What I Have Learnt from My Technical Interviews | Google, Amazon.
The interview is the initial step which you have to clear to reach your dream position, without practicing the art of interviewing you won't be able to flash the interview smoothly.
Although the interview is something, in which the interviewer tries to assess the skills which you have gained in your entire career, it would be absolutely wrong to say that you can prepare everything for an interview in a month or so. Since there is no finite syllabus that you can prepare from.
The goal of an interview is generally the understanding between the interviewer and interviewee. The main objective is to learn about the approach which a candidate would follow. An ideal interviewer will always look toward your approach instead of the exact solution since there are a plethora of things a developer should know and nobody can be good at everything.
As an interviewee, you should have a basic understanding of things, and it is absolutely fine to not know about some of the questions which an interviewer asks. Try to be straightforward with the interviewer if you don't know about some question instead of just beating around the bushes. Speaking anything random will put a bad impression.
A bonus tip, ask your recruiter about the interviewer/panel so that you can learn about what stage in their career they are working upon, also to know about their experience. Personally, I have encountered people who are having more experience results in a good interviewer, as instead of grilling you, they will try to mentor you even in the interview. The intention of an experienced interviewer is not to humiliate the interviewee with what he does not know but they will guide you with what you can improve, 8/10 times you might learn something new after the interview ends.
Let's discuss, some of the key points which I have learned from my interview which didn’t go well. This is totally based on my interview experiences so bear with me.
Never write random things in your resume
So this incident happened at the start of my career, I didn't know how to interview, what to expect from an interview. Even I was not aware of how to make a good Curriculum vitae (CV)/Resume.
At that time, I just took a template online for software developers and tried to adjust myself to it. Although most of the things were right, others were added just to make it look more attractive.
Unluckily the interviewer pointed those things and started asking the question from them. Although I was aware of the topic but was not proficient in them.
Not in case, If I wouldn't have mentioned those random things, in my resume then obviously questions would be coming from other things which I was more aware of.
In nutshell, what I mean was never add something in the resume for example some technology you have just worked a day or two on. You should at least be aware of in and out of the topic/technology which you are mentioning.
Never be late for your interview
“Arriving late is directly proportional to you losing your chances to get that job.”
Personally, I am a very punctual person, I try to reach the venue, 10 minutes before the given time. I will suggest that you should not be late even for 5 minutes in the interview. If due to any unforeseen reasons, you are about to get late, do inform the interviewer/recruiter about that.
In the online interview as well, the same rule applies. Being late is the sign of you showcasing that you are carefree. During an online interview, generally, candidates mess up, because they are not aware of the platform on which the interview is happening. So in case, the platform is entirely new ask your recruiter to set up a dummy session, in which you can understand the platform.
Consider the interviewer as your colleague.
So it is very daunting to sit in for the interview, less experienced you are more are chances that you would be nervous.
Moreover, having more experience will give you an edge since if you are lucky you will get a chance to wear the interviewer's hat in your organization. So now you are on both sides of the table. You should insist your seniors if they can let you sit for while they are taking the interview as a ghost listener since it will open up your horizon about what to expect from a candidate/interviewer.
Consider the interviewer as your colleague, understand the fact that the person sitting next to you is not there to humiliate or underestimate you. The interviewer's intention is to fetch the maximum out of you in the approx one-hour time frame. A good Interviewer will act as a mentor/colleague and will uplift you, But you should be to communicate with him regarding the fact.
Be Prepared about the Company, Role, and career objective.
This is very crucial, many new bees usually do this blunder, that while going for an interview they tend to neglect to understand what exactly the role is expecting from you.
So knowing about the company, its profile, role in which you being interviewed, will help you mold your answer in a way that the interviewer understands that you are a good fit for the organization.
Remember this, the company does not just look for a candidate who is good in a particular skill but the main criteria revolve around if the person is good enough to work with the team if the candidate is a team player, and also can the candidate communicate their thought process.
Try to solve the problem
This point is more inclined towards a technical interview, but in general, also you can understand something from it. So whenever given a problem to solve, or given a situation. Do not directly say no that you can’t solve it.
The purpose of the problem is not to get the final correct answer, but to understand how you think and reach the solution. Moreover, do not keep quiet while you are solving any problem. The funda here is to communicate your thoughts instead of keeping them to yourself. It will give the impression that you are trying to think while attempting the problem, and sometimes the interviewer can drive you towards the solution.
Final thoughts
So an interview is something in which you are showcasing yourself to the world, so it should be your best version. If you have skills and gained relevant experience from certain work, don't hesitate to communicate this with the interviewer. Try to have good communication, be professional, and do not think twice to cross-question the interviewer to understand the problem statement properly. Remember this, never start quarreling with the interviewer, because you are not attending the interview to prove your point, but it is for presenting yourself.
There are the points which we have discussed above, just keep all of these in mind and have a happy interview.
- Never write random things in your resume.
- Never be late for your interview
- Consider the interviewer as your colleague.
- Try to solve the problem
Hope after reading this article you would be able to crack your dream interview. Educate others as well if you have experience In giving/taking the interview, this could help someone getting a good job.
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