What should I do when my dream company is interested in me before my skills are developed?

Question

There is a company I adore and working there would be my dream job. My plan was to continue working on my programming skills (which are currently underdeveloped) and then start contributing to this company's open source projects in hopes of getting their attention.

I ran into them at a conference, they asked for a sample of my work, and now they have asked me to come by the office "for a chat and a coffee." It looks like they are interested in hiring me, but I'm afraid that if they test my programming knowledge I will fail and ruin my chances with this company.

If they do express interest in hiring me, should I explain to them that my skills are not very advanced yet and that I may not be ready to work for them? Is there something else I can do to keep from ruining my chances with this company?

Answer 1

Here's what you should do:

RUN WITH IT

What you shouldn't do is lie, exaggerate or in any other way give them the impression that you're something you aren't. This does not mean you have to be self deprecating or display a lack of self confidence. You simply need to be honest, upfront - engage with them and tell them you respect them highly as a company and that you're aware of how much you need to learn.

They are the best judge of what (and who) they want in their team and, right now, you don't know why they're interested. Perhaps they simply think you'll fit in well and have the ability to learn.

Either way - you know how some people seem to be "lucky"? Well, here's the secret - often it simply comes down to them being confident enough to grab the opportunities they see. I know of so many people who let themselves be left behind due to a lack of confidence or an unwillingness to step outside of their comfort zone.

Don't be that person, because no matter which way the conversation goes you'll have met someone new and they'll have met you. They'll know your name and one day, even if not now, that may just well land you a break.

Answer 2

I applied for a job which I had no hope of getting (programmer). To my surprise they invited me for an interview. After the interview, they made a job for me there and then on the spot. Telling me I was under developed for the job I had applied for, but not for the one they made me. They made me a junior programmer and have since been training me to work in the role I originally wanted.

My point is this follows something I say on most posts like this: "If they want you, they will get you."

Calling you in for a chat might mean two things;

1: They may just want a chat with you and to get a judge of you and see if you are worth keeping in contact for future

2: (the best option) they may want to do with you what happened with me.

Its better for a company to keep you around and train you up to help them if they see potential in you rather than let you go to a rival or the like.

--edit--

When I had my interview, I just answered the questions as honest as I could. For example I told him I had experience with the programming languages I was asked about (which is true I did from uni) but that I was not an expert. Just be open and honest. Thing I found helped me most was to do my research. After I researched the company I was genuinely impressed with them and managed to get that across in the interview by talking about their work and how impressed I was etc. Get that across and it will help in your favor (telling them you admire them etc). Never a bad thing to sound over keen

Answer 3

Don't be afraid to acknowledge your shortcomings, but don't let them stop you from trying anyway. Knowledge and experience aren't the only factors in hiring decisions. Depending on the size and hiring policies of the company, they might choose a candidate who's trainable and complements their team's chemistry over someone who's well-qualified but difficult to work with.

My educational background is more in the natural sciences than engineering, so I was at a bit of a disadvantage when I applied for my current position. I couldn't answer some of the questions I was asked during a technical interview, but I ended up being hired despite being underqualified (at least on paper).

My supervisor later confided in me that my demeanor during the interview process had been substantially more mature than those of the other candidates. That--plus my willingness to be put into a "sink-or-swim" situation with regards to acquiring the experience I needed--made me the most appealing candidate.

Ultimately, the company can always teach you the technical skills you'll need for the role they have in mind. They can't teach you to have a better personality or work ethic.

Answer 4

I was hired for an internship position, despite me admitting that I didn't think I would be a good fit based on my insufficient skillset. Maybe my anecdote may help you, and I'll try to explain it:

During the phone interview in which the job responsibilities and the technical skills desired were discussed in detail, after answering some questions about how I would approach things, I felt as if my answers were based on a narrower field of experience (I listed technologies with which I was comfortable, and using them in that scenario would have been a stretch.)

At about the halfway point through the phone interview, I freely admitted that my primary background and experience was not in that technical area, and although it interested me and I knew I could succeed given time to learn, I probably was not the most qualified candidate (for that position.) I said that if that was a dealbreaker, then I wouldn't be offended if they cut the interview process short; but expressed enthusiasm that, if that was not the case, I'd like to continue. Not only did we continue the interview process, but I was eventually offered the position.

Mind, this was for an internship so I think the lack of experience might have been expected, but the following applies to positions of all kinds:

As it turns out, some software companies have gotten fantastic at training new employees, and what they seek are people who can ramp up quickly. There are many companies which use technologies that aren't very common, so they have to teach 90% of their developers how to use those technologies anyway.

Your initiative to improve, without anyone coercing you, before applying to a position at that company speaks well of your desire to learn and your work ethic. Your desire to contribute to their open source projects shows enthusiasm in something they care about (i.e. open source software). If you are bright on top of that, you might be exactly what they're looking for.

The takeaway is that you should be honest about:

1. Your technical ability
2. Your enthusiasm for the work
3. Your willingness to learn if you presently lack all of the technical skills required

And you should carry yourself with:

1. Confidence (not cockiness - know what you can do and don't doubt it)
2. Cheerfulness (be happy to be there, happy to meet them, happy to learn about the company, happy to talk about tech, happy to get coding questions)
3. Composure (know no fear, be not perturbed)

Also: you should not discredit yourself at any point. It's one thing to admit inexperience, but don't imply that you're incompetent or incapable, because you're obviously not! If you don't get the position, apply again later!

(Besides, real-world experience will definitely increase your programming skill to the point you wanted very quickly.)