Ask HN: Interviewer/advising tips for undergraduate interviewees?

3 points·araneae··2 comments

I'm going to be interviewing undergraduates soon for a position which involves writing a mobile phone application. These students are primarily first and second year students, so I don't expect them to have much experience under their belts. What kind of things should I be looking for/asking about?

Also, how should I go about advising such a student? Meetings would be weekly or bi-weekly.

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Coming from a student's perspective here.

I would advise doing your best to help the student learn. That is why they are applying for your position. Because they want a great experience that they can put on their resume and also so they can learn a new skill. Show them how the things you are working with them on can be used not only in your application, but in applications in general. At the same time however, give the student time to learn on their own. Give them the resources they need to solve a problem and then let them go for it. When they need help, show them how to find help or help them yourself.

Try and look for passion. Just ask questions that will get them talking about what they're interested in. Don't discount people with little or no experience. Just because they haven't done something yet doesn't mean they're not the best for the job.

Meet with them regularly and give them a lot of space to get the work done. Meet with them regularly to make sure they're on track. If possible, give them a resource that they can talk to if they get stuck on anything.

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