Behavioral Interview Prep Blackstone
Describe a time when you struggled to build a relationship with someone important. How did you eventually overcome that/
harrison dad
We all make mistakes we wish we could take back. Tell me about a time you wish you'd handled a situation differently with a colleague
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What are your strengths?
(1) Thinking independently & problem solving Situation: code rev kids = young startup when I worked there. no uniformity in computer setup and admin. classes frequently delayed b/c not all computers had correct software installed Action: after class one day I proposed a solution to my boss: wipe and reinstall all software on all computers, have uniform admin setup wiped & setup over 100 computers produced detailed documentation Result: classes no longer delayed, employer was thrilled with how well organized the systems were. provided framework for setting up future computers (2) dealing with difficult/uncomfortable situations: Situation: lived with Australian roomates for a few months, we were great friends. security deposit inspection before I left they said I was responsible for broken tv. charged me well over the value for a new one Action: - Looked online, showed them comparable new model is cheaper than the 7 year old TV that broke - even though I didn't break tv, I agreed I was accountable for replacing it (it was in my room)
Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle interactions with that person?
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Tell me about yourself
4th year CS coding experience: - professional - personal projects - academic hobbies: tennis & golf
What do you know about this position/company? Why do you want to work for us?
Blackstone: Largest alternative asset management firm: real estate, private equity, hedge fund, credit & insurance Tech & Innovations: create apps for clients + colleagues to drive productivity and create better investment decisions develop internal apps on micro service architecture and deploy with containers Why work for us? Tech is not an afterthought like @ many financial firms - cool how the tech & innovations business advises the firm on tech investments innovative & entrepreneurial environment - enjoyed working in such an environment at w3link, codeREV. enjoy solving problems my development experience is aligned with the tech stack at BXTI - .NET Core, docker
Tell me about another project you've worked on
Bnie Inc. Situation: - never worked with C# or .NET before - no exposure to MVC design pattern - no exposure to databases - hundreds of thousands of lines of unfamiliar code. lots to learn! Action: - overcame steep learning curve - setup and managed GIT repositories - upgraded bootstrap3 to bootstrap4 - redesigned document vacuum.com homepage - helped reduce project size by 90% - .NET Portability Analyzer - lots of conflicts/issues, so we created fresh project and migrated classes one-by-one - also other .NET projects it interacted with --> complex system - fixed reset password bnieinsurance - fixed logout issue - wouldn't log out when you clicked logout, would still show name in navbar - implemented custom function with signinmanger and changed application cookie to use custom function Result: - had a much better understanding of .NET --> went from no knowledge whatsoever to being able to fix logout, etc. - better understanding of GIT - some of the services the apps use are still in .NET but I helped migrated the main websites over to .NET Core
Give me an example of a time when you worked well on a team.
Django
How would you motivate a co-worker who has been performing poorly on a team project?
I actually experienced this a few weeks ago for a group project, so I'll describe how I handled the situation. Situation: Teammate was an econ major in an advanced CS class He had no experience with any of the tools we were using and far less coding experience than me Action: - He messaged explaining he was having trouble with the first assignment. I messaged him back saying that I am happy to help and was once a noob myself. I think he really appreciated that. - I helped him debug his errors and after an hour or so we got his program to work. Showed him he could do it and gave him confidence for working the rest of the project Result: - Last week he completed an entire sprint on his own (testing requirements) and did not need any help - Another member in our group dropped the class but he still stayed --> motivated to finish strongly
Why should we hire you?
I have a strong technical background and experience with the technologies in use at BXTI I have an interest in and basic understanding of finance I am a team player and can work with people of various backgrounds and personalities
Where do you see yourself in five/ten years?
I see myself being in a more managerial technology role. I enjoy working with people and business, so I can see myself being there down the road
How would your boss/friends/co-workers, etc. describe you?
Independent thinker - I like to think for myself and bring my unique perspective to everything I do ex: w3link --> designed his system from the design mockup to the .NET Core web app to the hosting solution with Docker and Azure Proactive ex: putting the dishes in the dishwasher right after I use them vs waiting for them to accumulate ex2: code rev kids. I recognized a problem in his business and presented a solution to my employer without him asking.
Why/how did you choose UVA? Why/how did you choose your major?
Mom studied here, been coming to UVA since young Knew since summer video game camp that I wanted to study CS
Describe your ideal supervisor
Results oriented
What are your long term and short term goals?
Short term: Finish slippery noodles by graduation, buy a few shares in a new company, finish my book Long term: launch my own successful company or product. my thinking is I will have enough work/industry experience to be able to do this at some point
Tell me about a time when you took responsibility for a failure.
Situation: - Failed my first probability exam while in 3 summer classes + part time job. - Courses condensed so very busy schedule Action: - Handle stress w/ meditation + exercise - Attended office hours, did textbook problems & all available practice problems Result: - Got an A on the next midterm and finished strongly in the course
Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a commitment you had made.
Situation: - Had to estimate work hours each milestone for my work on w3link - Didn't finish work for one milestone within my estimated hours Action: - Messaged client several days in advance, let him know the issue - Asked if he wanted continue working beyond estimated hours or stop and call him - Reduced his website's hosting costs by 60% Result: - Client was thrilled I reached out before continuing - Understood dev hours are hard to estimate - We had established trust over time, so he wasn't worried about exaggerating hours --> said to be as accurate estimating as possible
Tell me about a time you did something you regret.
Situation: - Jumped off 50 foot cliff while hiking in Hong Kong - Someone jumped right after me and was very close to hitting me Action: - Stayed calm, wanted to understand if it was an accident or if he tried to hit me - He laughed and thought it was funny. I was so angry but calmly told him that he could've killed me and it wasn't funny. - I went back to my group and we left to another area Result: - Close call, but I learned first-hand how dangerous cliff diving is - Successfully avoided escalating the situation despite being furious at the guy who almost hit me
Tell me about your biggest failure in your career.
Situation: - Worked several months one summer on .NET core app for client - Game him code base before leaving and he suddenly stopped responding when he owed me thousands of $ and I was away in Hong Kong Action: - Emailed him several times, left a few messages over several weeks - Stopped giving code base to future clients, retain some control & ownership over project - Built trust with future clients by getting paid in shorter intervals and publishing edits promptly Result: - He didn't respond or pay me so I ended up closing the website - This past summer I worked for greek client and he had no issues with shorter payment milestones. It allowed us to build trust and he is now referring me to his father for dev work.
Tell me about your greatest weakness.
Situation: - I'm a perfectionist - Pushes me to do best work, but also makes it difficult to relax and enjoy my hobbies, notably tennis & slippery noodles Action: - Recognize when I'm being perfectionist, especially when the activity should be for enjoyment Miss a shot in tennis and get mad at myself. Realize I'm just playing with friends and don't need to be perfect. I'm playing tennis just to relax. - Take breaks --> pomodoro app - Self-appreciation journal Result: - improved self talk around perfectionism --> don't feel as much of a need to be perfect
Tell me about an unpopular decision you made. How did you make the decision? In retrospect, how do you think you handled it.
Situation: - Rushed to join a frat during first year - Invited to final round where they give you a bid, but I decided not to attend Action: - I carefully considered the plusses and minuses of both outcomes - I spoke with family and close friends and asked what they thought I should do - I decided that there were more minuses than plusses, and joining a frat was not for me, so I did not join. Result: - I learned more about myself, that I value independence over conformity - I think I handled it well, it was a calculated decision and I weighted the plusses and minuses of both outcomes
Tell me about a time when you learned from a mistake.
Situation: Bought a few shares of SIX, didn't have a selling point and didn't follow the stock once I bought it, ended up losing 60% of value. Action: - Check on stocks I buy at least once a week - Buy stocks I'm more interested in (easier to read up on) --> INTC - Decide on an upper and lower bound for selling the stock before buying it Result: - Improved system for buying and selling shares in my free time. I still have much to learn, but I'm slowly getting better
Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours
Situation: Probability project, one guy left so just me and another guy. Action: Result:
What are your plans after graduation?
Travel a bit and finish slippery noodles start working a few months after graduation
Tell me about a project you've worked on
W3link Situation: past summer... - client in greece starting a renewable energy company - had other services, told me needed static website ASAP - needed flexible solution that could handle changes on the fly, be completely customizable and scalable if his company started getting more traffic - he mentioned node.js, and even though I was happy to implement in whatever techstack he preferred, told him about my experience in .NET core and how it has better performance than node.js --> better scalability also great security, multiplatform, etc. Action: - designed a mockup of the site in photoshop, he sent me back his feedback and I incorporated it into a new .net core project. - phone call every week, whatsapp for other communication --> preferred app in europe + client FIRST - found estimating hours difficult, one time got it wrong. Before exceeding my estimation, I explained to him situation and asked what he wanted me to do --> continue - CLIENT FIRST: meeting hours in his time, changes finished ASAP even though had 3 classes because he had pitches to investors, building relationship by learning about him (rock climber, asked how his business was going), made sure he was happy - worked with client to help promote my web design service. asked him first before putting link to my website at bottom, made it discreet and he was fine with it - SAVED MONEY - windows app service on Azure --> linux container service. saved 60% RESULT: - he said he is going to refer me to his dad when he needs website --> successful entrepreneur with lots of future projects - website hosted on w3link.eu looks great