How to prepare for a coding interview? 10 tips to pass your next interview

Hey readers, in this article we are going to discuss how to prepare for a coding interview and tips that you should keep in your mind for acing the interview. Let’s get started without any delay.

Introduction

Most of the things in today’s world are automated. We use computers and machines to do our tasks. Computers can do a lot of things but none on their own. They need instructions. So the need for programmers became very high. So jobs in the IT sector became one of the highest paying ones. Learning how to code is one of the best skills you can develop in this day and age. Coding has many practical applications that range from helping you keep track of personal finances, to building your own website, or designing games. The great thing about coding is that it’s relatively easy to learn and offers tons of opportunities for employment

Many people started making their careers in this field. Competition in this sector has become very high. Recruiters started to recruit quality programmers. In order to see the practical knowledge of a job seeker, interviewing them has become a common practice.

How to prepare for a coding interview?

Preparation for an interview is not a one-hour or one-day process. It takes many days of hard work and consistency in the preparation. Starting with the most basic is the knowledge of computer science fundamentals such as data structures and algorithms, Object Oriented design, databases, operating systems, etc as it is essential for any coding interview. Just memorizing these doesn’t help you as in any interview as you are tested with how you solve a problem, not your ability of mugging up. So concentrate much on problem-solving. Do consider websites like leetcode, hackerrank, codechef, etc for practicing problem-solving.

The projects you have done play a vital role in your interview. Have in-depth knowledge of your project like technologies you have used in your project, problems you have faced during the making of the project and how you tackled them, etc. You should also show that you are a good engineer and a good team worker. You may be asked situation-based questions like how would you tackle tough situations, how will you deliver under pressure, whether would you take the whole responsibility for a project failure, etc. So prepare them accordingly. You should demonstrate good leadership skills in order to have an upper hand over other candidates. Communication plays a vital role in any interview. So practice communication with your friends, etc.

Tips to pass an interview

There are some things that you should keep in mind while preparing for a technical interview. Let us discuss them.

Technical knowledge

Exhibiting your technical knowledge in any interview is very important. To have sound technical knowledge, you should learn things in the correct way. There are many courses and video lectures available over the internet with which you can start learning but these can take you only so far. Programming is just like cricket. You can know a lot of things just by watching cricket matches but to become a good cricket player, you need to get into the field and work hard and become an expert in it.

The difference between a good programmer and a bad programmer is in the confidence in solving a problem which you only get with practice and experience. You should be consistent and disciplined in your learning. For becoming an expert in any field, you need a structured course and lots of hands-on practice. It would be great if you also have a clear learning path. You can get all of these in Codedamn. Do check learning paths at codedamn.

Projects

You should try and showcase that you have worked on many projects in the interview and have enough practical knowledge. The outcome of programming is practicality which can only be achieved by working on projects. They are considered the most efficient ways of learning programming, as they demand the use of skills that you have learned. The usefulness of the skills that you learn can be increased to a great extent by working on projects. So after gaining the required skills, try working on a project that interests you or some open source project. Think about things that bother you in your real life and try finding a solution for them.

The projects also act as proof of your work and recognition for yourself. Just the number of projects doesn’t matter. The thing that matters is the depth of the project you have worked on. In most of the interviews, the interviewers focus on your projects and ask questions accordingly. So don’t show any fake projects. Only show those projects on which you have hands-on experience and knowledge.

To build projects you can check out codedamn projects. Building projects are the best way to learn to program. Moreover, you can showcase your projects on your resume to job recruiters.

Don’t know the solution

Imagine a scenario in which you are in an interview and your interviewer asked you a question. The problem here is that you don’t know the solution. At that time do not panic. There is nothing wrong in telling the interviewer that you don’t know the solution but it should be done in only rare cases. Instead, you should try and explain the approach you are going to take, to solve that particular problem. Even if you do not know the solution, just your approach can impress the interviewer.

Communication

Communication plays an important role in any interview. It is as important as your technical knowledge. High technical knowledge with no communication skills is useless. You need to have good communication skills to express yourself in the interview. Prepare the basic questions such as an introduction well before the interview. So that you will have no problem with the interview. Also, prepare for some of the good end questions. All these can leave an excellent opinion of you.

Mock Interviews

A mock Interview can help you a lot for your real interview. They stimulate your mind to a real interview and make you less anxious. They also help in boosting your confidence and reduce stress. With an evaluation of your performance, you can rectify the mistakes you commit and ensure that you won’t repeat them in the real interview.

Know about the company

Do research on the company you are going to sit for the interview. Do check out their requirements and preferences. You will also know about the work culture of that company. In the interview, don’t boast about the company. Instead, speak facts on how their company and that particular role you are applying for will fit you. It makes more sense and leaves a good impression rather than just boasting about their company.

Speak facts

It is preferred to enclose facts with the words you tell in the interview. Just don’t tell them that you are good at programming. Add proofs to them such as your projects, hackathons, etc which justify your statements.

Multiple Approaches

Try to give multiple approaches to solve a problem instead of one. When specially asked for one, do consider time complexity and give the answer. In most of the interviews, questions on data structures and algorithms are common practice as they are considered as tests to check your basic knowledge. When an interviewer asks to solve multiple questions in an interview, start with the easy ones. So that you get the confidence to solve the tough ones. If you get a question that you have previously encountered in your preparation, keep your calm instead of showing your anxiety. 

Learn from experiences

Do not get disappointed if you don’t get selected for the interview. At the end of the interview, do ask the interviewers for a review. Also, knowledge from experiences is equal to knowledge from an experienced person. So ask experienced people, especially those who gave interviews with that particular company.

Consistency is the king

Consistency is the most important thing to gain expertise in any field. Performance and consistency are directly proportional. If you want to increase your performance in the interview, you should be consistent throughout your preparation. Consistency helps in progress which in return speeds up your success. It increases self-confidence which is very important for acing an interview.

Conclusion 

In this article, we have discussed tips to ace interviews and things that you should keep in mind while preparing for an interview. Learning should be consistent throughout your preparation. Learning any technology is not hard, it just takes time, effort, and patience. You will have to get aware of a lot of things. Stay consistent in learning and you will see yourself achieving your goal. That’s it for this article. Learning is a continuous process. Don’t stop learning with this article. Do check courses at codedamn and learn the trending technologies. Codedamn will have inbuilt playgrounds for coding. So no need to set it up on your desktop. With structured courses at codedamn, you can excel in coding.