Subashri Vasudevan et al. - Cracking the C++ Programming Skills: IT Job Interview Series

Are you tired of getting IT interviews but not offers? Are you confused between preparing for the different competitive exams? Are you dazed of the competition seen in the computer market? Are you feeling fuzzy about the future in the programming world? Are you desperate for a better software job, but cant figure out what that is or how to get there? If you are under the awe of even any one of the above questions then you have perhaps taken the right decision -- of buying this book and preparing for the technical interview! I suggest that you consume the contents from the first chapter to the end, sequentially, and not attempt to skip any section or chapter unless you are confident o f t he topic that you would want to skip. This is because, this book has been specifically designed to orient you for the technical interview vis--vis the C++ programming language. This book has been prepared with a definite purpose. Please stay with the preface and read it to the end to understand why .

After reading the preface you will most likely revise your prep strategy.

You should take heart if you see the plethora of job openings, and which is growing , in the IT and ITeS space. The scenario looks like this: NASSCOM, the premier trade body for the IT-BPM sector in India has given a press release that the Indian IT-BPM sector continues to be one of the largest employers in the country directly employing nearly 3.5 million professionals, adding over 2,30,000 employees. They have also predicted that the future looks promising as the IT-BPM industry is gearing itself well to next phase of challenges. Digitization, disruptive technologies and innovation will fuel growth with new opportunities in the years ahead. As a potential job hunter, your chances of success increases manifold if you understand what your recruiters are looking at. As a potential job hunter, your chances of success increases manifold if you understand what your recruiters are looking at.

According to a new career builder survey, overwhelming majority of IT companies say soft skills such as a positive attitude are just as important as hard skills. Positivity comes from within when you are confident on your subjects. The top 10 traits employers seek out in candidates include hardworking, dependable, positive, self-motivated, team-oriented, organized, works well under pressure, effective communication, flexible and confident. If all of these can boil down into one thing, then it is subject matter expertise which will help you attain rest of all the things.

Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs within an organization. From the organization perspective, this includes job analysis, sourcing, screening and finally selection.

Though every company differs in its own way of selecting the candidates, every company strives towards getting th e right person for the right job. In a technical interview, applicants are likely to be asked questions that: relate to specific skill set that is needed for the companys technical activities; relate to the basics on the subject matter to resolve complex problems; for rookies, it will be related to the projects completed as part of a degree course; and require candidates to solve actual technical problems that they would be likely to face if employed. One of the articles by Forbes, an American business magazine, talks about four super-common interview questions post-technical interview session which includes tell me about yourself, what is your greatest strengths, why should we hire you and do you have any questions for us. Though these are very common questions, giving unexpected and most relevant answers will make the interviewer sit up faster and listen to you.

Now that you know your dream job is beckoning you (your opportunity ) that you need to outpace only X competitors (your threats ), what the recruiters would be looking at while interviewing, make sure you list down your areas of strength , and more importantly weakness . While you would have little control over the opportunities and threats, you can fully devote yourself to take your strengths to newer heights and work on your weaknesses to prevail upon them.

Use the SWOT grid given below for planning your prep .

It has been seen that X% of all the technical interviews have the C++ programming language at heart. C++ Programming can be used to do tasks such as networking related, OS related, embedded systems related, etc. It is used for developing computer applications, embedded software network drivers, data bases, simulators, etc. M oreover, it is believed that if you are strong in a programming language like C++, you can be easily trained on multiple different languages that are derived based on object orientation. Knowledge of specific technologies along with experience and knowledge of methodologies is more important.

Continuously practicing C++ objective type questions will help you attain that state.

As I have mentioned in the preface, this book has been specifically designed to help you undertake a meticulous and objective prep . The contents have been carefully handpicked from our experience and expertise developed by being either direct witness to the recruitment process, mentoring students in our colleges, myriad discussion with our peers who are placement organizers in colleges, hours of studying discussions on the topics in social media, blogs and dedicated websites, so that the book is highly focused to the interview prep for the C++ language and almost nothing else. We have come to the conclusion that for effective prep everything boils down to multiple choice questions around coding problems along with frequently asked technical, conceptual questions . Anyone wishing to sharpen his skills on C++ programming language or preparing for aptitude tests, competitive examinations should thorough this book which will help them get the goals. We have combined our technical expertise to develop multiple choice questions that help you strengthen your weaknesses.