8 useful tips to pass a developer interview
1. Learn about the company.
Find out about the company you are applying to. What are its activities? What's the business? What are the techs, etc.
I had an interview some time ago and from the beginning, I was asked questions about the company.
If I hadn't been able to answer it, I would have failed at the start of the recruitment process.
2. Inform if you are late
If you are up to 10 minutes late, notify as soon as possible by any means. Call the person you need to meet directly if you can.
If you're more than 10 minutes late try to show up anyway and don't give up. Apologize and ask how much time the person has to give you.
3. Prepare questions
You will be asked if you have any questions.
If you have nothing to say, it may send the wrong message.
That you aren't particularly interested.
You want to look interested. So be prepared.
4 Have a pencil and paper
It does school, yes.
But it also shows that you it's important for you.
Take notes of what seems relevant to you.
5. Be positive
The recruiter will probably ask you if you have done "this thing" before.
We can't know and master everything.
If you don't know what the recruiter is talking about, anchor your answer in the positive.
For example, answer: "I do not know but I have heard about it and it interests me" is more reassuring for the recruiter than to say "never done."
6. Talk about yourself and not about your former colleagues
You have surely done some great projects with great teams in great companies.
The thing is, this is your interview.
Everyone is aware that if there are 10 of you on a project then you haven't done everything.
Talk about yourself, your experience, what you have done, your successes, failures, etc.
7. Illustrate your words
If you are asked about qualities, for example, it is best to illustrate them rather than enumerate a list.
Give concrete examples of experience or show the connection to the current position.
8. Show interest for the job
Be curious and show that you are interested in the products, the business and the working methods.
For example, if it is an open source IT project and the development method is pair programming, show that you are interested in this.
That's all.
There are surely other tips and soft skills that are super important for interviewing but here is my list that I try to remember when I have to do one.
I didn't learn that in school, I learned by doing. Maybe it can be useful for others.
Takeaways:
Learn about the company
Inform if you are late
Prepare questions
Pencil, paper, take notes
Be positive
Talk about yourself and not about your former colleagues
Illustrate your words
Show interest in the position
Also, I frequently share things related to mobile dev (Jetpack Compose and KMP) so if you are interested make sure to check my work at appkickstarter.com.