The technical interviews are far more different as compared to other job interviews. They are specialized with multiple processes for testing the candidate’s personality, problem-solving skills, and coding skills. However, interviewing for a tech job can be hectic with remote coding challenges, whiteboard challenges, and multiple on-site interviews. However, the process becomes much easier when you are well aware of the upcoming situations and invest ample time to prepare for the tech interview.
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In this article, we’ll learn:
- What is the Technical Interview?
- The Recruiters
- Types of Interview Questions
- Excel Tech Interviews with Interview Kickstart
- FAQs About Tech Interview Preparation
What is the Technical Interview?
The process in which developers are evaluated through questions that majorly focus on technical skills is technical interviews. Multiple assignments, including projects, data structure, or coding questions, are used by the interviewers to monitor and score the proficiency in the skills of the developer. Hence, these interviews carefully acknowledge each candidate’s proficiency and frameworks and programming languages. Also, giving a slight idea about their soft skills, such as collaboration or communication style.
Major Stages of a Technical Interview
The three major stages of technical interviews include:
Stage 1: Video Screen or Technical Phone Interview
Once the company finds your resume attractive, they become eager to communicate with you. The first stage includes a short technical screening process, which is crafted to acknowledge whether you are passionate enough to be called up for the next technical round or not. This stage lasts for around 15 to 30 minutes over a phone call or a video call.
Stage 2: Remote Coding Assignment/Interview
Many companies test your coding skills with an assessment before inviting you for an on-site interview. This assignment can be conducted over Zoom, Skype, or over the phone. As a remote coding challenge requires just a few hours, the company might provide you with a specific time limit.
Stage 3: Whiteboard Challenge/On-Site Interview
This stage is most probably called the actual technical interview. This process includes an in-person interview wherein you must complete the coding challenges on a whiteboard in the presence of the interviews. This can also take place over a video conference remotely when the company is remote. A whiteboard interview can last for around 1 to 2 hours. However, the whole on-site technical interview can even engage your full day.
The Recruiters
This is a major factor that might vary from one company to another, but you can basically divide this into two situations. On the basis of the size of the company you are interviewing for.
A Start-Up: At a smaller company, engineering team members, the CTO, or a senior developer might take your interview.
A Larger Company: Members of the engineering team, recruiter, or the HR staff interview you at a larger company. These interviews might be a little tough and require in-depth technical knowledge. A larger company might also process your interview in multiple steps, whether remotely or on-site.
Your interview can also be held with the tech team during a whiteboard in technical interview, and an executive interview can be organized with the CTO or a cultural interview with the HR staff. Irrespective of the situation, prepare yourself in the best way possible as per your position and be aware of the products and services provided by the company you are interviewing for.
Types of Interview Questions
Tech interviews cover a diverse range of questions, extending beyond just coding and whiteboard exercises. A proficient software engineer should be addressing inquiries that touch on both technical expertise and interpersonal skills. Here are several types of questions you could encounter.
Situational: These interview questions explore how you would handle hypothetical future situations, such as:
- How would you approach a coding task if uncertain about its goals or direction?
- In a scenario where your teammate requests a code review revealing numerous bugs, how would you respond?
- If your coworkers didn’t complete their part of a coding project on time, what actions would you take?
Education: Interviewers might pose questions regarding your educational background, including inquiries about attending college, whether you are self-taught, and the methods you employ for self-education.
Behavioral: These questions aim to assess your past actions in specific real-life scenarios. They inquire about your experiences, such as:
- Describe a challenging situation you successfully handled
- Provide an example of working effectively under pressure
- Share insights on how you managed a mistake at work
Technical Knowledge: The core of a technical interview lies in questions that evaluate your genuine skills and knowledge. These may involve tech-oriented trivia, such as ensuring code is both safe and fast or determining the appropriate use of polymorphism. Additionally, there could be questions related to coding exercises on a whiteboard.
Strategies for Acing the Interview
Some key strategies to follow on how to prepare for tech interview are:
Communication
In a tech interview preparation plan, the dialogue with the interviewer is as crucial as the code. It’s essential to articulate your thought process throughout, discussing your approach, seeking additional details, and considering the application of your solution to the specific job. Avoid postponing code explanations until the end to prevent potential omissions or time constraints. Describe each action and decision in real time as you progress.
Constant Practice
Effective interview preparation is crucial for developers, but the emphasis should be on practicing intelligently rather than excessively.
The objective of practice sessions isn’t to cover every conceivable question but to expose yourself to a range of questions, becoming familiar with diverse types and problem-solving approaches. Even advanced coding questions often involve combining multiple computer science concepts.
Structure Responses
Although tackling tough technical questions in interviews is undeniably challenging, for some developers, the non-technical aspects pose an even greater difficulty. Articulating complex technical concepts verbally requires a skill of its own.
Enhance your interview performance by structuring your responses using a reliable answering method. Consider employing the following strategies to navigate these challenges more smoothly.
PREP Method
Tech Interview PREPÂ (Point, Reason, Example, Point) technique is a presentation approach suitable for addressing problem-solving and design questions.
- Point: Clearly articulate the solution in straightforward terms.
- Reasons: Elaborate on the solution by providing the underlying reasons.
- Point: Reinforce the solution by reiterating it to bring the answer full circle.
STAR Method
The Situation, Task, Action, and Result (STAR) method serves as an effective approach for addressing problem-solving or design interview questions.
- Situation: Clearly outline the situation and surrounding circumstances.
- Action: Describe the approaches and technologies you intend to employ to address the problem.
- Result: Conclude by presenting the outcome or result of your actions.
Excel Tech Interviews with Interview Kickstart
Armed with these best tech interview prep tips, you’re ready to embark on your preparation journey. Utilize the abundant resources available to learn how to excel in technical interviews.
Continuously seek knowledge, enhance your skills, and refine your coding interview abilities through regular practice with Interview Kickstart. Enroll today with IK for thorough preparation, and tackle the technical interview to secure your dream tech job.
FAQs About Tech Interview Preparation
Q1. What type of questions are asked in a technical interview?
Questions related to the technical tools, hypothetical situations, describing your problem-solving skills, coding, and other technical skills might be asked during a technical interview. However, every company follows a different structure of interviews.
Q2. What can you expect from a tech interview?
In a technical interview, you can expect questions related to numerical reasoning, problems, complex problems, or brain teasers. Apart from these, the interview might monitor your problem-solving skills, communication skills, and collaboration skills as well.
Q3. How can I prepare for a technical interview as a fresher?
As a fresher, you must study data structures and algorithms to prepare for your technical interview. In addition, review programming language, practice, complex coding, problems, and practice, elaborating your problem-solving skills. Some online coding platforms and mock interviews can also prove to be beneficial for improving your skills.
Q4. Where can I practice mock interviews?
The interview practice could start using the leading interview preparation platform like Interview Kickstart, which provides multiple mock interviews to prepare for your actual technical interview.
Q5. Why are tech interviews so hard?
Technical coding interviews are often regarded as challenging since they need a thorough comprehension of computer science principles and the capacity to find fast, precise solutions to challenging situations.
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