Coding Interview Insights Learn What Interviewers Really Think of You and Get That Dream Job

By David Emerald

Dear reader,

I know what it feels like to be asked to build mind-blowing algorithms on the spot and write flawless codes on the whiteboard. I was asked to do the same thing as well!

And you might be preparing for a similar interview, probably tomorrow, the next week, or a year later. I'm here to help you understand the basics of computer science fundamentals and learn how you can apply these fundamentals to crack your coding interview.

This book teaches you what to prepare before you appear for the interview, understand the job application process, how to approach each step, how to approach the technical and non-technical questions, how to find the perfect suitable job for you, and what to do once you have the offer in hand.

I'm excited for you as well as the skills you will develop through preparation. It will be worth it, irrespective of where your efforts take you!

Read through the chapters carefully, as they consist of crucial insights that make the difference between a 'no hire' and a 'hire.'

Remember that interviews are tricky! Some interviewers ask easier questions than others. But you know what? Getting asked easier questions doesn't make the task of getting the offer easier. Getting the offer is not about solving the algorithms flawlessly. In fact, very few candidates do! It is rather about answering the questions better than the other candidates.

Don't stress out if you get tricky questions; probably everyone else thought they were difficult, too. You don't have to be flawless.

Keep practicing, study hard, and all the very best!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Antrim Publishing
• Release date: Apr 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224249299

David Emerald

David Emerald Womeldorff is a consultant, facilitator, executive coach, speaker and author. Writing under the pen name of David Emerald, he is the author of The Power of TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic), a teaching story about Self Leadership. He is also co-founder of the Bainbridge Leadership Center (Bainbridge Island, WA), which is committed to facilitating emergent leadership in an integral world. As director of the Center's Collective Leadership and Self Leadership practice areas, his focus is on supporting and facilitating individuals, teams, and organizations in making a conscious shift to leading and working from a vision-focused and passion-based orientation for their lives and livelihoods. David helps clients cultivate collaborative capabilities to create sustainable change and growth and to create powerful partnerships. He currently serves as an executive Coach and is on the faculty of the Executive Integral Leadership Program (IELP), an innovative program for Executive MBA students and business executives offered by the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business (Executive Education). David and his wife and business partner, Donna Zajonc, are faculty members of the International City and County Managers Association (ICMA) University. David's TED*™ framework has been selected to be a part of the University of Notre Dame's "Management and Leadership Certificate" e-learning program, as well as their EILP. He is a frequent guest presenter on The Empowerment Dynamic™, as well as his "Creating Powerful Partnerships: Seven Agreements for Accelerating Collaboration." David has consulted throughout the U.S. and internationally in a wide variety of industries. David has conducted thousands of one-on-one feedback, coaching and action planning sessions in his leadership, executive and organization development roles. He has facilitated groups in areas such as strategic visioning and action planning, cross-functional team development and managing change. David also has extensive experience in designing and leading educational programs, with a specialization in leadership development. Previously, David was Consulting Director of Bank One Corporation's Learning and Leadership Development, a corporate team of education and organization development professionals; Acting Director of Executive Education and Senior Development Consultant, managing and co-facilitating their highly-acclaimed Leadership Development Progra...

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David Emerald

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Things To Consider

Write Your Code on Paper...................

Know Your Résumé Well....................

Do Not Memorize the Solutions................

Talking Out Loud..........................

Chapter 1: Before the Job Search

Know Yourself

Know the Market

Market Information Basics....................

The Rise of Outsourcing.....................

Upgrade Marketable Skills

Look at Your Online Profile

Key Takeaways

Chapter 2: Building Your Résumé

Hallmarks of a Powerful Résumé

The Structure

The Objectives............................

Key Accomplishments......................

Work Experience..........................

Projects.................................

Education...............................

Skills...................................

Awards and Honors........................

What Not to Include in the Résumé

How Long Is Too Long?

How Do You Shorten Your Résumé?

Chapter 3: Cover Letters and Endorsements

Why a Cover Letter?

Types of Cover Letters

Solicited Cover Letter.......................

Unsolicited Cover Letter.....................

Broadcast Letter...........................

Structure

Traits of a Strong Cover Letter

Tailored.................................

Evidence-supported........................

Concise and Structured.....................

Simple and Direct..........................

Professional..............................

Addresses you should not use for cover letters.....

Using Endorsements on Your Résumé

An Overview of Endorsements................

Putting Them in the Right Place...............

Chapter 4: Preparation Before the Interview

Some Advice on Your Résumé

Things Résumé Screeners Look for.............

Tips for Internationals and People of Non-native English-Speaking Countries......

Behavioral Preparation

Why Are Behavioral Questions Asked?..........

How to Prepare for Behavioral Questions.........

Questions to Ask Your Interviewer..............

Technical Preparation

How to Prepare for Technical Questions.........

Things You Need to Know...................

Do You Need To Know The Details Of C, C++, Java, etc.?......

Chapter 5: The Job Application Process

How to Find and Contact Companies

Networking...............................

Collaborating With Headhunters...............

Directly Contacting Companies................

Classified Ads and Job Fairs..................

The Interview Process

Screening Interviews.......................

On-Site Interviews.........................

Chapter 6: Behind the Scenes of Interviews

The Google Interview

What to Prepare...........................

What Is Different?..........................

The Microsoft Interview

What to Prepare...........................

What Is Different?..........................

The Amazon Interview

What to Prepare...........................

What Is Different?..........................

The Apple Interview

What to Prepare...........................

What Is Different?..........................

The Facebook Interview

What to Prepare...........................

What Is Different?..........................

Chapter 7: Approaching Programming Problems

The Process

The Scenario.............................

The Problems............................

Which Languages to Use....................

Interaction Is the Key.......................

How to Solve the Problems

The Basic Steps...........................

What to Do When You Get Stuck..............

How to Analyze Your Solution

Key Takeaways

Chapter 8: Approaching Non-Technical Questions

Why Non-Technical Questions?

Questions You May Be Asked and How to Approach Them

Key Takeaways

Chapter 9: Mistakes Candidates Make and Frequently Asked Questions

Mistakes to Avoid

Practicing on a Computer....................

Not Preparing for Behavioral Questions..........

Not Conducting a Mock Interview..............

Memorizing Solutions.......................

Talking Too Much..........................

Talking Too Little..........................

Rushing.................................

Not Debugging............................

Sloppy Coding............................

Giving Up................................

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Important to Get Every Question Right?.......

Do I Need to Inform My Interviewer If I Know the Answer to a Question?......

What Language Needs to Be Used?............

Why Didn't I Hear Back From the Interviewer Right After I Finished? Does It Mean I Am Rejected?......

What If I Get Rejected by a Company but Want to Apply Again?......

How Do the Interview Questions Get Selected?....

How About the Experienced Candidates?........

Chapter 10: Beyond the Interview

Handling Offers and Rejections

Offer Extensions and Deadlines...............

Declining an Offer..........................

How to Handle Rejection.....................

How to Evaluate the Offer

Financial Package.........................

Career Development.......................

Company Stability.........................

Your Happiness Factor......................

Negotiating the Offer

When You Are on the Job

Have a Timeline...........................

Build Strong Relationships...................

Ask What You Want........................

Keep Interviewing..........................

A Final Thought: Luck, Determination, and Things You Can Do

References

Introduction

It’s a secret no more that nobody likes to appear for interviews, probably even less if we talk about the seemingly scary coding interviews. Maybe this is your first job or the next step in moving forward with your career; maybe you wish to move out of the country, or you work in a toxic environment (get out of the place already!).

Irrespective of your experience or your abilities, you need to go through the process, and to avoid appearing for tons of interviews, you need to prepare yourself thoroughly!

Programmers are not prone to imposter syndrome without good reason. You may feel the most sobering experience of your life if you fail a technical whiteboard coding interview. One failed test, or even a few, can cause you to question your self-worth as a programmer. But never do that.

Coding interviews are a crucial part of your life, especially if you are a programmer. They help all developers find their dream jobs. Coding interviews are the first hurdles the developers need to get over to get that job they wished for during their school and college days. But, well, cracking these interviews is not easy, as you would know, but it’s also not impossible.

I’m here to guide you in cracking your coding interview through smart preparation that focuses more on the study part for the test. When you study successfully to pass your whiteboard coding interview, you’ll get a job in the top software companies. Hence, it’s crucial to make an investment in studying, and is one of the best things to do.

Well, if you are new to technical interviews, the interview process may seem overwhelming. The interviewers throw questions at you, expecting you to come up with mind-blowing algorithms on the spot and write codes on a whiteboard—it can all seem overwhelming and tricky. Here’s a thing to consider—all the other candidates, just like you, are in the same boat as you.

The most important thing to keep in mind while preparing for a coding interview is the questions and concepts on data structures such as string, array, binary tree, linked list problems, system design problems, etc. Apart from these data structure-based questions, it is important to study general logic-based questions, design, algorithms, and bit manipulation. These questions can become tricky when you sit for the actual interview, and therefore, you need to practice them before you are familiar with them. This will also give you the confidence to explain the solutions to your interviewer.

You might also want to consider a few suggestions as you get ready for your interview:

Things To Consider

Write Your Code on Paper

Most interviewers will not ask you to work on a computer and will expect you to write your codes on paper or on a whiteboard. Hence, you can answer your interview questions by writing the codes on paper first. You can then type the codes into the computer as is. Paper or whiteboard coding is a special skill and you can master it when you practice it consistently.

Know Your Résumé Well

Of course, technical skills are extremely crucial for your interview. However, there is no reason why you should neglect your résumé. Be sure that you are prepared to offer a quick summary of any job or project you were involved with. Also, make sure that you are prepared to answer the most interesting and hardest problems that you have encountered during the day.

Do Not Memorize the Solutions

You can find sample interview questions everywhere around for your coding interview, but memorizing the solutions is not the best use of your time. You should rather learn how to approach