Blog: Interview with Applied Signal
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Interview with Applied Signal - Saturday, December 1, 2007
This past Thursday I had a job interview for a Software Engineer position with Applied Signal Technology, a signals processing company headquartered in Sunnyvale. I flew up Wednesday night, got a rental car, and stayed overnight in a hotel, all paid for by the company.
Three engineers met with me successively during the interview and asked me a mix of questions ranging from database design to algorithms to the product design process. I then met with a senior technical recruiter to wrap things up.
All in all, I felt pretty confident during the interview; in fact, I had so much fun meeting and talking with people that it began to seem more like a friendly conversation than a daunting test of my knowledge. Apparently they liked me just as much, because three hours after the interview was over, the company called me and offered me the job.
The scariest part of the whole trip, however, was not the interview process but driving the rental car. I was given a sweet 2006 Chevrolet Impala LT, which has more engine power and electronic controls than any car I've yet to drive. Which is not saying much, considering that I drive mostly a 1996 Toyota Previa or a 1992 Mazda 626. Wednesday night, still getting used to the feel of the rental car as I drove through the airport and onto the freeway toward the hotel, I constantly felt like I was going to crash into something. Man, those 20 minutes were some of the scariest I've ever had. Any anxiety concerning the interview didn't even come close. ;)
Anyway, I'm still weighing my options, so I don't know if I will accept the offer. But if I do end up moving up north, one thing is for certain. It's going to be cold!
Three engineers met with me successively during the interview and asked me a mix of questions ranging from database design to algorithms to the product design process. I then met with a senior technical recruiter to wrap things up.
All in all, I felt pretty confident during the interview; in fact, I had so much fun meeting and talking with people that it began to seem more like a friendly conversation than a daunting test of my knowledge. Apparently they liked me just as much, because three hours after the interview was over, the company called me and offered me the job.
The scariest part of the whole trip, however, was not the interview process but driving the rental car. I was given a sweet 2006 Chevrolet Impala LT, which has more engine power and electronic controls than any car I've yet to drive. Which is not saying much, considering that I drive mostly a 1996 Toyota Previa or a 1992 Mazda 626. Wednesday night, still getting used to the feel of the rental car as I drove through the airport and onto the freeway toward the hotel, I constantly felt like I was going to crash into something. Man, those 20 minutes were some of the scariest I've ever had. Any anxiety concerning the interview didn't even come close. ;)
Anyway, I'm still weighing my options, so I don't know if I will accept the offer. But if I do end up moving up north, one thing is for certain. It's going to be cold!