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Top Tips: How to Nail Coding Interviews
Check out our top tips for helping you to nail a coding interview/tech test:
Overview: You will be given a technical question (or questions) by the interviewer, which can involve solving a combination of algorithmic puzzles, data structures problem sets, and coding challenges. You will be expected to write code in a real-time collaborative editor such as CodePen or CoderPad (phone screen/virtual onsite) or on a whiteboard (onsite) an solve the problem within 30–45 minutes.
It's important to approach coding interview questions with a calm, clear mind. Struggling through a problem because you are nervous or overwhelmed is an easy way to lose track of time. Remember, you need to showcase your strengths in 30 to 40 minutes, so take a deep breath to compose yourself when needed.
- Research! The company, the job description and who is interviewing you...
- Make sure you know your CV! Have a copy on hand, just in case.
- Research learning resources......HackerRank is the trusted corporate recruitment platform for checking the candidate's programming and debugging skills efficiency. The only way to prepare and ace the coding challenge is by practicing coding from websites such as CodeWars, CodeAcademy, LeetCode, and CodeFight.
- Ask clarifying questions. Remember the interviewer is not so interested in whether you actually arrive at the solution. They want to see how you approach the problem-solving process. Make sure to spell out your thinking and explain your reasoning as you go
- Choose the programming language - whilst Python is often recommended for its ease of use, other languages like Java and JavaScript are also popular choices for coding interviews. The best language to use is one that you are most comfortable with and can accurately and efficiently demonstrate your problem-solving skills.
- Write an outline for your code and practice coding in writing
- Explain your process while you code.
- Learn to code for software and system designs
- HackerRank interviews are designed to help you conduct specific coding and technical skills assessments of candidates. These assessments primarily include coding questions of varying complexity in different programming languages and diverse frameworks.
- You can use Google during coding interview, during the General Coding Assessment (GCA) and HackerRank, you are permitted to search for syntax-related questions online. However, the tasks might go more smoothly if you to have these answers fresh in your mind already (you may choose which coding language you would prefer to use). Yes, of course, most of the beginner or let's say competitive programmers often search about the new type of question which might they encounter during the contest or during the practice for the sake of understanding or learning or maybe mastering the new algorithm or data structures.
- Identify your unique strengths.
- Review your work.