What unique values can you bring to Hitachi Solutions in your user experience design skills?

"I have really taken pride in my ability to add value to the business needs of the customers that I work with. During any design project, I take the time to work with end users to find their wants and needs out of the program. Then, as I create the UX design, I keep their needs at the forefront and do anything possible to exceed their expectations."

While your interviewer has shown confidence in your technical abilities to succeed at Hitachi Solutions as a UX designer, this question is helping them gain insight into your ability to see the big picture in the work that you do. As you think about the unique personal values that you would bring to the role, try and paint a picture of your work tying to the end user and how you can help make it more productive, enjoyable and satisfying for them.

"As you can see from my resume, I have formal training and experience in user experience research and I know that this would benefit the work that I would be doing here at Hitachi Solutions if hired for this position. I pursued this additional training in my career because of my passion for the customer journey in the programs that I design."

Hitachi Solutions uses business intelligence tools to improve sales performance. With which BI tools are you most familiar?

"I am most experienced in the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform, as this is what we use in my current role. I have been working with it for a couple of years now, and fully understand it's capabilities and features including the analysis and integration services, reporting, and its applications for creating and working with analytical data. I would say I am an advanced user in this tool. I see that Hitachi Solutions uses Microsoft BI as well, which is great."

Business intelligence (BI) tools are applications used to collect information, process it, and structure that data in a way that makes sense. Generally, BI tools are used when a company is handling a considerable amount of unstructured data from their system. An example of an organization requiring a BI tool would be a hospital needing to organize patient health records. A useful business intelligence tool will bring a company's information to life through visuals (data visualization). Some of the most popular BI tools include: - Sisense - BIRT - icCube - Domo - Clear Analytics - Gooddata - IBM Cognos Intelligence - Looker - JasperSoft - Microsoft BIExplain to the interviewer with which tools you are most familiar. If you can, rate your knowledge in each as beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert. This rating will help the interviewer to understand better where your strengths are. If the BI tools used at Hitachi Solutions are mentioned, be sure to address your experience level of those as well.

"I saw in the Hitachi Solutions job posting that you use Gooddata and MicroStrategy. I am an intermediate user in each of these tools. With Gooddata, I have used it for consolidating large amounts of data from the cloud. MicroStrategy is used in my current company to ensure all of our important data is held neatly in one place, where it's easy to sort and access."

How do you feel cloud computing has positively impacted the software industry?

"Being in the software industry for over 20 years, I feel like the biggest impact that the cloud has had reflects directly to our customers in the software industry. In days of yore, we spent years working through software updates and releases. And now, I look to how we are continuously rolling out small scale, yet impactful, updates through the cloud and end users are able to see that impact the next day!"

While the reasons are plentiful as to how cloud computing has had a direct impact on developing and refining software for organizations, your interviewer is looking to hear which reasons you are willing to speak most passionately about. However you answer this question, try to either focus on the ease and accessibility for end users or cost savings for organizations in your answer.

"One commonly overlooked area where I feel cloud based systems have brought a major improvement is in analytics. Ten years ago, it took a lot of time and resources to pull relevant data to build analytics and visualization tools. Today, information can be automatically built to pull in the snap of a finger and that is something that I never take for granted in my work."

Beyond revenue, how do Hitachi Solutions's products benefit our clients?

"I fully understand that, although revenue is a significant driver, it is not everything to companies when they are deciding on their software products. Additional benefits to Hitachi Solutions's software, from my research, include better organization of data so that information can be leveraged in areas of product development, market research, smarter hiring decisions, and more."

An excellent software product can positively affect a business in a multitude of ways. From organization to client relationships, increasing leads, offering better data collection and, and information management. The interviewer wants to see that you have spent the time getting to know the features and benefits of their software before your interview. Discuss the ways that Hitachi Solutions's offering can benefit potential customers far beyond revenue.

"From what I see, there are a plethora of benefits to Hitachi Solutions's products. When a company embraces organization, has access to insightful analytics and a full support team, they can make business decisions that improve not only profits but also employee morale, customer feedback, or research and development."

Talk about a recent successful project that you worked on that required you to navigate some troubled waters during the project. What were the roadblocks and how did you overcome them?

"A couple of years ago, I was the lead architect on a new software package that we were developing. As in any project, I was tasked with reviewing and approving the code the would be enveloped in the software. Because the final code impacted our potential clients and this was certainly a unique package we were developing, I proposed putting together a focus panel of existing clients to discuss potential needs out of a new system. My senior leaders were very reluctant to do this as they didn't want any word getting out about the program in its infancy. Knowing that we really wanted their feedback to start the coding process, I worked with our sales staff to build a list of our most dedicated customers. Then, I approached out leadership with this group and they approved without reluctance. After putting together the focus panel and gathering their thoughts, we built a phenomenal program that exceeded all of our sales and performance expectations."

While your resume and your past experiences can easily show your interview that you have the technical abilities for this position with Hitachi Solutions, your interviewer needs some insight on your problem solving skills. This question allows your interviewer a chance to see how you handle adversity by using resources available to you. In your answer, talk about your ability to think critically and leverage people and resources to the advantage of beating a roadblock in your work. Make sure that your answer provides an example of a project that ended in success.

"I know that a large part of my success in the software architecture field is due to my ability to work collaboratively with others and provide mentorship to those on my team. On a recent project, I faced a design engineer that was very rigid in their ways and was unable to conform with new requirements for a system we were designing. In one of our first planning meetings, it became very evident that he would be unwilling to change in his ways. Being a person that wants to talk things out before escalating things further, I invited him to my office to talk one on one. I used a very educational approach to explain why we would be using the process we would be and I encouraged his participation in that approach. He hesitantly agreed. As we moved from design phase to the implementation phase, the engineer went right back to his old way of doing things and not embracing our new process. Rather than upsetting the entire project time, I immediately approached the engineer with a your either on board the ship or off the ship approach. Rather quickly, he asked that his seat on the team be reassigned to another engineer. In doing that quickly, our project was back up and running with success."

Do you consider yourself stronger in C++, C#, Java, or Python?

"In my last company, we had a bit of an outdated tech stack and used C# and .NET. I found myself fully immersed in those technologies, but had a strong desire to learn more and become more familiar with modern technologies and how I can apply that in my career. That's what has me so interested in this role. Over the last year, I've taken courses in Java and C++, which I noticed you prefer. I've become proficient in the skills and in side projects, applied my increasingly strong knowledge. I'm probably strongest professionally in C# as that has been where my experience lies, but my passion and dedication is on the Java and C++ side, as I feel that's the more modern alternative. I'm excited about the possibility of applying that knowledge in a role at Hitachi Solutions."

Before your interview, do some research to understand what tech stack Hitachi Solutions uses so you can best prepare and highlight your expertise. If you aren't as strong in one of the skills you feel is necessary, be sure to explain how you've used it and how you are growing your knowledge to become better. Be sure to be honest in your answer, as the company will likely test your strengths.

"I am motivated and excited about this new opportunity because it will challenge me to grow in my (X) skills. I love soccer and enjoy spending time with my teammates. I am interested in continuing my education by studying (Y) to further my career."

As a consultant with Hitachi Solutions, your role will be vital in gather information from our customers in building new technology for them. What would be your goals in an initial consultation with a new or existing client?

"As an experienced consultant looking to break into the technology field, I will break a lot of awesome client focused skills to your team. In an initial consultation, my number one goal is to learn the business of the client and listen to what they are looking for in my products. Once their need is known, I can knowledgeably speak to the products that I work with to help them create a custom solution to fit their needs. If hired for this position, my first order of business would be to work very closely with the design and engineering staff to know the possibilities of customization. From there, my natural ability to consult with clients would take over in a win-win situation for all involved."

Software consultants are the bridge between the end users and the development teams of new software to help come up with new and creative solutions for the business. In this role with Hitachi Solutions, you will be expected to live in two different worlds and this question focuses on how you will work with end users of the companies products. In an initial consultation, focus your efforts on how you will learn the business needs of the client, talk about what can potentially be offered and then how you will start the creative problem solving process with them.

"In consulting with a new client or an existing client looking for system modifications, my number one goal in a first meeting with them would be to lay the framework for how we will move forward and to set expectations moving forward. I would look to understand their business needs and talk with them about all of the solutions possible for them with us as their software provider. From there, I have the ability to set expectations on a time frame for a solution proposal and we can move forward from there. At the end of a first meeting, I want to ensure that the key decision makers are comfortable with me and the business that I represent so they don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions or for clarification on items discussed."

Do you have experience working with data in a cloud computing environment?

"My current organization has been using Apprenda, a PaaS, that allows us to develop, test and maintain our software projects. I also have experience mining and converting data off of public, community and private cloud networks. If hired here at Hitachi Solutions, I think I would bring a wealth of cloud based experience to the data engineering team."

Over recent years, more and more companies are converting to cloud based computing services because the conversion allows them to save money and have better auditing trails. As a prospective data engineer with Hitachi Solutions, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are at least familiar with the concepts of working with cloud based data. Talk in details about the experiences you have while keeping your mind open to working with more in the future if hired with Hitachi Solutions.

Give an example of a time that you used a universal design practice in your work as a UI or UX designer. Why was it important to do this?

"From a very high level, the business success of a program really relies on being universally designed. If we pigeon hole ourselves, a product will only reach a very limited group of end users. But taking that a step further, universal design is the morally right thing to do to help reach people that may not have access to the average program design. Last year, I was part of a project that utilized a voice user interface for users that were deaf or hard of hearing. This simple yet effective design was a huge win for our current customers and in helping drive new business with our groundbreaking software."

In the technology, software and mobile app fields today, accessibility is a huge topic. As a designer with Hitachi Solutions, you will be expected to help create products that are as accessible as possible to as many end users as possible. In this two part question, talk about why you feel that universal design is important in the work that you will be doing with Hitachi Solutions and then really sell your ability to do this by giving an example of a time you used a universal design in your previous work.

"Early in my career, the best piece of advice that I receive was from an experience designer and she said that when UX doesn't consider all potential users, we are no longer working on the user experience. We live in a very diverse world and the programs that I've designed for in the past have certainly had the goal to reach a wide audience. With your financial products here at Hitachi Solutions, this same philosophy applies. Last year, based on some feedback from current customers, we switched our design to include a strong color contract to make the system much more user friendly to color blind users. This was both a simple and very effective change to enhance the look of the program."

At Hitachi Solutions, we rely on a full team effort to deliver top quality products to our customers. Tell me about a time that you worked well as part of a team. Are you comfortable in a similar role here?

"Throughout my career, I've always enjoyed working as part of a larger team on the job and this personal enjoyment started with my love of and participation in team sports like baseball and basketball. Growing up playing sports, I learned that each team member brought a unique skill set that could help us achieve our goals. Through a great coaching staff that knew how to make these individual skills shine, this same philosophy holds true for a team that is looking to design a new software system. I know that my skills as an engineer are just part of the final product and I work very well with designers, architects, analysts and sales to help build the greatest system possible."

While this potential role with Hitachi Solutions will require your to be an independent worker that can think on your feet, you will also need to work as part of a larger team that is working toward one common goal. Because of this fact, your interviewer will want to hear that you thrive in an environment where you work with team members from other disciplines than you are trained in. In your example, stress to your interviewer that you have excellent communication skills and that you fully understand that every person on a team plays a vital role in the organization's success.

"I am a people person by nature and my current role has me working very closely with our engineering and design staff on writing technical manuals for our products. While I certainly can handle long days at my computer in solitude, my desire to work hand in hand with others really sets me apart from my peers in this field. I have excellent verbal, listening and written communication skills that, if hired here at Hitachi Solutions, your entire team would appreciate from my first day on the job."

The next cloud engineer that we hire here at Hitachi Solutions needs to be able build a system that can handle a high amount of traffic. How would you test our system's ability to handle large amounts of traffic?

"Cloud computing has certainly revolutionized the storage of high amounts of data and a key piece that cloud based systems bring to the table are their elasticity for handling large amounts of traffic. I see my job as building a cloud based system to scale horizontally to be able to handle the most data and traffic possible. To test systems, I've used a few different tools that were all very accurate prior to go-live."

This question allows your interviewer to gain insight into your thought process and ability surrounding building a cloud network that has an architecture that can handle large amounts of traffic without failure. Some key points to focus on your answer are your ability to match capacity to system demand and use horizontal scaling in the design of the system.

"In my current position as a cloud engineer, I have utilized internet scale services like Amazon S3 and Elastic Load Balancing to ensure that our cloud systems could handle large volume that fluctuate seasonally. Because of the great functionality of the internet scale services, internal testing wasn't necessary as we knew we were in good hands through those services."

In your current role, how would describe your ability to communicate and coordinate with the developers, testers and architects that you work closely with?

"As you can see from my resume, my current job is with a worldwide software development organization. Because of our reach, a lot of my colleagues that I work with are in different locations than me. Most communications are in email and I consider myself great at communicating clearly through email. We also utilize Skype for video meetings when I need to get face to face with my engineers and testers on my projects. While not having someone in an office next door can be difficult at times, especially when looking to coordinate high needs tasks, being organized and timely in communications is key to success."

At Hitachi Solutions, teamwork is of utmost importance for the system analysts to perform their job well. Talk to your interviewer about your most comfortable methods to communicate with others on your team and give examples of how you've contributed to a team based atmosphere. Be sure that your interviewer walks away from your conversation without a shadow of a doubt that you will be a team player if hired for this position.

"I consider myself excellent at coordinating activities among my team of colleagues and keeping lines of communication open with them as well. In my current role, I lead a bi-weekly huddle where our testers, architects, engineers and analysts can get together in a room for 30 minutes to discuss high needs items as a group. All of the individuals involved in these meetings have been very thankful for my coordination of them because of the eventual time that is saved through elimination of email chains and one-off conversations between people."

Tell me about a time your manager changed the scope of the project in the middle of it. How did you deal with it?

"We were working on a software upgrade project which was supposed to take 12 weeks; however, 4 weeks in, my manager approached us and requested different modifications, even though the modifications were almost 75% complete. I understand that changes can happen and it was my job to get back on track and get going on it. I immediately took action and worked with my team and manager to come up with a plan moving forward, as that disrupted our schedule. We were able to all pick up extra and through that, we still hit our initial deadline."

With this question, your prospective employer is looking to see how you handle change, especially change that can be frustrating and disrupting to your work. In your answer, be sure to explain what happened, as briefly as possible, and how you handled that change to get back up-to-speed and on-track with your project.

"I can assure you that, if hired, I would put the customers of Hitachi Solutions first. When working in the financial services world, your customers can determine your success. I have a very high referrals rate which tells me that my customers are happy."

If hired here at Hitachi Solutions, what do you feel would be the biggest hurdle for you to overcome from the start?

"As you can see from my resume, I don't have any direct working experience with the financial industry and I would see that as my largest learning opportunity if offered this position. Like I did with my current job in the healthcare industry, I would take the time to learn the basics of the industry that would help me design the most intuitive user interfaces in the products here at Hitachi Solutions."

The key to answering this question with confidence starts with understanding that you are interviewing with Hitachi Solutions because your interviewer feels that you are a strong candidate for this position. What your interviewer is focusing on with this question is how they could be of most help to you if hired for the job. So, take the time prior to your interview to think about an aspect of the position that would be the most difficult for you to overcome to be up and running at full speed and then take time to explain how you would plan to overcome that hurdle if hired. This structured answer will tell your interviewer that you have put thought to your potential shortcoming with a plan of action.

"Being a team player by nature, I've always considered my first challenge at any new company to be the task of getting to know my colleagues, their work preferences and their work styles. In the same breath, I want them to know who I am and how I best work as part of a team with them. To accomplish this, I would take the initiative to set one on one meetings with individuals that I didn't get to touch base with during my orientation process to get to know them better."

Here at Hitachi Solutions, we strive for continuous delivery and continuous deployment with our software. Are you familiar with these processes in your current work?

"In my current role, we utilize a 100% continuous deployment process with our end users when we role out new changes to existing software. We use automated testing in our process to validate that code changes are correct and able to be deployed without issue. Once validated, changes are automatically rolled out to our end users. Having once utilized a continuous delivery system, I am very appreciative of working in an environment utilizing continuous deployment as it negates any need for human intervention in the roll out."

In the industries that Hitachi Solutions works in, updates to software are vital to end users for them to stay at the forefront of their business. To ensure that updates happen as quick and smoothly as possible, Hitachi Solutions utilizes continuous delivery and continuous deployment for their customers. For this question, talk about what you know about these processes as a software architect, why they are important and what experience you have with them.

"In my current position, we've slowly grown from a continuous integration process to a continuous delivery process. I love the automated testing process when we are looking at rolling out new changes to existing software and my role as the architect for our projects puts me in the drivers seat for sending out these changes. If hired for this role here at Hitachi Solutions, I'd be very intrigued at learning and working with continuous deployment practices as well."

What do you feel are the primary features and benefits of the Java programming language?

"When I started working with Java three years ago, the first huge benefit was the fact that the Java syntax was based on C++. At that time, I had a great working knowledge of C++ and my transition to Java was absolutely seamless. The other amazing feature that I've come to appreciate with Java is how robust the memory management is in exception handling and automatic garbage collection."

As a company that utilizes Java, Hitachi Solutions and your interviewer want to make sure that you have an understanding of the Java programming language and they do so by asking this question. Obviously a language packed with unique features, talk about the features that you can speak the most knowledgeably about and tie your direct experience to.

In our consulting services here at Hitachi Solutions, we often have to work with people who aren't very tech savvy. How would you handle a situation like this if hired for this role?

"In my days in software sales and consulting, I've found that the best approach with clients is to always discuss things in terms of their business results as opposed to the processes involved. I've found that clients aren't interested in how a software program works to pull information out of a data table. They want to know the steps they have to take to successfully pull the relevant information to them in their work and I try to focus my efforts on that. If I get the sense that a certain person has a good understanding of the software, I don't hesitate to brag a bit about the creative programs that were designed behind the scenes because they can definitely show appreciation for that."

When working onsite with clients on new software and new technologies, most front line employees working on the new system won't have the technical acumen that you possess. Because of this fact, your consulting services will have to be performed in a fashion that is easy to understand for the clients. Give your answer a personal touch by explaining your ability to work with clients on a one-on-one basis and customizing your approach with them based on their level of knowledge. From a high level, then talk about certain techniques that you've found to be useful in the past.

"Having a lot of experience doing this in my time consulting and training with external customers, there are many tools of the trade that can be implemented. I always avoid technical jargon and use wording that makes sense to a client to explain technical processes. I find that customers appreciate the use of meaningful analogies and presentations that have a lot of visuals to help understand new processes that we will be working with."

In SQL, how do you explain the differences between clustered and non-clustered indexes? Can you name a time that you used each?

"In the simplest of terms, a clustered index order records in a table the way that they are physically stored. There can only be one clustered index per table. Non-clustered indexes do not store data to match the physical order that it is stored. Rather, it can hold up to 249 indexes per table. Both types come with their own benefits over the other. In my experience, clustered indexes are suited best for programs that use primary key as an identity integer column. On the other hand, non-clustered make the most sense for programs that need JOIN and WHERE clauses within them."

Hitachi Solutions uses indexes to improve query performances within their software and for this question, your interviewer is looking to hear that you have a basic understanding of both clustered and non-clustered indexes. Explain the differences between the two types of indexes and be sure you can either speak to relevant times that you've used each or when would be the appropriate application to use each.

"In my experience, clustered indexes are faster to read but very slow when it comes to update data within. Non-clustered indexes are just the opposite in that they are slower to read but much fast to insert new data into them. In my current role, I mostly use clustered indexes when large numbers of rows need to be retreived and when insert operations are important. Most other times, I will use non-clustered as the standard."

As you reflect back on your career to this point in your search for a new position, what would you say is your ideal work environment or culture?

"As I begin this job search now 15 years out of college, I'm looking for an employer that promotes and encourages innovation, new ideas and collaboration among all members of the team. From what I know about Hitachi Solutions from speaking with others, you sound like a perfect match for what I am looking for in a career."

While using this question as a key indicator on how you'll fit with the team and the organization at Hitachi Solutions, it will be very important for you to research as much as you can on the work environment at Hitachi Solutions so you can match your priorities to that environment. If you have the opportunity to speak with an employee at Hitachi Solutions prior to your interview, that can shed valuable information. In the end, the culture and value of an organization are often a key indicator of long-term success in a job, so make sure that you reflect your values into what the company values.

"With all of the companies that I have both worked for and consulted with in the past, I realize that a company culture is basically the personality of the company and I am looking for a new organization that really meshes well with my personality. I am a casual person that believes in hard work, teamwork and having fun on the job. As I embarked on a job search, I was so happy to see that Hitachi Solutions was hiring because I believe our styles will fit perfectly together."

What methods do you use to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in tech?

"I have leveraged a number of sources to stay up-to-date on my knowledge, including LinkedIn Learning and industry sites such as TechCrunch. I'm also active on Github where I'm able to work on projects to grow my knowledge. Quora is a place where I lend my knowledge to others and also read about topics I may not be fully versed in, or want to learn more about. Technology has really benefited me in learning more about technology and that excites me about what the future holds for further learning and development."

With technology constantly changing, employers want to know that they are hiring people who are committed to learning and growing. Be sure to explain to your prospective employer how you stay up-to-date and how you're committed to growing your knowledge as your industry grows. They want to know that they're investing in someone who is also investing in themselves.

"I am newer to my financial services career and have worked very hard to develop a strong portfolio this past year. Currently my portfolio is worth $$. What size of portfolio would I be responsible for at Hitachi Solutions?"

Would you say that you are a goal oriented on the job? What would I be able to do as your manager to help you achieve your goals if hired here at Hitachi Solutions?

"I would definitely say that I am goal oriented on the job in wanting to contribute any way that I can to the overall benefit of the organization. In my current organization, our leadership focuses on overall sales numbers at the end of the year. To help achieve these goals, our department creates our own goals to help achieve the sales numbers needed to succeed. Last year, one of those goals was to be as creative as possible in our user experience design processes. With the launch of an exciting new app midyear, sales numbers skyrocketed and our department was instrumental in that. For me, it was important that we determined our goals as a team with the final stamp of approval from our manager. While this style of management really helped motivate me, I can thrive under any management style as long as expectations and goals for my work are clearly set."

At the heart of this question lies your interviewers desire to see what motivates you as a potential employee at Hitachi Solutions. Make it clear to your interviewer that you certainly are motivated by on the job goals and do this by using an example of a time where you were motivated by and achieved a goal. Then, think deeply about the type of manager that you like to work for in terms of goal setting and helping our achieve your goals. Let your interviewer know what type of management styles you appreciate the most while being open to any style.

"For me, my day to day work is much more meaningful when I have goals to work for. In my current role, we have set timelines for our projects and this helps lay the framework for our goals. If hired for this position, my expectations of you as my manager would be to have goals clearly defined and a supportive atmosphere to be provided to work within."

If you were working on a project here at Hitachi Solutions that came with frequent changes in user requirements, how would you handle that situation?

"I am a realist and know that in the software world, user requirements change on a very routine basis. But, if I were to notice that changes were happening in an out of line manner, I'd first look at our own internal processes to see where we can improve. If a requirement document needed updating, I would work with my engineering team to ensure that was done. Then, I would pick up the phone to speak with our customer that put through the request to get firsthand knowledge about the situation. In my experience, this is the best way in ensuring that user requirements changes are effective on the first try."

For a system analyst, situations like this can bring stress into the work equation very easily as it can feel like work that is being done is useless for the end user. Rather than looking at it from the pessimistic point of view, try and steer your answer toward the positive by highlighting how you could improve any future processes or learn from the situation moving forward. Make sure that you are very open to the fact that you are an open communicator and don't hesitate to do so when needed.

"Having recently been in a similar situation, my first step was to document all email communication surround the changes that had taken place up to that point. By getting all of the conversations in one spot, I was able to document all of our known requirement changes and I sent them to the key decision maker from the customer to both sign off on and prioritize the changes we were to be making in the near future. This gave the customer the ability to provide direct feedback and feel a part of the direct process while also outlining our priorities moving forward."

Talk about a time when things didn't go as planned on the job. What was the situation and what allowed your to persevere in that situation?

"A couple of years ago in my first role as a UI designer out of college, my team was tasked with coming up with a very short notice proposal for a potential high end customer. With a week turnaround time, I set right to spending my time gathering information on the company to build a mock design. When the proposal was submitted, I found out that the potential customer scoffed at my idea and the customer went with another organization's proposal for their use. The biggest piece of feedback that I got was that the UI design just wasn't conducive to the type of customers they were expecting. From that point forward, whether it has been with short notice or long-term products, I take the time to communicate with key decision makers from clients to gather information for making my design as user friendly as possible."

As a professional in the tech industry, you have likely had a project that failed, a promotion that passed you over or a meltdown occur at some point in time. Realizing that your interviewer fully understands and expects that failure happens, talk openly and honestly about a situation where you experienced failure or failed plans. Most importantly in your answer, focus on how you overcame the particular situation and discuss lessons that you learned moving forward that you can bring to this role at Hitachi Solutions.

"Last year, I was working on a large scale project that put me face to face with a key customer. After traveling onsite with the customer to spend time with them, I exchanged contact information with two of the key decision makers. In the weeks following, I was sending them follow up emails with our business proposals and was getting frustrated at the lack of response from the clients. After my manager had questioned the viability of the potential customer, I picked up the phone and called them directly. It turns out that their responses back to me were being sent to a junk email folder that I neglected to consider. I apologized for the mistake, took action quickly and we came to a great agreement on future business together. After having a laugh about it with my boss, I now incorporate diligent communication follow ups both by phone and email with customers while also regularly checking all email inboxes."

Walk me through your experience in enterprise software sales, and complex sales cycles.

"Although I have never had an official sales title, I am often called into the sales process as the subject matter expert when it comes to data migration and security questions. I know enough to understand the typical questions asked during the sales cycle, and also know that it's important to give case examples for most FAQ's. Decision makers feel much better knowing that their concern has been presented, and corrected, in the past."

Software sales can be complicated, time-consuming, and rarely come with a quick close. The interviewer would like to discuss any experience you have had, selling software products into enterprise accounts, where the sales cycle is even more robust than the typical small to medium-sized businesses. The typical software sales cycle includes: - Prospecting and generating leads - Initiating contact - Qualifying the lead - Presenting the product or offer - Booking a product demonstration - Overcoming objections - Closing the deal - Implementation - Training This list is just a simplified breakdown of the steps and could occur throughout weeks, or even months. Discuss the exposure you have had in closing complex software deals.

"My previous company was a startup that ran very lean, financially speaking. For that reason, I was both a front-end developer, product demonstrator, and sales assistant. I would be on the sales calls with the business development lead, offering my expertise for the most technical discussions. From the time we launched our product, to the first sale, was over 12 weeks, so I fully understand that the typical software sales cycle is complex and lengthy, especially when dealing with major corporations and large business."

Our cloud computing at Hitachi Solutions requires our experts to take proper security measures in their work. What security measures are you familiar with utilizing in a cloud platform?

"For me, the planning stage of the cloud deployment process really sets the groundwork for security in a project. In my current role, each project adopts a cloud framework that suits the project the best. This framework is the base for our security measures in the cloud. From there, I always look to utilize a cloud service that encrypts our data and take all measures to steer away from storing sensitive information within the cloud. Last, as with any project, I help implement strict testing measures to check on the security of our cloud operations."

As with any server or database storage, unique security risks are posed to organizations that have moved their data and applications to the cloud. At Hitachi Solutions, part of your role will be to ensure that all security measures are in place with the organizations data in the cloud and your interviewer is looking to hear that you are familiar with diagnosing security risks and taking action to prevent them with this question. Talk about your knowledge of the different cloud service providers and other security measures that you are familiar with taking in your work.

"In my current role, the biggest security risks that we face are loss of sensitive data and malware infections. To take all security measures possible, our first plan of attack for security is to ensure that all of our data is backed up locally with electronic copies of data. To prevent malware in all ways possible, we have implemented a strict password strength policy and we install anti-virus software in our own equipment and recommend that customers do the same as well."

What do you feel is one of the top issues that is faced by data engineers today?

"Over the past couple of years, I've come to realize that one of the largest issues we face as data engineers is the large amounts of data that are needed to store and then draw information from. Here at Hitachi Solutions, I can only imagine how big of an issue that is in the healthcare industry. I have a lot of experience with cloud based data storage and also server based storage."

Being in the midst of the greatest technological revolution in the history of man, data engineers face many difficult issues in the work that they perform on a daily basis. While there are many directions that you can go with this question, be sure to focus your answer on something that you can speak passionately about. If you can research a common issue in the industry that Hitachi Solutions works in, you may likely score some bonus points with your interviewer.

"In my recent experiences, continuous, real-time integration is an issue that we will face each and every day moving forward. The need for fast paced information is certainly to blame for this. To stay on top of the continuous integration landscape, I am happy to hear that new and improved systems are being created to stay more real-time and up to the minute. Here at Hitachi Solutions and working in the financial industry, how have you seen this need for real-time data impact your products?"

What would you say is your top non-technical skill that will help you succeed in this role here at Hitachi Solutions?

"As I grew in the software development field over my career, I was best suited to be a architect because of my ability to be a great project manager. If hired for this role here at Hitachi Solutions, you'll quickly find that I have the ability to lead others, negotiate, budget and oversee a project from idea to final delivery."

As a software architect at Hitachi Solutions, you will be relied upon to be the bridge to between the business and technical side of the organization. Your work my be relied upon to work within many silos of the organization. Because of this need, your interviewer is asking you to dig deep inside of yourself and talk about what you feel is your greatest skill to help you do this that is outside of your technical ability. As you prepare for this question, there are many ways that you can answer. No matter how you answer, be sure that your answer relates to your ability to work with other people in some way, shape or form.

"From a self introspection point of view, I think that my ability to be empathetic towards others that I work with has led to a huge amount of my success in the software architecture field. While I do have the technical skills to do great things here at Hitachi Solutions, my ability to learn from others, see their point of view and become a great teach to them when needed will really set me apart from others that you are interviewing for this position. If given the opportunity to work here, this skills will greatly improve the team atmosphere."

In your current work, what are the important steps you take in the data validation process?

"As I embark on a data validation process in my current role, my first step is to roadmap a detailed plan to keep on task. I utilize benchmarks and the expectations of key stakeholders as my guide. Once underway, I validate the database and the data formatting to ensure that data is properly screened for its overall health. Then, by finishing with sampling, tests are performed to hopefully show that the data is useful within the system."

Depending on your training and your past roles prior to interviewing at Hitachi Solutions, you may be familiar with one or two of the many trains of though regarding the steps of a data validation. Whatever formal process you are familiar with, be sure to check the boxes of discussing data screening and data verification as part of your process. Your interviewer will be looking to hear that you check those boxes as they are imperative in the software field.

"The most important steps in a data validation process are determining the data to sample, scouring the existing database and validating the final data format. My first step is to use my best judgment to determine if I will validate a sample or the entire data set. This determination is based on overall size of the set and the timeframe that I have to work on the project. Then, I take the time to screen data in the existing database to calculate the number of unique ID's and records to come into the system. Last, I have to verify that the source data matches the schema within the targe"

Hitachi Solutions Interview Questions

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1. What unique values can you bring to Hitachi Solutions in your user experience design skills?
2. Hitachi Solutions uses business intelligence tools to improve sales performance. With which BI tools are you most familiar?
3. How do you feel cloud computing has positively impacted the software industry?
4. Beyond revenue, how do Hitachi Solutions's products benefit our clients?
5. Talk about a recent successful project that you worked on that required you to navigate some troubled waters during the project. What were the roadblocks and how did you overcome them?
6. Do you consider yourself stronger in C++, C#, Java, or Python?
7. As a consultant with Hitachi Solutions, your role will be vital in gather information from our customers in building new technology for them. What would be your goals in an initial consultation with a new or existing client?
8. Do you have experience working with data in a cloud computing environment?
9. Give an example of a time that you used a universal design practice in your work as a UI or UX designer. Why was it important to do this?
10. At Hitachi Solutions, we rely on a full team effort to deliver top quality products to our customers. Tell me about a time that you worked well as part of a team. Are you comfortable in a similar role here?
11. The next cloud engineer that we hire here at Hitachi Solutions needs to be able build a system that can handle a high amount of traffic. How would you test our system's ability to handle large amounts of traffic?
12. In your current role, how would describe your ability to communicate and coordinate with the developers, testers and architects that you work closely with?
13. Tell me about a time your manager changed the scope of the project in the middle of it. How did you deal with it?
14. If hired here at Hitachi Solutions, what do you feel would be the biggest hurdle for you to overcome from the start?
15. Here at Hitachi Solutions, we strive for continuous delivery and continuous deployment with our software. Are you familiar with these processes in your current work?
16. What do you feel are the primary features and benefits of the Java programming language?
17. In our consulting services here at Hitachi Solutions, we often have to work with people who aren't very tech savvy. How would you handle a situation like this if hired for this role?
18. In SQL, how do you explain the differences between clustered and non-clustered indexes? Can you name a time that you used each?
19. As you reflect back on your career to this point in your search for a new position, what would you say is your ideal work environment or culture?
20. What methods do you use to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in tech?
21. Would you say that you are a goal oriented on the job? What would I be able to do as your manager to help you achieve your goals if hired here at Hitachi Solutions?
22. If you were working on a project here at Hitachi Solutions that came with frequent changes in user requirements, how would you handle that situation?
23. Talk about a time when things didn't go as planned on the job. What was the situation and what allowed your to persevere in that situation?
24. Walk me through your experience in enterprise software sales, and complex sales cycles.
25. Our cloud computing at Hitachi Solutions requires our experts to take proper security measures in their work. What security measures are you familiar with utilizing in a cloud platform?
26. What do you feel is one of the top issues that is faced by data engineers today?
27. What would you say is your top non-technical skill that will help you succeed in this role here at Hitachi Solutions?
28. In your current work, what are the important steps you take in the data validation process?

Hitachi Solutions Interview Questions

1. What unique values can you bring to Hitachi Solutions in your user experience design skills?

2. Hitachi Solutions uses business intelligence tools to improve sales performance. With which BI tools are you most familiar?

3. How do you feel cloud computing has positively impacted the software industry?

4. Beyond revenue, how do Hitachi Solutions's products benefit our clients?

5. Talk about a recent successful project that you worked on that required you to navigate some troubled waters during the project. What were the roadblocks and how did you overcome them?

6. Do you consider yourself stronger in C++, C#, Java, or Python?

7. As a consultant with Hitachi Solutions, your role will be vital in gather information from our customers in building new technology for them. What would be your goals in an initial consultation with a new or existing client?

8. Do you have experience working with data in a cloud computing environment?

9. Give an example of a time that you used a universal design practice in your work as a UI or UX designer. Why was it important to do this?

10. At Hitachi Solutions, we rely on a full team effort to deliver top quality products to our customers. Tell me about a time that you worked well as part of a team. Are you comfortable in a similar role here?

11. The next cloud engineer that we hire here at Hitachi Solutions needs to be able build a system that can handle a high amount of traffic. How would you test our system's ability to handle large amounts of traffic?

12. In your current role, how would describe your ability to communicate and coordinate with the developers, testers and architects that you work closely with?

13. Tell me about a time your manager changed the scope of the project in the middle of it. How did you deal with it?

14. If hired here at Hitachi Solutions, what do you feel would be the biggest hurdle for you to overcome from the start?

15. Here at Hitachi Solutions, we strive for continuous delivery and continuous deployment with our software. Are you familiar with these processes in your current work?

16. What do you feel are the primary features and benefits of the Java programming language?

17. In our consulting services here at Hitachi Solutions, we often have to work with people who aren't very tech savvy. How would you handle a situation like this if hired for this role?

18. In SQL, how do you explain the differences between clustered and non-clustered indexes? Can you name a time that you used each?

19. As you reflect back on your career to this point in your search for a new position, what would you say is your ideal work environment or culture?

20. What methods do you use to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in tech?

21. Would you say that you are a goal oriented on the job? What would I be able to do as your manager to help you achieve your goals if hired here at Hitachi Solutions?

22. If you were working on a project here at Hitachi Solutions that came with frequent changes in user requirements, how would you handle that situation?

23. Talk about a time when things didn't go as planned on the job. What was the situation and what allowed your to persevere in that situation?

24. Walk me through your experience in enterprise software sales, and complex sales cycles.

25. Our cloud computing at Hitachi Solutions requires our experts to take proper security measures in their work. What security measures are you familiar with utilizing in a cloud platform?

26. What do you feel is one of the top issues that is faced by data engineers today?

27. What would you say is your top non-technical skill that will help you succeed in this role here at Hitachi Solutions?

28. In your current work, what are the important steps you take in the data validation process?