Interviewing advice for future tech professionals
Navigating the job market is hard. Particularly when you’re interviewing for your first “real” job in the tech world. In over a decade at this, I’m struck by how many things you learn once you’ve been hired on at a fast-paced business that are all but impossible to know before you enter. This irony frustrates me, and it drives me to be a support system for the next generation.
I regularly give mock interviews for recent graduates of the NSS Coding Bootcamp, where I offer tips for “pitching” oneself successfully in an interview, as well as a few things to look out for to try to spot an employer with a truly great work environment. In this post, I’ve collected some of the key themes I keep coming back to in these interviews:
But first, a word to those navigating the job market:
Do. Not. Settle: There are plenty of opportunities out there. Remember that you are interviewing the employer, too. Really make an effort to spot things that will ensure you’ll be happy there for the long term.
Don’t be afraid to have an interview not ‘click’: This simply means you & the employer are not the right fit for one another at this particular moment. And that’s ok. Whatever you do, don’t take it personally.
Preparation & presentation
These are the things to do before & during interviews:
Prior to the interview, find out the hiring manager and get the names and titles of each person you’ll interview with. All of this info can be gathered from the HR person who sets up your interview. Don’t wait until the interview to find out who people are: it’s bad form.
Make an effort to research & understand the business. Do more than a 2 min Google search. Instead, shoot for 30 mins to an hour.
At what stage of life are they? 1, 5 & 20 yr old companies operate very differently. (For a quick reference point, try Crunchbase).
Why do you think they are hiring for this position?
Is the business growing, plateaued, or declining?
During the interview, show humility. Technical problems can be approached many ways, and often, interviewers appreciate dialog on the alternative ways to solve them. Ask if there are key business constraints you should be aware of when considering the path forward.
Ask the hiring manager about the problems that keep them up at night (or the biggest real world issue the team faced recently).
Be ready to explain something related to the role that you’re passionate about, in detail. If what you chose were an onion, peel back several layers in discussion.
Maybe it’s a software framework, model, or school of thought that you prefer when building things from scratch and or optimizing existing projects.
Alternatively, I appreciate when a candidate can name people or tech pubs they view as a fount of wisdom on technical subjects. Shout out Donovan Brown
Things to listen for
Remember, you’re interviewing your potential employer, too. These are potential red-flags that may spell doom for your long-term happiness at a particular company.
How prepared were the interviewers for you?
How well did the employees know & respect each other?
How long have your interviewers been at the company? Ask them why.
How does the company reward accomplishment?
Ask if there’s an onboarding plan. There should be something.
Where is the business heading? Is there a coherent roadmap for the future?
How healthy is the business’s bottom line? Have they done any layoffs historically?
Put your impressions to the test
Take your first-hand impressions from your interview & see if others can confirm them for you:
Ask for input from people outside the company, like former employees or professional acquaintances of current employees. Possible places for gathering this intel: Slack/Teams message boards, or Meetup groups. Ask why people left OR what the company’s reputation is in the talent market.
Leadership team. Go find some interviews! Are the leaders down to earth & inspiring? Aloof, stodgy leadership teams do accurately reflect the makeup of the organization. Just like an iceberg.
Let’s reflect on why you’ve read this far: you’re about to land your first job in the tech industry - that’s fantastic! Fortunately, there are more than enough opportunities out there in the tech world for you to be choosy, so target a great fit over just a plain good one. Careers are long, so it’s always in your best interest to make the extra effort to identify an employer who’ll offer you the culture, benefits, and growth opportunities to succeed for many years to come.
Best of luck out there!
