What do you do if you need to ace a technical interview?
Preparing for a technical interview can be daunting, but with the right approach, you can position yourself for success. It's essential to understand that acing such an interview goes beyond just technical know-how; it's also about demonstrating problem-solving skills, effective communication, and a fit with the company's culture. Your journey to impressing your future employers begins with a thorough preparation strategy that encompasses understanding the job role, practicing coding problems, and mastering the art of clear explanations.
To start off, ensure you have a strong grasp of the fundamental concepts related to the job you're applying for. This might include programming languages, algorithms, data structures, and system design principles. Brush up on these areas by reviewing your past work and studying relevant materials. Being well-versed in the basics will not only help you solve technical problems more efficiently but also allow you to understand and respond to more complex questions that may arise during the interview.
Next, you'll want to sharpen your coding skills by tackling a variety of problems. Use online platforms that offer coding challenges to simulate the interview environment. Practice writing clean, efficient code and remember to test it thoroughly. It's not just about getting the right answer; it's also about how you approach the problem, your thought process, and your ability to debug issues when your code doesn't work as expected.
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Prasad Wangikar
Practice is crucial for coding problems. You don't need to solve every LeetCode question, but you should aim to be proficient enough to code problems within specific timeframes: 5 minutes for easy, 10 minutes for medium, and 15 minutes for hard problems once you know how to solve them. It's also important to practice explaining your solutions. Simply solving problems quickly for the dopamine hit won't suffice in interviews; interviewers want to understand your thought process. So, practice articulating your problem-solving approach to succeed in coding interviews.
Reflect on your past projects and be prepared to discuss them in detail. Interviewers often ask about previous work to gauge your hands-on experience. Be ready to explain the technologies you used, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. This demonstrates your problem-solving skills and gives insights into your working style. Make sure you can articulate the impact of your projects and how they align with the role you're seeking.
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Prasad Wangikar
Reviewing projects before an interview is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, mitigating the effects of recency bias during the interview process. Despite having accumulated valuable experiences over the span of a decade or more, the pressure of an interview can make it challenging to recall specific examples when prompted with questions like "Tell me about a time when...". By compiling a list of projects from your past, you can better prepare yourself. For instance, Amazon, with their 16 leadership principles (yes they recently added 2 more), often seeks examples from your past that align with these principles. Having a list of projects is essential groundwork before entering the behavioral interview round.
Consider conducting mock interviews to practice your communication skills and get comfortable with the format of a technical interview. You can do this with a friend or mentor who can provide feedback on your technical explanations and problem-solving approach. Practicing out loud helps you organize your thoughts and presents an opportunity to refine your delivery so that you can be clear and concise during the actual interview.
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Prasad Wangikar
Mock interviews are invaluable. Despite their power, many overlook them. Deliberate practice with feedback, as highlighted in Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers," is key. Thank god that you don't need 10,000 mock interviews to land a tech job, but feedback is crucial. Repeating the same mistakes across interviews with multiple companies yields no progress. Most companies don't offer detailed feedback on why they are moving ahead with the 'other candidates'. Platforms like interviewing.io offer mock interview opportunities. If you do not want to spend that money ask for a favor to your friend to do the role-play. But remember even a small investment here can greatly benefit your job search.
Don't hesitate to ask for clarification if you encounter a question or problem that's not entirely clear during the interview. Seeking clarification shows that you're thorough and ensures that you fully understand the problem before attempting to solve it. It's better to ask questions than to make incorrect assumptions that could lead you down the wrong path.
Finally, maintaining composure throughout the interview process is crucial. Technical interviews can be stressful, but staying calm allows you to think more clearly and perform at your best. Take deep breaths, manage your time wisely, and remember that it's okay not to know everything. Your attitude and ability to handle pressure can be just as important as your technical proficiency.
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