   Interview Preparedness
  I have an interview tomorrow morning for a software development company. I'm applying for the entry level Software Engineer position. One of the developers there is an alumni from my college and that is I even knew the compnay was hiring.I was wondering what everyone elses thoughts were about what I should bring or other things to be prepared for the interview. The languages they use are way more than I know and I doubt I could learn all of them by tomorrow. If they ask me to write code in C# without reference then I'd probably do poorly, but C++ would be fine.Should I bring a CD of source/program I made or would that be a waste?Should I bring a page of sample code I wrote or is that not necessary? If I should then what type of code should I bring (since most of my programs are over 1000 lines and one page wouldn't cover more than 1 function).This is my first interview for a software company, so I don't really know what to expect. I don't think they are going to throw any C at me because they don't use it.   
  Have they told you whether it's a "personal" or "technical" interview? Most of the jobs I've interviewed for over the last few years split the two... the former is to see if you'll be a good employee and fit into their culture, the latter to see if you'll be any good at the job.Chances are that they'll keep the source code to a minimum. Waste of your time and theirs to see you type/write out pages and pages of code. They'll look at the more abstract level ("explain how removing objects from a tree works") and test your logic/problem solving skills.If you have no knowledge of what they're going to be focussed on (have you checked their products and so on?) then you probably want to go in with a willingness to learn. Explain your skills and so on, but if you don't know something then tell them that - and point out that you're happy to grab a book or use google to go find the answer. Several employers I've spoken to have said they know most candidates won't know all the skills, but the good candidates stress their resourcefulness in going out and finding those skills.hthJack   ;  Some advice to cool your mind...What you understand about programming is far more important than the syntax of the language itself... so as long as you 'really' know how to code, they will look past the language issue.  You're logic understanding / approach is the most valuable asset.CD of source / programs a waste? Not at all, quite the opposite.  At worst they won't want to see them, at best they will.If you bring the source, put it in a nice binder or folder... don't bring the sheet "free".  Also bring a copy of your resume (or 2 or 3) inside it as well, so it 1) doesn't feel too empty, and 2) so you can look at it when they go over the copy you have.  With that in mind, bring 2 copies of the source as well... so you don't huddle over 1 sheet with him/her.   ;  Varies a lot. When I went to an interview for the job I have now, they only asked about my personality... How I'd react in various situations, how I work in a team, alone, stuff like that.They had my resume, listing what I knew, and basically the only comment I got regarding programming was "Well, your CV looks good enough, but honestly, we're not too worried about that. You can learn. It's more important you're a person we can work with, and who'll fit in"But obviously, some companies will be a lot more focused on the programming part, and sometimes, they test your skills too. So, hard to answer your question. It varies a lot. I'd say try to prepare as good as you can.As you said, you can't learn all the languages they learn by tomorrow. So focus on what you can do. Read a quick tutorial on C#, just so you know the features it offers that C++ doesn't have. Think about what to answer for all the typical questions, and that's it, I guess. Look through your resume, to make sure you can remember what you put on it, and you can tell them a bit about each part (There'll probably be one or two points on it they want you to tell them about)Oh, and make sure you're mentally ready for it. Get a good night's sleep, a proper breakfast, and basically, do what you can to ensure you're in a good mood with lots of energy to take whatever they throw at you.   ;  Definitely bring source code (not on paper) and demos if you can. If you bring it and they want to see it, that will be a plus in your favor. They may not want to see it, but it wouldn't hurt to bring it anyway.They will probably ask you questions about programming and about the subjects you studied in school. They may give you a programming test. Since you are entry level, they won't expect you to be an expert, but they will expect you to have some competence. That's where the demo and source code will help. They may ask question about the areas that are important to what they develop. They may want to see that you can learn new things, work well in a team environment, and have some level of maturity. If you are interviewing at a game company, they may want to know what you know about playing video games, too.   ;  A month back I had an interview which landed me my first proper development job (I won't be starting til June though) but my personal recommendation would be to bring on CD (make sure it is going to work on other machines, you don't want to turn up, show them your stuff and have it not work) a couple of projects if you have done them (I brought a programming project + web based project) and possibly also the source on it.A few places may like to see work you have done, but the interview might be held in a conference room or somewhere with no machine available for your CD so I would bring a short sample of your work (2-5 pages maybe?) you could show. Pick out some good parts from your projects, probably showing use of things like stacks or linked lists or any advanced programming concepts. It might also help if you have at least some kind of consistent style and have at least some comments etc added.Bringing a couple of copies might be useful depending on the situation. In my case the interview was with 3 people, each with different roles (the project leader, general IT guy for the company and then one of the managers who worked higher up in the company [but not really into IT at all]) asking different sorts of questions, and you don't want them having to crowd around a single sheet. The extra copies are also useful if, as in my case, they ask if they can keep it (to have a look at later) and don't all have to share one.Hope that helped somewhat and good luck with it :)   