đź’» Preparing for technical interviews as a developer
Technical interviews are the most important part of any interview process. It’s an opportunity for you to showcase your technical skills and for the company to determine if you can manage the role’s technical responsibilities.
Often it’s also how the company evaluates the salary range your skillset falls into. You want to make sure you can put your best foot forward in any kind of technical interview to secure the salary and other job search goals you’re looking for.
A few kinds of technical interviews you may come across:
- Take-home assessment and a follow-up interview
- Paired-programming interview
- Coding interview
Download interview and technical assessment prep for different types of roles.
Companies are assessing how you communicate:​
Companies will assess you on more than just the solution you create. They’re also assessing your communication skills considering you’ll be working as part of a team.
Remember to regularly update the hiring manager​
If you have any questions, don’t feel shy to reach out to the hiring manager to ask them. They may be impressed that you’re deeply engaging with the challenge and it gives them insight into your thinking process. It will also assist you in tackling the challenge as accurately as possible.
If you’re unable to meet a deadline, a company usually won’t mind as long as you let them know as soon as you realise you won’t be able to. You could use this template:
Hello [hiring manager’s name],
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to submit the assessment by the original deadline as [give them a brief explanation]. I apologise for any inconvenience.
I will be able to complete it by [give them a date]. Let me know if that’s okay?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards, [your name]
Once you’re ready to submit your solution, give the hiring manager insights into your experience. While receiving feedback is an important skill hiring managers will be looking for, they’ll also be impressed if you can give constructive feedback.
Consider how you speak about your code​
It’s not only important to fully understand your solution, but also how you came to this solution – the work you did on the assignment.
Even if your solution isn’t correct, if you can thoroughly explain your thinking when approaching the problem, a company will be more willing to continue the interview process with you.
They’ll also be evaluating your coding style:
- Do you write clean code?
- Have you tested your code?
- What is your documentation like?
Send a follow-up after the interview​
Once you’ve finished the technical interview, send the hiring manager a message thanking them for their time and expressing your excitement for the next step. Here is a template you could use:
Hello [hiring manager’s name],
Thank you for the interview today. I enjoyed/felt challenged by [give them feedback on your experience].
I’m excited to hear your feedback and potentially continue with the process. Please let me know if you need anything else from me at this stage.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards, [your name]
If you only need to submit an assessment, use this template when you submit:
Hello [hiring manager’s name],
[Link to your assessment or note that it’s attached - attach any notes you took when completing the test]
I really enjoyed/felt challenged by [give them feedback on your experience].
I’m excited to hear your feedback and potentially continue with the process. Please let me know if you need anything else from me at this stage.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards, [your name]
How to prepare for your technical interview​
Once the company confirms you’ve moved onto the technical interview stage, you need to begin your preparations. Below are a few tips to get you started.
Practice makes perfect​
Before attempting an assessment, practice in the most similar environment as possible:
- Take-home assessment and technical interview: Practice coding using the tech stack you’ll use for the assessment before attempting the assignment on Codewars and LeetCode.
- Paired-programming interview: Practice solving a problem with a colleague or friend, explaining your work every step of the way.
Download prep for technical interviews and assessments.
Be open and honest​
Recognise when you have a gap in your knowledge and note how you’ll address this with a loose plan and timeline. This will give hiring managers a better understanding of how they can assist you in upskilling, and if they can afford to do so.
Some employers may not be able to take time to upskill you, and so this could mean the hiring manager doesn’t proceed with your application. Although you may feel being open and honest is a blocker to securing your next opportunity, you don’t want to undertake a role that you won’t be able to do without support that the employer cannot offer.
Show that you’re proactive about your learning​
Provide any personal projects or links to accounts such as GitHub. Since you’ll most likely need to speak to this work, try to share projects you are passionate about. The interviewer will pick up your interest which is an impressive characteristic of a potential employee.
Align your technical skills to the business needs​
Determine how your technical knowledge will improve their business and help them move towards their missions. You may need to do some research on the company for this. Take down notes you can refer back to in the interview.
Stay calm​
Technical interviews can be very nerve-racking. Remember to stay calm. This is also a space for you to figure out if the job has the technical challenges you’re looking for.
Try enjoy and immerse yourself in this part of the process to gain a good understanding of what your technical responsibilities may look like.