Have you ever thought about how your life is going to be after graduation? Whilst at university, have you ever felt nervous about the future or felt anticipation about getting a job after graduation? I have. By telling you my journey to a post-graduate job, maybe I can give you some tips and ease your worries a little.
Who Am I?
Before I dig into my story, let me introduce myself. My name is Mew. I am a Computer Engineer graduate from King’s Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi in June 2020, and I’m currently a Graduate Software Developer with Thoughtworks in Thailand.
How did I land my first job?
I have to admit that I didn't know about Thoughtworks before my friend worked there. He always had great things to say and that day, he sent me a link to a Graduate position that had become available. I did some research on Thoughtworks and found that they invented the Agile methodology that many organizations use today! I looked deeper into their blogs, reviews on “Life at Thoughtworks” and information about Thoughtworks University (TWU). I also looked at the Tech Radar where they set out changes in software development that we should pay attention to and consider using in projects. At that time, I thought this company really has something special! They really invest in people’s development! I went ahead and applied for the Graduate Developer position.
Interview journey — tough but enjoyable
Covid-19 hit hard in March 2020 but life had to go on! I had my first virtual interview with Thoughtworks. Despite the circumstances being a little strange, Thoughtworks was well prepared to conduct the interview over Zoom and everything went smoothly.
I had three rounds of interviews:
Pair Programming
Technical and Presentation
Cultural
The first interview round was pair programming, in which I had to do TDD to implement a new feature and refactor code to my existing application — a problem that luckily I had already done before. For this round, I would say if you don’t know something then tell the interviewer right away. It’s okay if you don’t know, but being well prepared is better.
In the second round, I was on Zoom with two interviewers. We talked mainly about problem solving, including domain modeling/system architecture, as well as a deeper technical discussion based on my experiences like which model you are using or why you are using these tools for development. I know it sounds serious, but actually it was quite relaxing. All you need to do is talk about your experiences: what you did and how you solved the problem.
The last round focused more on who you are as a person, peer and your potential to be a Thoughtworker. Thoughtworks really wants to get to know you. The questions were related to culture and consulting skills — your potential, your personality and collaboration. There were also questions related to diversity, conflict solving skill and social impact. For example, I was asked to think of what I want to do for society based on technology.
The Thoughtworkers that interviewed me made me feel at ease even though I was being interviewed. They really wanted to get to know me. There was no right or wrong! The interview process at Thoughtworks was really impressive.
I’m happy that I passed the interview and can now pass along some tips to help you prepare for your interview.
First, evaluate the skills noted in the job description and brush up on ones that aren’t as familiar for you. e.g. TDD, Object-Oriented design. You can practice beforehand and gain confidence with it.
Second, be prepared for an interview in English.
Third, think of what questions you’d like to ask. This is a good opportunity to learn more about Thoughtworks.
Lastly, don’t stress too much when doing an interview. Just be yourself! If you don’t know the answer, or need some time to think you can tell the interviewer.
First days and weeks at Thoughtworks
Welcome to Thoughtworks!
We already knew that due to COVID-19 we couldn’t be onboarded in the office. And I was really sad about it. We had to pivot to Zoom. In the first week, which was orientation week, I was on boarded with Thoughtworkers from Singapore. The orientation was about Thoughtworks’ ways of working and things you should know, like benefits and how the business works.
Following this, I next got ready to be part of the virtual class for Thoughtworks University (TWU) batch 72. Prior to 2020, TWU was an in-person, seven-week, in-depth training in either India or China for all new graduate and career changer joiners to Thoughtworks. While I was sad that I had to miss the in-person component of this experience, I knew that the virtual connections and learnings I was going to have would still be valuable to my development.
In my next blog I will cover my TWU journey in six phases: Beginning, Get to know, Working, Taking lessons, Challenging and Ending. Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.
