Hearing about a job interview gets butterflies fluttering in your stomach? Don’t worry — you’re not alone.
To help you prepare and ace the job interview with confidence, I have already shared proven techniques and perspective covering the preparation plan, resume making, job search strategy and getting through the telephonic screening.
Today, I am sharing with you tips so that you can show them who you are and why you’re a great candidate to work with.
Before the Interview:
- Keep handy the interview kit: pen, printed copy of the job description and resume, earphones, and interview location address.
- If your interview is conducted on a video call, have a good internet connect, ensure your webcam and audio are working.
- Go with the tools and platforms as suggested by the interviewer. Install the necessary software and familiarize yourself with the tools to be used during the interview.
- Prepare answers to the frequently asked questions in an interview.
- Prepare some questions to ask at the end of the interview.
- Dress comfortably. Go through the company employee pictures on social media to understand the dressing style. Though not a strict rule, but you dressing as per the company people will make you feel familiar in the setup.
Prior to entering the interview venue:
- Enter your interview venue at least 10 minutes prior to your scheduled time.
- Greet everyone with the smile and firm handshake.
- Stay calm and composed. Take a few deep breaths. Remind yourself that this is just part of the process to see if you are a good fit for the position
- Turn off the mobile phone or switch to a silent mode with no vibration.
During the Interview:
- Maintain firm posture and eye contact.
- Speak in an easy to hear the voice, but not loud.
- Use polite phrasing – please; thank you; I’d like that; If you don’t mind.
- Take your time to paraphrase well and then respond to questions.
- If asked to type/write code, explain what you are coding/typing to the interviewer, and what you are trying to achieve.
- Practice good coding style. Clear variable names, consistent operator spacing, proper indentation, etc.
- Write actual compilable code, not pseudocode.
- Write modular code to show that you have good coding practice and aware of writing easy to read and maintainable code.
- Keep your attention on the hints by the interviewer.
- Demonstrate reasonable mastery of your chosen programming language. I always recommend knowing one programming language really well.
- Demonstrate technical knowledge about data structures and algorithms.
- Check for nulls, empty collections, etc. Can omit if input validity has been clarified with the interviewer.
- End interview with appreciation, enthusiasm, agreement on the next step.
After the Interview:
- You can ask questions related to your day to day responsibility, expectations, challenges, vision, career progression, etc. Ask good, intelligent and engaging questions that are tailored to the company!
- Thank the interviewer for their time.
- Wait for the instruction for them for the next step. If you’ve done well, you’ll enter into another round with HR.
Following all the steps in this guide will not only turn you into a rockstar developer but also get you the company you’ve dreamt about all this while. All you need to do is put your head down, work hard and results will follow.