Motorcycle Forum / Country Specific / UK Group / August 2007

There are some online C++ tests that are used by other companies as well, but
they're not free. The one I've mostly come across is Brainbench.

C++ is not my thing but bashing this
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=c%2B%2B+interview+questions&meta=
into your browser reveals a whole host of "Interview Questions" - take your
pick.

Wor Tony

"So, what makes you think you're worth £5.35 an hour?"

Don't do what I did.

"So, how did you get here?"

"Well, I took the motorway for most of the journey, and then ..."

"No, Mr B, I mean career-wise ..."

"Ah."

Not a good start.

I've C&P some interview guidelines (from the employer's perspective)
in case it's any use. Formatting's shite, but I'm sure you'll work it
out if you want to.

Listening ability
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Listens attentively to other person
"    Tries to see comments made by other person from their point of
view
"    Repeats the arguments presented by the other person to prevent
misunderstandings
"    Avoids evaluating what he/she has heard at too early a stage
"    How do you ensure you understand the other person correctly?
"    Can you please give me an example of a misunderstanding which
had major repercussions.
"    How often does a colleague at work or a friend ask you for
advice? Why do you think they do this? What do you do in such
situations?
Verbal expression
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Presents facts in a well-structured and comprehensible manner
"    Is well-spoken, speaks fluently and distinctly
"    Argues precisely and objectively
"    Speaks in a structured and understandable manner
"    Please describe a concrete example of an oral presentation you
have made (situation, approach, outcome).
"    What was the main research aim of your thesis and what results
did you obtain? Please try and tell me about the essential findings.
Written expression
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Expresses themselves clearly and intelligibly in writing
"    Structures content well and creates order
"    Writes briefly yet succinctly
"    Arouses reader's interest, makes content more stimulating
"    Which texts have been the most challenging you have written?
What outcomes were you able to achieve with them?

Utilisation of specialist information
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Expresses themselves clearly and understandably in writing
"    Has previous experience in utilising specialist information in
written and oral form
"    Addresses the audience / target group and takes their existing
knowledge into account
"    Structures information meaningfully
"    Delivers information with conviction
"    Conveys the information clearly and in a well-balanced manner
"    Systematically works through benefits of product and presents
them
"    Provides others with a sound information base for
decision-making        "    How do you ensure that you fully
understand the person you are     talking to?
"    Can you please give me an example of a misunderstanding which
had major repercussions.
"    How often does a colleague at work or a friend ask you for
advice? Why do you think they do this? What do you do in such
situations?
Ability to work in a team
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Is totally accepted by all colleagues
"    Works for the group to achieve common goals
"    Is able to relate well to each indi-vidual member of the group
"    Is also well-informed about goals being pursued by others
outside their own sphere of responsibility
"    Utilises colleagues' experience
"    Is happy to share own experience with others
"    Doesn't big-note him-/herself at the expense of others
"    Is a valued expert within the team and is often asked for
advice        "    How would you describe your relationship with
your current colleagues?
"    Using examples, can you please describe to me how you work
together with others in a team.
"    What teams have you worked especially successfully in? And in
which ones less successfully? What were the reasons?
"    In which situations have you found it difficult to work
together with      others?

Job motivation
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Enjoys the work
"    Completes the work quickly and thoroughly
"    Works hard to achieve goals
"    Sees their work as a challenge
"    Takes an interest in their work outside working hours
"    Pursues success in their work        "    What interests
you most about this job?
"    Why do you want to change jobs now in particular?
"    Why have you chosen this profession?
"    Can you please tell me about a work situation in which you
were especially motivated. What were the reasons? What outcomes did
you achieve?
Will to succeed
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Sets high performance targets for themselves and others
"    Puts great effort into achieving goals
"    Is also prepared to do more than required
"    Is not satisfied with average per-formance
"    Sees new responsibilities as an opportunity for development
"    Meets deadlines
"    Speaks fervently about their work
"    Delivers outstanding performance        "    What
past performances are you especially proud of? What can these
performance outcomes be attributed to?
"    Can you think of some situations where you had to "give it
your all" at work. In retrospect, was it worth it for you to put in so
much effort?
"    What do you expect of yourself and others when you start a
task or project? (Examples)
Initiative
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Also works on projects outside their sphere of responsibility
with great commitment
"    Works on new tasks before being instructed to do so
"    Picks up on new developments by themselves and assesses their
chance of successful implementation
"    Is not satisfied with current achievements and is always
looking for ways to make improvements
"    Makes many useful suggestions for improvement
"    Has good ideas about attracting new customers and puts them
into practice
"    Actively expands their sphere of responsibility
"    Makes constructive and goal-oriented proposals
"    Makes an effort to convince the person they are speaking to
"    Can you please think of situations in the past where you have
taken the initiative and been successful. What did this situation
concern? Why did you do what you did? What was the outcome?
"    What improvements have you introduced in your current
position?
"    How did you find your last position?
Perseverance
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Pursues longterm goals resolutely and single-mindedly
"    Does not just give up in the face of difficulties or
resistance
"    Keeps working in a focused manner on very strenuous and long
days at work
"    Can also maintain their level of performance over long periods
"    When you have started something, what determines whether you
finish it or not?
"    How have you managed to maintain a consistent level of
performance over long periods in the past?
Ability to work under pressure
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Also maintains level of performance when subjected to pressure
over a long period
"    Activity levels remain constant and displays no fluctuation in
per-formance
"    Does not give up when faced with resistance and problems
"    Is relaxed, friendly, and appropriately humorous
"    Also takes on additional duties
"    Remains calm and in control even in critical situations
"    Works in an efficient and focused manner even when subjected
to disruption        "    What specific sources of stress are
you subject to in your current job? How do you deal with these?
"    When was the last time you were really under pressure? What
was the situation? What did you do? What was the outcome?
"    How do you relax at the end of a strenuous day at work?
Attention to detail
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Works carefully and thoroughly
"    Does not forget steps in task and also pays attention to
detail
"    Meets the exact performance targets
"    Also pursues apparently trivial leads
"    Is reliable and dependable        "    In your role
as XYZ, which tasks in particular required especially thorough work?
How well did you perform these tasks?
"    How do you ensure that your work is free of errors?
"    How do you manage to ensure that no steps of a task are
forgotten or overlooked?
Integrity
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Is absolutely trustworthy
"    Their conduct corresponds with company values
"    Implements essential measures
"    Unequivocally supports corporate policies externally
"    Acts in accordance with statutory provisions and ethical
standards        "    It is not always easy to reconcile
one's own goals with those of the company. What has been your
greatest dilemma to date? How have you resolved it?
"    Where are the greatest disparities at present between
corporate guidelines and corporate reality? How are you dealing with
this contradiction?
Willingness to learn
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Always upgrades knowledge and skills to current
state-of-the-art
"    Is prepared to and capable of learning new things quickly
"    Happily accepts challenges
"    Is open-minded about new developments
"    Is interested in related disciplines
"    Also improves their skills in their spare time
"    Is able to perform new tasks within a short period of time
"    How do you upgrade your professional knowledge to current
state-of-the-art levels?
"    What new developments are you going to be facing soon in your
specialist area? How have you prepared yourself for these?
Flexibility
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Copes well, even in unpredictable situations
"    Is able to adjust easily to new situations and fits in with
other participants in a discussion
"    Can work at various times as required by the situation
"    Is open to new developments and pursues novel paths
"    Takes up others suggestions
"    Accepts opposing opinions        "    Can you please
describe a situation where you had to alter tactics spontaneously. Why
did you have to do this? How did you go about it?
"    How do you adjust to new situations and conditions in your
profession? What changes have you been faced with in the past?
"    What unexpected problems have you encountered at work? How
have you solved them? What was the outcome?
Autonomy
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Tackles issues and resolves them autonomously
"    Solves difficult problems without constantly seeking
managerial approval
"    Knows what to do in difficult situations
"    Works independently in pursuit of predetermined goals
"    Knows when to turn to their direct supervisor for assistance
"    Upholds own opinion even in face of opposition        "
What tasks do you currently perform autonomously? What tasks do you
perform where you need to discuss the work with others?
"    Are there situations where you feel as if you have been
abandoned by your superior? How do you cope with such situations?

Frustration tolerance
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Is not demotivated by failure
"    Deals constructively with disappointments
"    Does not show their frustration to others
"    Accepts that one cannot make everybody happy at the same time
"    Does not feel as if they are under personal attack during
controversial discussions
"    Completes things which are necessary even if it is not
particularly enjoyable        "    How did you deal with your
last  failure?
"    How do you motivate yourself to have another attempt after
several failures?
"    In which situations do you just feel like throwing your job
in? How do you get over it?
Presentation
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Also acts confidently and with certainty in unfamiliar
situations
"    Has a positive and trust-evoking demeanour
"    Has an air of authenticity, i.e. facial expressions and
gestures correspond with their message
"    Has good manners
"    Is well-groomed        "    How do you know how you are
perceived by others?
"    What troubles you most when you have to perform in front of an
au-dience?
"    How well do you think you are perceived by people you talk to?
What do you attribute this to?
Empathy
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Takes the feelings and needs of     others into account
"    Is able to adjust to the needs of the person they are talking
to
"    Realistically assesses their impact upon others
"    Detects even minor interpersonal conflicts and responds
appropriately        "    Who have been the most difficult
people you have had to deal with so far? How well did you manage?
"    How do you recognise what your counterpart is planning to do?
How do you adjust to this?
"    Can you please give me an example of how you have adjusted to
someone during a discussion.
Ability to make contact with others
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Is able to make contact with others easily
"    Approaches other people
"    Enjoys being with others
"    Is often "where things are happening"
"    Is able to enrol the support of others
"    Has a positive relationship with their business partners
"    How do you usually make contact with new colleagues, customers
or strangers?
"    How important it is to you to work with other people?
Conflict management
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Does not avoid necessary conflicts
"    Deals constructively with conflict
"    Develops objective criteria for     making decisions in
conflict situations
"    Presents their own viewpoint or an essential initiative even
if they anticipate resistance        "    Taking a certain point
of view often means entering into conflict with others. Have you
experienced such situations? Please provide examples and tell me how
you handled them.
"    What conflict situations would you rather avoid? (Examples)

Team leadership
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Is able to integrate new staff into a team well
"    Communicates goals and common values to others
"    Achieves the common goals with the help of all involved
"    Is able to motivate others for a particular cause
"    Is able to influence team building processes in a focused
manner         "    Have you ever had to integrate new staff into
a team? If yes, how did you go about this? If not, how would you go
about it?
"    How do you manage to reconcile a range of people with various
in-terests?
"    Can you please tell me about some work-related situations
where you had to integrate various views and opinions. How well did
you manage to do this?
Problem analysis
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Assesses even difficult problems quickly
"    Sees the big picture with respect to the job
"    Breaks a task down systematically into its components and a
series of steps
"    Actively obtains missing information
"    Thinks analytically in terms of    processes and structures
"    Approaches problems objectively and considers several
potential solutions
"    Assesses tasks realistically
"    Sets sub-goals and priorities        "    What are the
most difficult problems you have had to solve to date? How did you
solve these problems?
"    Using a concrete example, please describe to me how you
approached a difficult task. What outcome did you achieve?
"    What type of problems do you find the most unpleasant? How do
you deal with them?

Ability to make decisions
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Takes relevant information from various sources into account
"    Recognises problems and assesses their causes realistically
"    What have been the most difficult decisions you have had to
make? What did you find to be the main difficulty?
"    How do you prepare yourself to make important decisions?
"    How do you assess future developments in your discipline /
company etc.?
Eagerness to make decisions
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Makes timely decisions
"    Takes future developments into account in decision-making
"    Makes decisions involving calculated risks
"    Justifies decisions on the basis of facts and makes them
transparent
"    Utilises their authority sensibly for decision-making purposes
"    In retrospect, what past decisions did you make too late? What
would you now do differently?
"    How do you safeguard yourself when making important decisions?
(Example) How well has this served you in the past?
"    What decisions do you prefer to avoid? Why?
"    What scope for decision-making do you have in your job? How do
you utilise this?
Creativity
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Seeks and finds unconventional solutions
"    Pursues new paths successfully
"    Has many novel ideas
"    Their inventiveness encourages    others to innovate
"    What has been your most original idea so far? How did you put
it into practice?
"    What degree of creative scope does your job offer? How have
you utilised this? (Example)
Specialist knowledge
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Is able to orientate themselves      rapidly and autonomously
in their field
"    Is well-versed in their field and has a good overview
"    Has a broad base of experience
"    Is a recognised expert in their field         "    What
professional performance of yours has received most recognition from
your superiors?
"    How have you accrued your professional knowledge? How do you
maintain your level of knowledge to state-of-the-art levels?
Planning and organisation
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Works systematically and in a goal-oriented manner
"    Plans the individual steps of a task thoroughly
"    Sets clear goals and pursues them resolutely
"    Prepares thoroughly for meetings
"    Sets clear priorities and recognises what is important
"    Meets deadlines and fulfils expenditure targets
"    Has their sphere of responsibility under control
"    How do you plan your average day at work?
"    How do you ensure that your successes are not coincidences?
"    How do you maintain an overview of outstanding work?
Staff leadership
Selection criteria        Example questions
"    Delegates duties and responsibilities
"    Set goals with their staff
"    Regularly conducts staff reviews
"    Is accepted by staff as a role model        "    How do
you delegate duties to your staff?
"    How do your staff know what you expect of them?
"    How do you monitor the outcomes achieved by your staff?
"    How do you foster your staff?
"    Who has been your most difficult employee so far? How did you
deal with them?
"    How do you get involved in staff decision-making?