Interviewing: How I failed and succeeded at my first technical interview

I’m sure many many developers have written about this but, I wanted to share some of the things that I learned during my first technical interview. These are more learnings that I have gained after reflecting a bit on what I think went well and perhaps what didn’t — not necessarily direct feedback from the interviewer.

The first thing I would like to start of by saying is that my failure during this interview is being defined in it’s traditional sense that I didn’t get asked to continue interviewing with the company :( , but my successes are what trump this failure and what inspired me to write this blog. There are three things I am going to talk about today:

1. Take away something technical from the experience:

• Every time I head into a technical interview (and I will say I haven’t been through many yet — as a newbie entering the workforce)…I am absolutely terrified. I’m terrified because I’m still in many ways learning how to be confident in my skills and how not to let my nerves fog up my problem-solving — but really all of this eases up with practice (…and then more practice…and then more practice). But, as developers we are always looking to better ourselves technically and I think one of the best times to do this is during a technical interview. Whether it’s a new way of breaking down a problem, something as small as a new method, or maybe even a new piece of terminology you heard them mention — if you have the opportunity to ask them why they solved for a problem the way they did or what that weird technical term that you didn’t understand meant — then ask! There is no better time to learn something than in the present and that is especially true in a technical interview. You’re probably speaking with someone who is a bit more experienced — so why not learn from them.
• It’s also a good way to show that you’re a team player. Employers want to be excited to work with you and that you’re excited to work with them. They want to see that you’re going to ask questions, that you can problem-solve with them, and that you can take feedback and learnings and put them into practice.
• Example: I want to give a slightly more concrete example of what I mean — and something I learned from my experience. Something that came up in solving for my technical challenge was recursion. Now, recursion is something that I was familiar with in theory — but not something I had put into practice or really felt comfortable with. So one thing I did that evening when I got home — was look it up, and try to learn more about it. I did my fair amount of research but later went back to send a thank you note to my interviewer and included a few snip-bits about what I had learned about recursion. I didn’t want to admit defeat to the things I didn’t know but rather wanted to show the interviewer that I am constantly trying to learn, grow and challenge myself as a developer.

2. Take away a piece of advice from the person or people interviewing you

• More than likely the person interviewing you has been in your position before (probably several times…before) — and they understand the nerves and stress of taking technical interviews. Ask them how they have coped with the experience. They might have some really useful tips you may not have thought of — or other good resources — such as blogs, books or websites.
• But, beyond just tips on the technical interview — ask them for advice on being a developer in general! This can be about how to better your skills, how they transitioned to becoming a programmer, or how to navigate the workforce and job hunting. You never know until you ask! And in many ways this goes back to something I mentioned earlier — that you’re probably interviewing with someone who has a bit more experience than you do — so take advantage of that and learn from them.
• Example: The position I had applied for in this same scenario was a bit out of my experience level — I knew that going into it — but I figured why not?? Let me take a chance…and so I did. But as soon as I went through the process and finally was told that they were looking for other candidates with more experience I called the recruiter and asked for advice. I simply for any professional advice they may have for an entry level developer looking to fight their way into the workforce — and one thing the recruiter said was “always take the call or opportunity”. She was simply meant that even if the description is 100% a fit — reach out the employer, and apply. You never know what other positions they may have available that you may be a good fit for. Every opportunity wether it leads to something or not — is a great chance to learn how to talk about your experience and projects with a hiring manger or recruiter and really learn about others..

3. Put both into practice

• The last thing I want to say here is…put both nuggets of information into practice. Don’t just write down the things you’ve learned and walk away from them. In both the technical and professional aspects — the more you do something the better you get at it and the more comfortable you are doing it. Interviews from are really amazing ways to combine your interpersonal/soft skills and technical skills — so don’t forget to take advantage of the learning opportunities! :)
• Example: I’m actually trying to find problems to solve for recursively — such as toy problems or past technical challenges. I’m still not 100% comfortable with the topic — but I’m trying to learn as much as I can! And yes I’m taking every single recruiter call that I’m coming across — it has helped tell my story a bit more fluently, and learn how to talk about my technical skills with more confidence.