SURVIVING A SQL TECHNICAL

INTERVIEW
Reed Powell
Pittsburgh SQL Saturday 2014
REMEMBER
The interview is a discussion, so show what you know,
minimize what you dont
Its an essay question, not a T/F or A/B/C/D
Try to answer the questions but dont overreach
Always come prepared with some idea of what the
companys business is about
More difficult is knowing just what they are looking
for in a person/position Job descriptions are just a
guide you need to figure out what they really
want/need
HAVE AN ELEVATOR PITCH
Be able to summarize yourself in 5 minutes
Dont parrot back your resume I already read it
before the interview
Dont use your resume as notes Its your life, you
should be able to remember it
Concentrate on your major accomplishments and
areas of expertise; What work are you most proud of?
Tie into key points interviewer may have made
during his overview of company & position

TYPICAL AGENDA
Interviewer does 5 min background on company and the
position being filled (might be done on phone)
You do your Elevator Pitch
Fun & Games: Youre On The Witness Stand
My questions will be geared to what I need & what you have
said you can do
Where do you go for help?
What do you want to do?
Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
Wrap-up
THE TRAP
SQL Server Myths, Misconceptions & Out of Date
The interviewer isnt a smart as he thinks he is
You know the right answer, but hell think its the
wrong answer
You dont want to make him look bad
You dont want him to think you dont know the right
answer
You need to educate him
Lead with the appropriate concept (A common myth is )
You dont need to say Youre Wrong in order to have him
understand that hes wrong

WHAT PART OF SQL SERVER = YOU ?
ETL (SSIS)
Reporting (SSRS)
Analytics (SSAS)
Data Warehouse (SSIS + SSAS)
Administration (Classical DBA position)
Design & Architecture
Query & SP Writing
Everyone Should Be Able to Design & Debug Queries
REFERENCES
SQL Server Internals:
SQLSkills.com blogs, Paul Randals weekly email, white papers
PluralSight.com new home for SQLskills training videos
Microsofts MCM Readiness Training Old home for SQL Skills
videos
Daily Email Newsletters:
SQLServerCentral.com daily emails
SearchSQLServer.com daily emails
SQLMag.com SQL Server Pro
OnLine Training (Videos, etc)
PluralSight.com training subscription (see me if interested)
YouTube.com
Google/Bing be careful of information quality, esp on topics
involving myths & misconceptions
BOL (hint use Google/Bing to do the searching)
NOTES FROM 10/4/14 PRESENTATION
Additional resources mentioned during discussion:
BIDN.com
Sourceforge
Stackoverflow
Codeplex esp for SSIS tools submitted by Microsoft (ezapi,
etc)