CODING INTERVIEW: 50+ Tips and Tricks to Better Performance in Your Coding Interview

By Eric Schmidt

If you're familiar with Google, Microsoft, and Apple, then it's important to know that these companies have pretty rigorous interview processes. You don't get to be an engineering manager at one of these places without knowing how to interview well, but even as an experienced interviewer who has trained hundreds of other engineers on how to answ

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eric Schmidt
• Release date: Jul 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088218235

Eric Schmidt

Eric Schmidt served as Google CEO and chairman from 2001 until 2011, Google executive chairman from 2011 to 2015, and Alphabet executive chairman from 2015 to 2018.

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Introduction

If you’re familiar with Google, Microsoft, and Apple, then it’s important to know that these companies have pretty rigorous interview processes. You don't get to be an engineering manager at one of these places without knowing how to interview well, but even as an experienced interviewer who has trained hundreds of other engineers on how to answer questions effectively, you can still sometimes feel unprepared during interviews. That's why this book is here to help you!

It is imperative to know your stuff, and even more important to be able to communicate that knowledge in an engaging way.

Cracking the Coding Interview focuses on algorithm design and coding questions—the kind of questions you'll encounter in interviews at companies like Google, Facebook, Uber, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. It starts with a brief overview of algorithm design and coding questions, then moves on to strategies for answering them. The book finishes with examples of real-life questions from various companies' interviews so that you can see how these strategies work in action.

This book will expose you to new ideas and provide you with the tools needed to pursue your interests. It will also guide you so that you can avoid some of the struggles you might be confronted with when learning how to approach these types of questions in an interview environment.

Chapter 1

The Interview Process

An interview is a conversation between two people (or more), where one tries to decide whether the other would be a good employee. Interviews can be stressful!

The process of interviewing is a multi-step process.

Knowing what to expect and how the whole process works are essential.

You should know what you're getting yourself into and what you should expect from both sides.

You need to be prepared for all possible questions that might come up during an interview. This includes knowing what they'll ask, why they want to ask them, and how you can positively answer them.

After the interview, you must follow up with your interviewer(s).

The Interviewer Will Make an Assessment of Your Performance

The interviewer will be assessing your performance based on the following:

Analytical Skills:

Analytical skills are vital because they allow you to understand the problem and find a solution. When asked about your analytical skills, think about how you approach problems in your current job. What do you look for? How do you know when the solution is complete? What steps do you usually take when solving a problem?

Coding Skills:

Coding is a skill that can be learned, but it's one that most people have trouble with. Although learning to code can take years of practice and patience, an average person who has never coded before can learn the basics of coding in just a few days. Coding is helpful for many jobs, from web design and development to software engineering.

Technical Knowledge/ Computer Science fundamentals:

As a candidate, you may be asked to demonstrate your technical knowledge or skills in the following areas:

Data structures and algorithms

Prior experience with data structures and algorithms (e.g., academic projects)

Analytical skills (e.g., modeling/simulation)

Coding skills (e.g., demonstrated ability to write code from scratch)

Culture fit (e.g., teamwork, leadership qualities, willingness to learn new things)

Your Prior Experience

It is essential to mention your strengths and weaknesses. You can also emphasize any skills you have learned in previous jobs. For example, if you worked in a restaurant before, it's recommended that you mention what kind of dishes you prepare or how well you know the menu. The interviewers will want to know if they can use your skills immediately or not, what these skills are, and how they helped with your previous job performance

If possible, bring some examples with you so the interviewer can see the results of these skills when applied in real-world scenarios. You should also include achievements from previous positions on the resume and highlight them during the interview.

Culture Fit/Communication Skills:

You should always ask questions.

You should speak up when you have a question or concern.

Don't be afraid to say no if you don't agree with something happening in the interview process or don't like what is being asked of you.

False Negatives Are Acceptable.

False negatives are acceptable if they are rare and not too costly. False negatives are also acceptable if they are not frequent, damaging, or painful.

For example, a doctor should miss a cancerous tumor in the early stages than for them to find one late in its development—the latter is more likely to be fatal. Likewise, it's better for a person suffering from depression not to get treatment than to receive help and still commit suicide later (which might happen despite treatment).

Problem-Solving Skills Are Valuable

Problem-solving skills are valuable. They are the key to success and can help you secure a job during an interview.

Problem-solving skills are valuable because they allow you to solve problems effectively, a crucial skill in any profession or industry. A problem your interviewer might ask you about could be anything from how best to approach a client at work or how much time it would take for someone to travel from one place on Earth to another using only their feet.

Basic Data Structure and Algorithm Knowledge Are Useful

The field of computer science is concerned with the study of algorithms and data structures, which are the fundamental building blocks of computers. These concepts apply to various domains, languages, and applications.

Data structures are abstract entities that store information in a computer system. Examples include arrays, lists, and binary trees (which can be used for storing graphs). Data structures are typically implemented as dynamic memory allocated from the heap or some other storage medium (e.g., disk).

Algorithms are sets of rules or steps that specify how to solve computer problems by performing calculations or making decisions based on existing knowledge about how various data items relate. For example, given two numbers A=(a_1,...a_n) and B=(b_1,...b_m), we can calculate C=A+B using an algorithm called addition.

Whiteboards Let You Focus on What Matters

Whiteboards are an excellent tool for interviews. They allow you to focus on matters and make communicating with the interviewer easier.

Focus on the problem, not the technology. You're not writing code, so you don't have to worry about picking the right language or framework. Whiteboards give you a way of thinking through problems that is more natural than using a keyboard and mouse. They let your mind wander freely without worrying about syntax errors or other distractions. Your interviewer will appreciate this because they can see that you're focusing on their questions instead of how much time is left in the interview or whether your phone's ringing again (those things never happen).

Communicate clearly with your interviewer(s). Remember: whiteboard interviews are about communication and problem-solving skills, so ensure everyone understands what's going on! When working with others during group projects, keep track of who did what work by writing down each person's name next to their contribution, so everyone knows who did what part of which project component at any given time."

But It’s Not for Everyone

Some people can't do whiteboard interviews, either because they're too nervous about performing well in that setting or because they don't have the skill set necessary to develop an elegant solution.

Some companies think that whiteboard interviews are a great way to assess someone's ability to think through problems and write code under pressure. Still, it's important to remember that whiteboarding is only one part of the job hunt process. Many other types of interviews allow you to demonstrate your abilities in real-world situations.

In some cases, such as when someone has worked at several companies, there may be too much overlap between what they've done before and what you need them to do now. Using this type of interview might not give you enough new information about their abilities as described above.

How Questions Are Selected

The questions are designed to test your skills, knowledge, and experience.

The questions are designed to test your problem-solving skills.

The questions are designed to test your communication skills.

It's All Relative

It's essential to keep in mind that your interview experience is subjective and that it shouldn't be compared to anyone else's. You should never compare your interview experience to the job description or the job market, as they're very different things and can lead you down a path of frustration if you're not careful. If you feel something went wrong with your interview, ask yourself: what did I do? What did they do? And was there a miscommunication between