Job Questions

[acole1]

A little bit about me:
I am a Sr. in college, studying for a BS in Information Systems, currently holding a 3.2 cumulative, and a 4.0 in my major, looking to graduate in Dec. of this year after taking a couple of summer classes and a full load this fall. Also, I have been working since June of 2005 for a mid sized manufacturing company as the primary assistant to my boss - the sole network administrator for our near 250 PC's and thin clients.

Yesterday at my school there was a job fair, and since I have been casually looking for a job to replace the low pay/low experience job that I am in now, I decided to stop by and check it out. There were over 170 companies present, and a couple of them were interested in me, even though I don't do a lot of programming.

The last booth I went to was the one for Microsoft. I almost walked by since I figured they just wanted .NET programmers. Judging by the long line full of CS and CSE students in front of me, I figured I didn't have much of a chance, but I waited it out anyways.

I waited out the line though, and talked to one of the reps who took my resume and began by asking me what my areas of expertise were, and what experience I had. I told him I do networking and general network admin tasks, and he asked me if I knew about their new video conferencing software and how much I knew about Exchange, along with some detailed technical questions about networking and MS administration tools.

I guess I my replies were satisfactory, because he eagerly asked for a sheet of paper so he could write his contact information down for me, and asked me to contact him.

My questions are... (if you are still with me )

1) Am I correctly interpreting the signs to say that he was indeed interested?
2) How much time should I leave before contacting him? He has my resume which has my contact information on it, but I wasn't sure how to take him giving me his personal contact information.

Thanks for the help!

-Aaron

Update:
I called the recruiter back a few min. ago, and he said he clearly remembers me b/c of the impression I made last Wed. He said he sent my resume to HR with a preferential tag, put in a good word with all the hiring managers, and said I should expect to get a call from them within a week, and if not, give him a call back and he will put pressure on them.

Also, he asked for my email info. again so he could send me information on Exchange tools and things so I can be best prepared for an interview. He said he really wants to see me get in to MS, and will do all he can to see that it happens.

So... I guess thats a good sign! :thumbsup:

Thanks for all the tips and info!

 

[TheNeck]

Originally posted by: acole1
A little bit about me:
I am a Sr. in college, studying for a BS in Information Systems

This is a good field to work in, I wish i would have known this 15 years ago, I would have gotten a BS in IS as well, and most likely still will, just wish I didnt start so late.

1) from what you are saying, yes he is interested, or he wouldnt of given you his contact information.
2) This is a really good, but i dont have an answer for this question, its hard to say, especially if he didnt give you a time line when to contact him. Can anybody else comment on this one for acole1.

 

[acole1]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[RichieZ]

don't they contact you?

back 2.5 years ago i did the same thing, waited in line and talked to the guy. after a bit of chattting he flipped over my resume and asked me a design problem.

if they are doing on campus interviewing it will be setup through the career services office.

 

[slpaulson]

If you get to an interview, expect to solve a problem of some sort as part of the interview.

 

[acole1]

Originally posted by: slpaulson
If you get to an interview, expect to solve a problem of some sort as part of the interview.

What types of design problems do they ask?

Are they theoretical like on IQ tests? Or are they technical - as in "if such and such problem occurs, how do you fix it?"

 

[Imdmn04]

They collect hundreds of resume every day at the career fair.

So call their asses up if they don't contact you, life is all about making initiatives.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
ife is all about making initiatives.

 

[acole1]

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
They collect hundreds of resume every day at the career fair.

So call their asses up if they don't contact you, life is all about making initiatives.

Lol... I figure there is a good chance they will forget or overlook me, so I was planning on taking the initiative and following up... but I wasn't sure about how long to wait before doing so.

I was thinking I may give the guy a call maybe mid-way through next week or a little later, if they don't get back with me before then.

Thanks!

 

[zerocool1]

Originally posted by: acole1


I guess I my replies were satisfactory, because he eagerly asked for a sheet of paper so he could write his contact information down for me, and asked me to contact him.

always a good sign

 

[sygyzy]

I think it's heartwarming that you interpreted that experience as "Microsoft wants me"

 

[Gibson486]

My friend works for MS. Expect technical questions.

Anyways, if they do more than ask you for your resume, that could be a sign that they are interested, especially if he or she holds a manager position.

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
I think it's heartwarming that you interpreted that experience as "Microsoft wants me"

when im recruiting, i try my damnedest to avoid giving my info the students ("i ran out of cards this morning").

a vendor leaving their info at a career fair , with insistence , even, is a good sign

 

[acole1]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
My friend works for MS. Expect technical questions.

Anyways, if they do more than ask you for your resume, that could be a sign that they are interested, especially if he or she holds a manager position.

I have been reading up on some of the MS standard interview questions, and after a while my brain starts to hurt...

I think I would be OK with the technical questions (although weak on programming), but my main concern is that some of the brain teasers and puzzles trip me up.

I talked with a co-worker today who is contract-to-hire, and he noted that he has found many recruiters are hard to reach late Friday and early Monday for one reason or another. He suggested I call the recruiter as soon as possible and be active in voicing my interest, then check back every few days if I don't hear any more.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: TheNeck

Originally posted by: acole1
A little bit about me:
I am a Sr. in college, studying for a BS in Information Systems

This is a good field to work in, I wish i would have known this 15 years ago, I would have gotten a BS in IS as well, and most likely still will, just wish I didnt start so late.

1) from what you are saying, yes he is interested, or he wouldnt of given you his contact information.
2) This is a really good, but i dont have an answer for this question, its hard to say, especially if he didnt give you a time line when to contact him. Can anybody else comment on this one for acole1.

i would give him a couple days to finish up his stuff and call on a tuesday. tuesdays are always good for that, and if he hand wrote the info he was serious. dont wait too long, he will forget why he gave you his info to call.

 

[RichieZ]

Originally posted by: acole1

Originally posted by: slpaulson
If you get to an interview, expect to solve a problem of some sort as part of the interview.

What types of design problems do they ask?

Are they theoretical like on IQ tests? Or are they technical - as in "if such and such problem occurs, how do you fix it?"

i got design and brain teasers (two different first round interviews at MS)

write me some code to sort an array in the most efficient manner, do not make any assumptions about the contents of the array.

i have a 3 digit number, figure out what it is in 3 questions.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: acole1

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
They collect hundreds of resume every day at the career fair.

So call their asses up if they don't contact you, life is all about making initiatives.

Lol... I figure there is a good chance they will forget or overlook me, so I was planning on taking the initiative and following up... but I wasn't sure about how long to wait before doing so.

I was thinking I may give the guy a call maybe mid-way through next week or a little later, if they don't get back with me before then.

Thanks!

maybe he wants your *** in his *****

 

[acole1]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: acole1

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
They collect hundreds of resume every day at the career fair.

So call their asses up if they don't contact you, life is all about making initiatives.

Lol... I figure there is a good chance they will forget or overlook me, so I was planning on taking the initiative and following up... but I wasn't sure about how long to wait before doing so.

I was thinking I may give the guy a call maybe mid-way through next week or a little later, if they don't get back with me before then.

Thanks!

maybe he wants your *** in his *****

Or... NOT.

Thank you for your great addition to the thread.

 

[acole1]

See OP for recent update.