It’s interview season and it’s crunch time! With the placement season a month away, the panic mode is on and a lot of you will be sitting for your placement and for internships this time.
Most companies look for students having past experience in various internships and building projects. The kind of exposure that gives is difficult to attain inside a classroom. If you don’t have that, don’t fret too much! Campus interviews can be intimidating and you’d be sitting for the first time so don’t let the anxiety get the better out of you. Here are some tips and tricks to stay ahead of the pack and crack your tech interviews!
Table of Contents
1.Ace that written exam:
Most companies start with a minor written exam or programming test before moving on to the interview part. Though this part is underestimated but needs a whole lot of attention from you. Start getting a headstart at this by practising a whole lot of questions. Take mocks for the aptitude and logical section, speed is a hurdle which can only be overcome by practice.
2. Build your communication skills
Even if you’re going for the role of a software developer, you can’t slack on roles of being personable and responsible. You should be able to express what you think to the recruiter. Show your enthusiasm and passion about the company. Practice with your peers for common interview questions to get an edge at group discussion. All in all, get comfortable with public speaking, this will help you deal with slippery situations. Try building your vocabulary and yes, please do read the newspaper.
The tech interview
You will be required to solve a couple of questions. Try practising on a whiteboard, you can be so used to the compiler that you might just forget the syntax of initializing a variable when writing a code outside. Study your data structures and algorithms, read books, solve questions and use other resources.
Know your project
Your project is something that you must have put your heart and soul into. So, naturally, the recruiter expects you to know the nitty-gritty of it. Explain your project nicely, the hurdles you got caught into and how you overcame them while making it.
Think of the bigger picture
When solving a coding problem, even if you make a minor mistake, don’t panic, keep your calm and stay focused on the problem. Take a deep breath, you still have the rest of the interview to go through. The recruiter will most probably ignore the minor error, he’s there to check your problem-solving skills.
Be Honest
The recruiters must have a long experience of interviewing a lot of candidates so they are surely masters in this. Try to make your resume glitch free. Be honest with your answers, if you don’t know the answers, just say it, it’s not a college viva that you’ll get away with saying any bullshit. The interviewers already know the answer before they ask the question.
Ask Questions
Be vocal with your doubts. If you have any doubts, regarding the questions such as edge cases, etc, ask them and how they need to be treated. Avoid making any assumptions. Even if you think it’s pretty safe to assume something, try asking the interviewer first.
Give mocks and learn something new
Trap someone you know into taking your mocks. JK, take their mocks too. Get feedback regularly, and try overcoming minor glitches during the mocks.
Interviews are also a learning experience, and with every interview, you would definitely learn something. Instead of getting anxious over it, try treating it as a goal to learn something, have fun, treat your interviewer as a colleague you’d like to build an amazing app with, this would exude your passion about coding that got you in it at the first place!
Also, I may sound like your mother, but please get a good night’s rest before the D-day. It would double your efficiency!
