What’s important in a project portfolio: building with cool tech, or just doing ANYTHING to keep yourself busy?

I’m new in the industry. How do I talk to recruiters who want ”years” of experience?: Someone in chat asked about how to talk to recruiters who have an expectation of "years" of experience for positions, when the person in chat was new to the industry. How do they position themselves to still show relevancy and experience. Does project wo... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

10 min listen

How do I make a study schedule for interview prep, resumes, company research, etc.?: A fantastic question from Twitch chat today about how to juggle ALLLLL of the things that a candidate is expected to prepare for interviewing: studying algorithms, data structures, building projects, researching companies, preparing customized resumes an... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

10 min listen

As you join a new team, what’s a good way to suggest changes or advancements in the code?: When you join a team and see existing code, you'll likely have changes you want to suggest. Here are some of my tips for open communication, sharing of knowledge, and being open to feedback. --This episode came from a live-stream event. Drop by any time ... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

7 min listen

Imposter Syndrome vs Over-confidence in interviews and the tech industry: Will you ever, truly feel ready for a job interview? Does practice really make you "perfect" at interviewing? What should you do when confidence is holding you back from even applying, much less scheduling that interview? --This episode came from a live-... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

4 min listen

My hot take: is project-based learning considered professional experience? by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

5 min listen

Web sites I recommend for job postings: Most recruiters will find you through LinkedIn, but where should you start looking for jobs when you're ready to apply? How do you know which sites are kept up to date? --This episode came from a live-stream event. Drop by any time and ask questions, or ... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

5 min listen

How to prepare for a phone screen when you don’t know if it will be technical or not: A Twitch user asked how to prepare for a meeting with a "manager". Should they be prepared to speak about technical topics and project work, or to answer behavioral questions, or just talk about the interview process and salary? All of the above? Somethi... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

6 min listen

I don’t know if I did well at an interview. How do interviewers rate/grade us in the process?: Another great question in chat today asking how interviewers grade and rate candidates during the interview process. It breaks down to several stages, and several facets of how you look at your skill and background to see whether it fits into the team. S... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

9 min listen

I was asked for my recommendations for getting into software development in mid-2022: A user on Twitch asked for recommendations on how to get started learning software development to get into the tech industry. There are lots of good resources out there with structured curriculum, but you do need to have dedicated time to learn and study... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

3 min listen

Companies need to recognize what’s REALLY important in tech challenges, beyond ”leetcode” problems.: I get it. We HAVE to demonstrate our skill in the technical interviews. But SOOO many companies get it WRONG during the interview stage by asking us to recall algorithms that have NOTHING to do with our day to day jobs. How can get them to change? And wh... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

7 min listen

What kinds of questions should I expect about front-end software optimization techniques?: A question was asked about an upcoming technical interview where they were told to prepare answering questions about front-end development and optimizing code for performance and user experience. What kinds of tips can Ian provide to help out? --This epi... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

6 min listen

STOP reading ”you must know these 100 things to be a REAL developer” lists -- they’re GARBAGE!: Leetcode is NOT the only thing to study for interview prep, and people need to stop reading lists that demand that you know "these 1,000 study topics/skills/technologies to be a REAL developer". Stop gaslighting/gatekeeping people! Go apply for the job. ... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

6 min listen

In developer interviews, is it more important to talk about customer service, or technical skill?: A user on the live stream today asked about how to discuss the balance between technical skill and user empathy in an interview. Every role will impact the user in some way, but some roles are more "visible" to users, like front-end development. What's t... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

6 min listen

As a tech manager, how do you keep your team engaged?: A question was dropped in chat today which sounded like an excellent "behavioral" question for an engineering manager about how they keep their team members engaged and how to spot problems. Open communication is key, and your job as a manager is to remo... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

10 min listen

Can you negotiate on a job offer if you only have 1 year of professional experience?: Understanding how and when to negotiate is crucial whether you're new in the industry or if you've been around a long time. The starting point is knowing your value on the market and advocating for yourself why you're worth that much money. --This episod... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

12 min listen

How can I change from desktop IT support to coding, security, etc, in the tech industry?: There are lots of paths in the tech industry and a Twitch user asked how to change to other kinds of roles from their current IT Desktop Support. It comes down to showing your value to a company, but also building up additional skills to combine with you... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

13 min listen

Is it a good time (July 2022) to change careers to get into a tech job?: The tech industry, historically, has always been a good career move, and coming from another career brings a lot of additional value to companies. You will need to demonstrate your skill, and it may be harder that usual to get that first job in tech, but... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

4 min listen

Do I have opinions on programs like CodePath.org and how to prepare for technical challenges?: I was asked in chat if I had heard of CodePath.org and whether their 12-week interview preparation course would be worthwhile to prepare for technical challenges. My YouTube videos about leetcode will help you, too; go check those out! --This episode cam... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

4 min listen

How to transition into the tech industry coming from a financial background: Lots of people are transitioning into the tech industry from many backgrounds and previous careers. In this episode, we talk about coming from a background of customer service and finance, and how to leverage that experience when talking to companies. --... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

9 min listen

If your company research reveals ”white papers”, is it worth spending time reading those too?: Researching a company is pretty important so you know what your expectations are for the workplace, company culture, and so on. It'll be important to check out my other podcast audio and youtube videos about how to do company research, so you're well inf... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

3 min listen

Should you organize your LinkedIn and GitHub profiles BEFORE applying for jobs, or afterward?: Since it takes companies a little bit of time to look at your application, is it better to apply for the job first, and then spend time cleaning up GitHub, LinkedIn, etc,, or should you do that work first? --This episode came from a live-stream event. Dr... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

8 min listen

I’ve been looking for my first tech job for two months. Do you have any tips?: A user in chat asked for tips and ideas on how to stand out when applying for jobs. Their job hunt was going on two months already, and I offer some practical tips that could improve their chance at getting some attention and, hopefully, some interviews.... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

9 min listen

How do you advance in your career as a developer? Is there more growth opportunity in management?: A fantastic question from Twitch chat about advbancement paths as a developer, and whether there is more growth opportunity if they switch to a management track. I draw a lot of parallels between the two tracks. --This episode came from a live-stream eve... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

10 min listen

What’s the cost of retention versus hiring new staff, and what’s my outlook on tech hiring?: Discussing tech industry layoffs, changing jobs, "brain-drain", and more -- This episode came from a live-stream event. Drop by any time and ask questions, or message me privately to ask questions anonymously. https://techinterview.guide/streaming Check... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

14 min listen

Which skills/technologies should students learn besides raw programming skill?: We had a great question from Twitch chat tonight asking which skills or technologies a student should be learning to feel prepared to apply for jobs. While there are certainly common tools like Git that will be helpful, it's also important to just GO APP... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

10 min listen

Interviewing often feels like everyone wasting each other’s time. What should I do? by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

9 min listen

How do I answer technical questions, when I’m a self-taught dev? When will I be prepared enough?: Someone asked for advice on how to answer technical questions when they were a self-taught developer without any technical experience. They weren't sure they would ever feel prepared enough. I offered some insight, and shared some tips on what to study. ... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

4 min listen

Are there any software-related roles at FAANG companies with easier interview processes?: We had another question in Discord about whether I knew of any FAANG software development roles that were "easier" to get through the interviews than other kinds of roles. My thought is that any team who needs software developers would be using the same ... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

4 min listen

You started a new job, and now have to learn skills quickly. What’s the best process to follow?: One of my regular VIPs on Twitch said that they're learning Java at their new job, and being given additional project work. They were concerned about how quickly the company will expect them to be proficient. How do you have that conversation with your m... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

6 min listen

I’ve been away from tech for 4 years. Should I apply for less-senior level roles?: A question from our live Twitch chat asked about getting back into the tech industry after an extended break of 4 years. Their worry is that some of their skills are no longer current, and they would have some learning curve to "get up to speed" on thing... by The Tech Interview Guide Podcast

15 min listen

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What’s important in a project portfolio: building with cool tech, or just doing ANYTHING to keep yourself busy?

What’s important in a project portfolio: building with cool tech, or just doing ANYTHING to keep yourself busy?

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