Alright, so you’re gearing up for those junior software developer interviews, eh? It’s a wild ride, but with the right prep, you’ll crush it. Here’s the lowdown on what to expect and how to get ready.
1. The Initial Screening
Kicking things off, you’ll likely have an initial screening call. This one’s usually with a recruiter or HR rep. Think of it as a quick chat to make sure you’re not just a name on a resume. This call runs about 15-30 minutes.
What to expect:
- Your background and experience: Be ready to talk about your journey so far.
- Interest in the role: Why this job? Why this company? Have your answers ready.
- Basic technical knowledge: They’ll dip their toes into your technical pool to see if you can swim.
Some warnings to be wary of. Sometimes the recruiter will ask technical questions and they will not have a basis of why or what the question is about. They’ll often be super simple questions around some inane documentation or description of something, like “What is the method that starts a Spring Boot application in Java?” with a myopic answer like “The Spring Boot application is started with a main method.
Which of course is an overly simplistic answer and kind of a gotcha, and not always 100% true. But just answer these questions as simply, and with the most obvious answer you can think of. If you start talking about the attribute (@SpringBootApplication) on the class, that has the method main, that identifies and loads that functionality into the Spring Boot application then they’ll likely be confused and consider your answer wrong, even though you’ve just been more thorough of the true startup process of a Spring Boot application and its respective – fundamental – dependency injection capability.
2. The Technical Interview
Now they’ll start diving deeper. This part of the interview process is the real meat and potatoes but can also – generally speaking – be pretty easy if you’re appropriately prepared. The real key is, train and condition yourself to stay calm. I know, easier said than done, true, but it is truly the key to passing technical interviews.
I myself have been interviewing for decades at this point, and if I go into a technical interview stressed in any way, I’ll fail it. I can’t do coding problems if I’m stressed out ab out something, generally I need a solid 30-45 minutes just to get relaxed to really get into a good state of flow when coding and problem solving. Anything less and I too, after decades of this, am still a mess. My recommendation, do whatever you’ve got to do to figure out a way to step up to a technical challenge in a calm state of mind. You’ll whiz it if you can figure that out for yourself!
a. Coding Challenges:
- Real-time problem-solving on a shared platform.
- Questions will hit data structures and algorithms (think arrays, linked lists, sorting, and searching). This space is often the most common for junior devs, which is somewhat nice because you can pick up a text book on data structures or algorithms and just go through implementing them.
- Be prepared for language-specific queries, especially if the job demands C#, Java, or Python. Usually a team will want either the language they code in or they’ll ask what language your fluent in to write up the solution.
- Whatever coding challenge you are asked to write up, it’s important to keep in mind that just as important as the coding solution is your ability to describe verbally what you’re doing. This is one of the things that is really tough, and something that you should practice and become adept to.
b. Whiteboard Sessions:
- If you’re in-person, expect some whiteboard action. But don’t worry, it’s usually very hand wavy and open ended, the key is to make sure your ideas are verbally explained well and that you can write and talk through the solution your put on the white board at the same time. Again, the hardest part here is usually the talking and writing at the same time. You can do it though, get em’!
- It’s all about solving problems and explaining your thought process. Again, remember when you’re on a white board, you’re not going to compile the code, just aim for good pseudocode if you’re writing code and effective diagrams or listing of items to define and explain what you’re proposed solution is. Be prepared to have it picked apart and to change your mind too.
c. Take-Home Assignments:
NOTE: These days these are often red flags, in my next post I’ll detail why and how to identify free labor work farming and other nonsense that comes up with these types of assignments. Some are legitimate and the easiest that are identifiable are from companies that propose to pay you for the assignment.
- Some places might send you a take-home task.
- It’s a chance to show off your coding style in a relaxed setting.
- Follow instructions to the letter and test your code like crazy before sending it back.
d. System Design Questions:
- More common for senior roles, but you might see some basic ones. They’ll basically want to know, for example, how the web service or web site would be hosted in the grand scheme of an overall architecture. Such as, the web service would be in an AWS VPC and hosted via an EC2 instance, or just simply describe how you have built and hosted an existing example you’ve worked through in your learning.
- Be ready to chat about designing simple systems or components with scalability and maintainability in mind. Again, don’t get too worried about this, it could very well be as simple as “well if I’ve got one web server and need more throughput for internet traffic, I could run a bigger server.” The key is, just answer best you can and make it a collaborative conversation as much as possible.
3. The Behavioral Interview
Here’s where they see if you’re a good cultural fit. Soft skills and how you handle different work scenarios are under the microscope.
Common questions:
- Challenges in projects: Tell them about a tough project and how you nailed it.
- Learning new tech: Describe a time you picked up a new tool or language on the fly.
- Handling feedback: They want to know you can take critique and improve.
Pro tips:
- Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. For Amazon this isn’t just a tip, it’s a requirement. You must answer in this format or you will fail the interview.
- Even if you’ve been so lucky as to never have had a bad experience working on a project, or with a team, make up some and imagine how you’d work through uncomfortable or difficult solutions. Have those ready to use as examples of how you’d at least propose or set forth on resolving difficult problems or conflicts.
4. Company-Specific Questions
Every company has its own vibe. They’ll have questions to see if you’ll fit into their world.
Examples:
- Why us? Show that you’ve done your homework on the company. For example, at Amazon you could talk about something you’ve heard that you find interesting and would like to work around, such as a document focused culture with doc reads and clearly defined meetings. For Microsoft talk about the team structure or open source involvement Microsoft has through Github, Azure, and their open source office. The TLDR – learn something about the company you’re interviewing with and be ready to talk about that being something attractive that made you want to interview.
- Products and services: Know what they do. This should go without needing to even state, but if you’re going to interview at a company, their entire public facing presence should be something you’re aware of as best as possible. In larger companies like Microsoft, figure out which part of the company the interview is for and learn about that specific part of the company, since it is impossible to know about all of the things Microsoft has going on.
- Staying current: How do you keep up with the ever-evolving tech landscape? This could be a list of resources you read, meetups you attend, videos (VLOGS, etc), or other means you use to keep up with whatever your career aims are.
5. Questions You Should Ask
Remember, it’s a two-way street. I can’t emphasize this enough, and will be writing far more details about how this is vital for interviews. Have questions ready to see if the company is right for you. But not just the company, but their strategy, the team, the individuals on the team. Be ready to ask plenty of questions and get some real insight into what they’re aiming for you to join and do, but also the things that will be necessary to do the job.
Good topics:
- Team structure and dynamics: What’s the team like?
- Growth opportunities: How can you level up in the role?
- Development practices: What tools and methods do they use?
- Role expectations: What’s expected of you in the first few months?
Final Tips for Success
Preparation:
- Practice coding problems: Regular practice keeps you sharp.
- Brush up on CS fundamentals: Know your basics inside out.
- Research the company: Understand their mission, products, and culture.
Communication:
- Explain your thought process: During coding challenges, talk through your logic.
- STAR method: Perfect for behavioral questions.
Stay Calm and Positive:
- Interviews can be nerve-wracking: Keep your cool and stay positive.
- Take your time: It’s okay to pause and think before you answer.
By knowing what’s ahead and preparing accordingly, you’ll walk into those interviews with confidence. Good luck, and go get that job!
Be sure to subscribe and I’ll be elaborating on this and all aspects of coder’s interviewing, life, and progress in one’s career as a coder! Happy thrashing code! 🤘🏻