Upcoming campus events
- September 16, 2008 - UVic Career Fair
- September 23, 2008 - SFU Surrey Campus Career Fair
- September 24 & 25, 2008 - SFU Burnaby Campus Career Fair
- September 24, 2008 - Waterloo (RIM) Career Fair
- September 29, 2008 - SFU Info Session
- October 1 & 2, 2008 - UBC Career Fair
- October 7, 2008 - UBC Info Session
- October 16, 2008 - Waterloo Info Session
The recruiting process: finding talent is key
Your first interview will often be via telephone. If you meet the basic requirements for a position, you will be invited to a face-to-face interview. The number of interviews varies depending on the position you are applying for. Expect to meet anywhere from one to five people during the interview process.
For most new grad positions in development, there are usually four steps involved in the recruiting process:
1. Technical Evaluation
This a written assessment tool to identify your strengths and determine whether there is a mutual fit between your skill set and our current needs. You will be asked questions covering various topics that will be appropriate to your major. For example, computer science graduates will cover Operating Systems and Data Structures. While MIS graduates will cover Information Systems and Relational Databases.
2. HR Interview
This is an opportunity for us to get to know you better and for you to find out if Business Objects is the right place for you. You usually meet with a recruiter who will ask you questions like: What are some of your long-term career goals? What interests you about Business Objects? What are some of the exciting projects that you have worked on? We will also ask you some behavioral based interview questions, so come prepared with some examples that you can share, and with questions of your own to help determine if Business Objects is the right company for you.
3. Technical Interview
The challenging and interactive problem solving questions you will be asked at this step allow you to really understand our technology.
We are more interested in finding out what you can do, not what you have done; your abilities and potential, not what you know or remember. If you are not familiar with a certain technology or topic, it's better to be truthful about it upfront.
Most of the time the focus is not on the right answer, but how you get to the right answer. Ask lots of questions to help you tackle the problem and verbalize your thinking process.
4. Manager Interview
This is usually the last step in the recruiting process, and more like a short meeting with the Senior Manager from the team that you are interviewing for.
The key in this meeting is to confirm that what you have to offer is in line with the team's long-term goals. This is the time to make sure that we answer any questions you might still have before deciding to join our winning team.
Interview preparation:
- Make sure you know which office location you are supposed to go to.
- Check out the rest of our Web site for a history of the company, who our leaders are, our vision, and our product portfolio.
- If you know people that work at Business Objects, be sure to ask them what it's like to work here.
- Check out our competitors' Web sites in business intelligence and enterprise reporting.
- Think about the kinds of questions you may be asked and prepare your answers.
- Come prepared with your own questions about the company, the role, and anything else you wish to find out.
- Review your resume and be ready to talk about your experience and how it fits in with Business Objects.
- Most of all, be yourself and relax. We wish you the best of luck!
