How you prepare for an interview can either make or break your chances of landing your dream job. The decision of an employer is inevitable. What you can control is your mind and your will.
Software development is a competitive field. Fresh graduates from top universities, programmers with experience in Google, and rich fellows who are backed up by their families or close-knit friends are most likely your competitors. Nerve-wracking isn’t it?
What you may not know is that preparation and a little bit of luck can be your edge from the competition.
Choose a Company
And while you’re at it, know the company well. This is the part where your researching skills is put to test. A word of advice, do not apply to a company where you feel like your values don’t match. This will be a waste of your time and theirs as well. Instead, create a list and gather the top 5 companies that you want to get in. Set your sight on these companies and don’t ever doubt yourself even for just a second. One of the benefits of choosing where you want to work, instead of the other way around, gives you a sense of control and purpose. You are not hired just because they want to but because you want them to. Confidence is key although you musn’t overdo it.
Know your Competitors
What does a typical successful programmer look like? Do their day to day activities include coding exercises, video games, or perhaps entrepreneurial work on the side? Think three steps ahead of the competition so that it would be hard for them to keep up. Before you go to sleep, set at least 3 things you want to accomplish the next day. Ignore distractions. If you can’t live without doing social media, consider other platforms that will keep your brain working instead of passively scrolling on Instagram. Reddit is a good choice. To be ahead of the competition, you need to focus on improving day by day without stopping. While your competition is relaxing, you are grinding. The best way to beat other programmers is to have a passion project that can help revolutionize the world at some point. Impress employers with what you can and want to do.
Equip Yourself for a Coding Challenge
What better way to test the skills of a programmer than a coding challenge. This may sometimes be done in a whiteboard with panels scrutinizing how you structure your thoughts when you work. Other times, employers may ask you to do a test project at home. In times like this, you need to practice thinking on your feet. Practice creating the simplest solutions to the most complex problems and you won’t have a hard time passing the coding challenge.
If you fail, know that people will always go through bad and good interviews but that doesn’t mean that it’s useless to prepare. Even if you don’t pass the interview, you can still hold your head up high and try again because you know you did your best.