INTERVIEW SKILLS
How to prepare for an Interview?
Before the interview
Revise
Brush up your knowledge in data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving skills. If you have already prepared well then you might refer, Cracking the Coding Interview. If you are a beginner, you might go with a book that starts pretty much with the basics. Refreshing your coding knowledge will also improve your thinking ability in the environment of pressure. You should solve sample questions, you may find a solved question in the interview.
Keep your schedule smooth
It is observed that the overall performance is affected due to a hectic schedule. Whenever you schedule interviews, keep a gap of at least some hours between two interviews. This will reduce a lot of stress as you would not have to worry about finishing this interview in time as you have to go for another interview. Moreover, logic and problem-solving energy are used up quite a lot in an interview. To avoid exhaustion it is advised to take a break and relax between two consecutive interviews.
During the Interview
Ask Questions
Whenever you are asked a question, make sure you clearly understand the question. Think it through, you can even involve the interviewer or ask them how they want the particular problem to be solved. You should ask if there are any constraints of language or libraries. Don’t assume things, this mistake is done by a lot of people. Even if you are pretty sure, ask!
Talk it out loud
Speak aloud whatever you are thinking, if you go on writing the code silently, the interviews will not get an idea of how you think. And, they want to know that. If you are creating a function, say it out loud what are your thoughts after creating the function. Why did you choose this library? And even for small things like using a for loop, say, So I need to iterate the values from this array and I’ll go with the for a loop. Your approach is what the interviewer is interested in. Even if your algorithm is excellent but your approach is not known, then it might not impress the interviewer that much.
Connect to the interviewer
Even if you are interviewing for an engineering job, your people skills are as important as your coding skills. If you are a programmer, doesn’t mean you don’t have to personable and responsible. Try to connect to the people in the room. Ask questions about the company’s stack, engineering team, what kind of problems they are tackling with their products. Don’t overdo it, but show your interest in their products and this will positively impact your prospects.