Performing Your Best In A Technical Interview

A technical interview is a series of questions that touch on your engineering and computer science knowledge. The goal of the interview is to determine if you are qualified for the job opening, and if you can do the work.

These tips will help you do your best in an interview by helping to prepare what to expect and how to answer difficult questions put forth by a potential employer.

What will happen?

You will be walking into the interview not knowing what to expect. Sometimes an interviewer will ask you to design a system or code something on the spot. Other times they might ask you basic questions about computer science, your experience, and your qualifications.

How to prepare?

Expect the unexpected: You could get anything asked to you in an interview, so be prepared for any question or scenario the interviewer can throw at you! Think about different problems that you may face and try to come up with solutions on how they could be resolved. Visualize yourself actually working in their environment by researching the company beforehand and coming up with answers that directly relate to their working environment.

Stay calm: The interviewer will watch your body language, so being calm and poised really helps. Don't fidget or act anxious. They will see that your not prepared for the situation, and that you just don't have a clue what's going on.

Be concise: Your goal in the interview is to present yourself well while showing off your knowledge of their industry. To do this you should use short sentences and explain everything clearly, give concrete examples and demonstrate problem solving skills.

Think long term: Interviews can be stressful, but try to think like a potential employer would and plan out what you are going to do once you get hired on at the company.

Understand the problem: Before attempting to solve a problem, make sure you fully understand the requirements and constraints. This includes understanding the inputs and outputs of the problem, any edge cases or constraints that need to be considered, and the expected time and space complexity of the solution. By fully understanding the problem, you'll be able to come up with a more efficient and accurate solution.

Practice: Practice solving similar problems to the ones you expect to encounter in the interview. This will help you become more familiar with the types of problems and improve your problem-solving skills. It is also a good idea to practice writing code on a whiteboard or a piece of paper, as this is a common format used in technical interviews.

Prepare a quick presentation: This is a very important step, especially if you're being grilled on a programming problem or algorithm. You probably don't want to spend the entire interview giving them the rundown of every little detail of your logic or algorithm. Instead, think of a quick presentation consisting of only the highlights and key points.

Communicate your thought process: Clearly communicate your thought process as you work through the problem. This will help the interviewer understand how you approach problem-solving and also it will help you to better understand the problem. Explain the pros and cons of different approaches you are considering, and the reasons why you chose a particular approach.

Be prepared to explain your code: Be prepared to explain how your code works and why you chose to write it in a certain way. This includes explaining any complex algorithms or data structures that you used, and how you handled any edge cases or potential bugs.

Be honest: If you don't know the answer to a question, it's better to admit it and ask for clarification than to give a wrong answer. It shows that you are aware of your own limitations and willing to learn.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions: If you have any doubts or need more information, don't be afraid to ask the interviewer. This shows that you are thorough and detail-oriented, and it also gives you a better understanding of the problem.

Finally, be yourself. Show your passion and enthusiasm for the field you are interviewing for. This will make you more relatable to the interviewer and make you stand out from other candidates.

Look for an example - This is a very easy way to solve almost any programming problem. If the question involves sorting, just ask for an existing dataset that has already been sorted and then pass it through the algorithm to see how it performs with real-world data.

Things To Avoid While Appearing In A Technical Interview

Not understanding the problem or question: Make sure you fully understand the problem or question before attempting to answer it.

Being overly confident or arrogant: Showing humility and the ability to admit mistakes is important in any interview.

Not being able to explain your thought process: Being able to clearly explain your thought process and reasoning is just as important as the solution itself.

Using jargon or acronyms without explaining them: Avoid using technical terms that may not be familiar to the interviewer without first explaining them.

Ignoring the basics: Brush up on basic concepts and terminology before the interview.

Not providing a complete solution: Make sure your solution is complete, including any necessary error handling or edge cases.

Unable to follow up on feedback or questions: Be prepared to answer follow-up questions and be open to feedback on your solution.

Not paying attention to time management: Make sure you are able to explain your thought process and solution in the time given.

When you're interviewing for a technical position, it can feel like the stakes are higher. You might feel under pressure to show your skills and knowledge in a short span of time while being grilled by a skilled interviewer.

Thankfully, you have plenty of resources available to help prepare yourself for this moment. These resources range from study guides to practicing questions and also questions to ask during the interview.