ask a question, be friendly with the other candidates in the assessment centre. You will not be competing with each other as they are probably applying for different pathways as well.

The assessment centre consisted of a sharing session with the recruiter, she explained in detail about the opportunity and the training provided to new graduates. The clients that they have in their portfolio (mainly MNCs like Standard Chartered, GSK etc.) An HR person also came in to explain about the company, their benefits, support and opportunities provided to their employees.

Next were the tests, about 2.5 hours long together. It consisted of an Aptitude test, Set Notation test and a Math test.
Aptitude test (1 hr)- mainly logic questions and a couple of questions on codes (they will give a few lines of code and you will be asked to find out what the final result will be, basic C knowledge is enough for this)
Set Notation test (1hr)- A booklet with the set notation rules and theory are given for your reference. I found this the most difficult as it needs you to decipher convoluted set notations and Venn diagrams. You need to think very logically to get the correct answers.
Math Test (15min)- Mental arithmetic test where you need to answer 21 questions in 15 mins. Ensure your math multiplication tables, long division are at the top of your head as no calculators are allowed. You are given white papers to calculate on. The questions aren't difficult but the difficulty is in ensuring you are not making errors in calculations and to finish within the time limit

Finally is the Interview section, 2 interviews one with the Account Manager and one with the Trainer. The one with the account manager was more on the correct fit while the one with the trainer is more on your technical capabilities. They will ask about your career plan, how you will fit into FDM and your previous experiences and so on.

The interview took place at the company's London office, with a senior service manager and a current graduate. The questions were many based on my knowledge of the company, the role and my CV. It was especially important to have an in-depth knowledge of what the company does and competency-based examples taken from elements of your CV.

Can you give an example for your CV of when you have displayed our Company's values?

Show confidence in your interview, it will go a long way. For the assessment center, the day is well organised and nothing out of the ordinary, it's just as much about working out if you want to work for ComputaCenter as them deciding to give you a job and be your best self.

The assessment centre was over two days, an evening dinner with assessors and graduates with a hotel stay close to the HQ. The morning involved various group and individual exercises with the afternoon involving a presentation, panel interview and a test. Generally, the day was relaxed and you got the feeling that those assessing you genuinely wanted you to do the best possible, everyone was approachable and understanding. There were between 10 - 12 candidates over two days.

Everyone involved in the recruitment process was very friendly; they didn't give any prompts when asking a question though. It was clear that everyone I spoke to enjoys working for the company which was nice to see. The video interview was focused on my motivation behind applying, the telephone interview was lots of info about the scheme and the assessment day was focused on finding out more about company culture and them seeing if I was a good cultural fit and had an aptitude for technology, even though I did not come from a Techy background.

Do you think of yourself as a resilient person? Can you provide an example in which you have demonstrated resilience?

Be yourself, they seem to value honesty and personality. Being a consultancy, I know that they are not only looking for the 'hands on' skills but also a good culture/personality fit, someone that would feel comfortable working in a team.

There were 2 tests - one multiple choice maths and a technical aptitude test. I had an interview with two managers and spent some time with the Graduate Scheme team too. I was introduced to people currently in the middle of the Graduate Scheme. The day was down to earth and friendly, I learned a lot about the company.

Applied online, was contacted by a member of the team fairly quickly to arrange interview. There were 2 interviewers both very friendly, was very concise and straight to the point. Numerous questions asked from both people with regards to myself, past employment and skills I possess. Overall experience was very good.

The most difficult question was with regards to the problem solving question. Was very confusing to understand at first, but was later explained by the interviewers.

If selected to the interview stage then keep calm, stay relaxed and try not to over-work yourself. Make sure you have studied the company before hand to understand their views and values, as this is key.

The outside of the building was very nice and professional. Was easy to find as was clearly sign posted. On-site parking made the travel smoother. The assessment centre was very welcoming and helpful. Nice spacious sitting area with TV and magazines.

The phone interview took 15 minutes asking questions such as why you want to work in the IT industry; what attracts you to FDM group; and general questions to gain a quick insight into basic competencies to assess your suitability for FDM.

If you were successful you would be invited to an assessment centre which included 3 separate tests and 2 interviews. The interviews revolved around 3 specific themes: FDM and the IT industry; your degree and career history; professional and personal motivations

The 1st interview was with the account manager of Hong Kong (Held over Skype), which was used to assess my knowledge in general topics within project management as well as my competencies.

Whilst the 2nd interview was with face-to face with a UK manager. This was a very relaxed conversational approach towards the interview that felt like they genuinely wanted to get to know me on a more personal level with regards to the themes describled above

What are the most important issues the IT industry is currently facing?
What is the reason for the current oil prices for hitting its current all time low (This question was a real curveball)

To prepare for the tests, you can use google to help to find suitable resources to ensure you are well prepared.
As for the interviews, I would recommend researching their company as best as possible using a SWOT analysis to gain a general background of the company as well as opportunities and threats that can affect the IT industry.
Read up on top news stories within current affairs as a few curveballs could be thrown into the mix.
And most importantly BE POSITIVE!!

Within the assessment centre we were asked to perform 3 tests:
Numerical (30 minutes) - which included basic arithmetic maths
Basic IT aptitude test (60 minutes) - this included situational questions, logical and verbal reasoning, as well as some basic programming questions
Venn diagram test (60 minutes)
For the most part these tests aren't too difficult as long as you spend a minimum of 2-3 days preparing for them to familiarise yourself with the terminology as well as how the questions are asked, though its important to note they are a tad tricky.