Full stack developers use programming languages, frameworks, and design strategies to develop and maintain websites and applications. With an anticipate
d job growth rate of nearly 13% in 2021, it is currently one of the most in-demand skills. Full stack developer interview preparation tips can help candidates gain an edge and increase their chances of landing these competitive roles. It is also one of the most satisfying jobs, as reported by USA Today.
If you are appearing for an interview for a full stack developer position, it means that you are already an expert in HTML. Interviewers expect you to be an expert in at least one programming language necessary for the job role for this position.
In this article, we will help you understand how to prepare for a full stack developer interview.We’ll cover everything from the different stages of the
interview to full stack developer interview preparation tips. We also share some commonly asked full stack developer interview questions in FAANG companies.
Three Stages of the Full Stack Developer Interview
In most organizations, the full stack developer interview is divided into three segments — introduction, pair-programming, and Q&A.
As a full stack developer, you should be adept at front-end development that uses Java, JavaScript, and HTML. The knowledge of the Ruby program is also desirable. In addition, in-depth knowledge of palindrome functions and data structures will ensure you go a long way in the interview process.
Round 1: Introduction
In this round, you’ll introduce yourself and provide information about:
- Your previous role as a full stack developer
- Your most preferred programming languages
- Ongoing projects
If you are working on any personal projects, discuss your approach, its development, and implementation. Help the interviewer understand your role in the process.
Round 2: Pair-Programming
During this round, you will be asked to write a code for a particular program or API. While working on the code, you should explain your approach to the interviewer.
This is one of the crucial rounds where full stack project interview tips become useful, as you need to showcase your problem-solving skills and implementation ability while working toward a common goal as a team. These situations are generally based on actual problems that you may be required to work on once you are hired.
Round 3: Q&A Round
The Q&A (question and answer) round is held to discuss your achievements, previous experiences, and other job-related aspects. You can expect discussions about the company, job role, and what it entails, making it an opportunity to learn about the organization’s functions, business operations, and expectations from a candidate.
How to Prepare for a Full Stack Developer Interview
Besides having an impressive resume, a technical interview for the position of a full stack developer is an opportunity to showcase one’s technical skills. The full stack developer interview preparation tips often focus on three key steps:
- Understanding the problem at hand
- Finding a possible solution
- Explaining and implementing the solution (while showcasing attributes of a well-versed full stack developer)
While this might look short and simple, you will need to do solid prep to understand, solve, and explain any problem or question thrown at you.
Here’s what you should do while preparing for that full stack developer interview:
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips: Master the Fundamentals
Mastering the basics of stacks is key to cracking a full stack developer interview at any company. Research and review the company’s stacks as a part of your full stack developer interview preparation tips is a good start. Studying StackShare and GitHub repos of a company to find libraries and languages they use is critical for the technical interview round preparation.
Fundamentals of data structures, object-oriented programming, string manipulation, and control flow must be a part of your full stack developer interview prep. The main objective is to assess your ability to code with a reason rather than in-depth preparation. Since most languages have similar constructs, it is not necessary to be a master of every language.
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips: Practice Live Coding
A common task that an interviewer will assign you is fixing a “broken code.†The full stack developer interview preparation tips suggest that you practice live coding to learn to identify bugs and know how to fix them. Your approach is the key here; in all probability, you will be working on unfamiliar development conditions — integrated development environment or an unfamiliar computer system.
When preparing for a full stack interview,practice without fancy key bindings, custom dotfile alias, or convenient dual-screen setups. Furthermore, it is beneficial to ask which language your technical round will be based on to avoid hassles.
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips: Prepare for the Take-Home Assignment
You might receive a take-home assignment as a part of your tech interview. This can work to your benefit — you can use Google, Stack Overflow, and the likes, along with your dev station. An example of such an assignment would be “Implement a validator for simple games such as Solitaire along with a test suite.†The implementation of the validator is the primary goal of this assignment.
The deadline for such as task can be anywhere between 4-6 hours to 2 days, depending on the job and task.
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips: Prepare for the Build Challenge
In a build challenge, interviewers may task you with building a Web 2.0 application with boundary conditions — you must outline the data types you need and functions of your model. They can add further restrictions to minimize your options and test your adapting ability.
To be successful at a building challenge, you should know the intricacies of an application’s stacks, even if you are not well-versed with low-latency networking or database administration.
In order to practice, you can work on a previous project at your last job or a personal project, and as you come across errors, develop an in-depth understanding of the interaction between UI, backend, and frontend, and your approach toward it. These are crucial elements for full stack developer interview prep.
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips: Prepare Questions; Rehearse Answers
Create your own set of questions on various topics depending on the job role you are preparing for. Rehearsing answers for questions around building strategy, workflow, dealing with changing requirements, and dealing with low or sub-par product specs is an integral part of the full stack developer interview preparation.
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips: Online Coding Courses
Software engineers can take up online courses as part of their interview preparation for a full stack developer position. Receiving guidance from industry experts and senior software developers who are familiar with the nuances of preparing for a full stack developer interview can prove beneficial in clearing the interview.
FAANG technical interview preparation specialty courses are available in abundance, where former employees of various companies give the requisite training to candidates to help crack interviews. Bootcamps can also help coding engineers to acquire in-depth knowledge.
Topics to Prepare for Full Stack Developer Interview
Irrespective of whether the job role is front-end framework intrinsic or backend, you should be well-versed with the basics. Topics you must prepare for include:
In addition to this, the full stack developer interview preparation tips suggest knowing about the company, the job role, and what the organization expects from you.
FAANG Full Stack Developer Interview Prep Questions
Your preparation for the full stack developer interview remains incomplete without understanding some of the commonly asked questions and their importance. Below are some of the frequently asked questions:
1. Which programming languages are you familiar with?
Interviewers expect a professional full stack developer to have adequate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript knowledge, as these are basic languages. However, one must be well-versed in more languages, such as Ruby, Python, PHP, and the likes to increase their chances of securing the job at the company.
2. What are you working on presently?
Passionate full stack developers mainly prefer working on individual projects. As a part of the full stack developer interview preparation, you should practice showcasing your idea at the interview, providing details of your work plan, describing the process (dynamic or non-dynamic), and other such nuances.
3. How do you deal with inefficient coding inputs from team members?
Employers expect to hire efficient coders who can deliver a flawless job, irrespective of individual behavior in their team. Thus, explaining the issue to a team member while, at the same time, appreciating their efforts is the most appropriate answer to this question.
4. What is CORS?
CORS or Cross-Origin Resource Sharing allows you to make requests for various resources from a different domain from the original domain of those resources.
5. How to reduce the load time of a web application?
Reducing redirects, enabling CSS and JavaScript synchronous loading, removing plugins, and optimizing CSS delivery are some of the ways to lower load time of a web application. You can add other factors such as using CDN, reduced image sizes, and lesser images, enabling compression, and others if necessary.
6. What is your understanding of referential transparency?
Referential transparency and opacity are properties of parts of computer programs. You can change an expression or value without impacting the final result. It is a part of functional programming and applicable in the case of imperative programming. It also helps to make your code clearer and build better-defined subprograms.
7. What is your understanding of long polling?
Long polling or HTTP long polling allows a client request to remain open even if there is no adequate information available on the server instead of sending an empty request. When the server receives the desired information, it responds to the client.
Full Stack Developer Interview Preparataion Tips To Help You During The Interview
You might spend weeks and months preparing for the interview, but nothing can prepare you for D-day. Here are a couple of pro tips to help you deal with the pressure:
- Think Out Loud: According to experienced full stack developers, when you’re given a problem, discussing strategies with interviewers can be helpful. It helps interviewers understand your thought process and lets you gather information and ideas quickly to process them and solve the problem.
- Composure: Maintaining your composure while determining a possible solution is critical. Interviewers want candidates that do not succumb to pressure or stress. The ability to handle difficult situations logically and with a calm mind is desirable in a candidate.
Master Full-Stack Developer Interview with Interview Kickstart
As the demand for full-stack developers is increasing rapidly, it is becoming important for the candidates to understand how they can best clear the interview round. Interview Kickstart’s Full-Stack Engineering Interview Masterclass will help you learn the tips and tricks to ace the interview.
In this course, you will learn the essential concepts of system design, data structures and algorithms, and full-stack development. Our experts will help you optimize your LinkedIn profile, create an ATS-clearing resume, and build a strong online personal brand to help you land the job of your dreams.
We have helped thousands of aspiring full-stack developers to get to their dream job. Read our reviews to see how Interview Kickstart has added value to the lives of its countless learners.
FAQs: Full Stack Interview Preparation Tips
1. Why is there a High Demand for Full Stack Developers?
There is a rising demand for full stack developers in the US due to their flexibility to work in various divisions, thus enabling versatility. Furthermore, their in-depth knowledge allows them to adapt to challenging environments, thereby helping them to become valuable assets in both startups and established organizations.
2. Which are the Highest Paying Cities for Full Stack Developers in the US?
Based on our research, the top three spots are taken by Seattle, New York, and Boston, with average salaries between $120,000 and $135,000 per year. These cities are followed by Denver and Chicago, with median wages ranging between approximately $100,000 and $115,000. However, these may vary depending on experience and skill set.
Q3. What are Some Essential Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips for Beginners?
For beginners, full stack developer interview preparation tips include mastering foundational skills in front-end and back-end development, practicing coding challenges, and studying common interview questions related to frameworks like React and Node.js.
Q4. How can I Effectively Apply Full Stack Developer Interview Preparation Tips for Coding Tests?
To make the most of full stack developer interview preparation tips for coding tests, focus on building real-world projects, reviewing data structures, and timing yourself on coding platforms to simulate the interview environment.
Q5. What Topics Should I Focus on for a Full Stack Developer Interview?
For a full stack developer interview, focus on both front-end and back-end topics, including JavaScript, HTML/CSS, popular frameworks like React and Angular, databases, RESTful APIs, and some knowledge of deployment and version control tools.
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