Know XML? Then Expect These Job Interview Questions.
So, you’re an XML wizard and are ready to explore the job market. Here are a few tips for helping you shine in the interview process:
1. Find out why the company is using XML in the first place. Do they use it for message passing? Document storage? Object serialization?
This can also help you determine whether the company is a good match for you and your areas of strength with the language.
2. Be specific. For example, if they ask, “On which platforms have you used XML?” say something like, “I’ve mostly worked with XML in PHP in Drupal, and a little bit in WordPress.” Employers like to hear about actual case scenarios.
If they ask, “Which systems did you integrate?” be able to tell them what platform you used and what the integration was for. A great candidate will give specific names of the libraries or APIs that were involved.
3. Be ready to discuss the breadth of your knowledge. You may face questions like, “What is the difference between DTD and XML Schema?” or “What is XPath?” or “What is XSLT?”
The importance of XML technologies like XPath, XSLT, or XQuery is only going to increase because of the platform-independent nature of XML and its popularity for transmitting data over cross platforms.
4. Be prepared to discuss the negatives of XML, or situations where alternatives might be better. You may be asked to explain the disadvantages of using XML, like its verbosity and size. And there are many data structures and circumstances where XML isn’t a good fit. Sometimes JSON or YAML, or even a binary format, is a better idea for complex data.
You may also have the chance to show your problem-solving and team-player skills, if they ask a question like: “If someone sends you a broken XML file, what would you do?” or “What tools do you typically use when you’re working with XML?” Many organizations have hidden their XML work behind tools, and it’s obviously a plus if you know exactly which tool set they’re using. However, if they’re really hiring you to solve XML problems, as opposed to programming problems that happen to have XML along the way, odds are good you’ll have to consider a wide range of possibilities. You’ll have to make similar choices around schemas, vocabularies, and style sheets.
Do you feel ready for all aspects of an interview? The technical staffing specialists here at Triumph Services work closely with top IT employers, so they are familiar with hiring manager preferences and can coach you on how to shine in an interview. Contact us today to see how we can help you maximize your appeal to prospective IT employers.
