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Last active April 21, 2018 06:19
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Technical Interview Guidelines.md

Technical Interview Guidelines

Technical interviews are used by companies to judge how well you can solve problems. More importantly, they also show how you think and communicate during the process.

Technical interview questions may not even match the job role that you are applying to. They are designed to see how you think and communicate under pressure, so expect the unexpected!

Many data interviews are really just coding interviews. The focus may be on problem solving and communication, but they also require a solid foundation in programming.

The best way to prepare for a technical interview is to practice! Pick up books like Cracking the Coding Interview or sign up for interview practice through websites like HackerRank. The more you practice, the more confident you will be going into an interview.

Below are some tips and tricks to help you practice and prepare for technical interviews.

Technical Interview Tips

  • Practice, practice, practice!

  • It’s not about the best solution, it’s how you get to a solution that matters.

  • Make sure that you understand the question before you start.

  • Ask for clarification and state any assumptions.

  • Solve it it the easiest and most obvious way. Don’t worry about the optimal solution. Get something working and then think about improving it.

  • Think about edge cases (negative values, empty/null, strings vs numbers, etc).

  • Ask for a hint if you get stuck!

  • Hang in there. Show that you are willing to keep working towards a solution even when things are tough.

  • Don’t forget the people skills! Maintain a positive attitude even if you feel frustrated or struggle with the questions.

  • Journal it! Keep a journal of every interview. Write down how you feel before, during, and after the interview, the questions asked, how you feel that you did, areas where you need to improve, etc.

  • Keep working on it! Go home and immediately rework the problem. Find a better solution and offer to submit that even after the interview. Don’t let questions that you’ve seen before trip you up again in future interviews.

  • Always be coding! The more that you code, the easier these interviews will get.

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