Preparation

Two Major Takeaways:

Know what to expect!
Practice!¹1. Specifically, you need authentic practice. Not just “solve problems a few times” but “somebody gives you questions and you properly work out the problem with them”.

Recommended Books

For Interview Questions:

Cracking the Coding Interview by McDowell

For Data Structures and Algorithms Reference:

Introduction to Algorithms by C.L.R.S.
Open Data Structures (Website and PDF)

For Effective Programming Reference:

Effective Java by Bloch
Effective C++ by Meyers

Researching the Position

This is the first step of any application, it seeks to answer:

Do I want this job? (Is this a good fit²2. Whether your strengths and interests align with your job.?)
How can I get this job? (How do you apply and prepare?)

Example: On Shoehorning (e.g., “Can I get this job?”)

Many people ask, “how can I phrase my background to try to get this position?” and similar questions.

A better question is, “could this job be the right fit for me?”.

Is this a company you want to work for?
Is this a career you want?

Determining Fit

Do the job qualifications and job description match your background?
- Make notes as you research so you can tailor your resume.
Does the company background match?
- Philosophy, goals, products, location.

As you research, note down your questions and save them for the interview.³3. And if you ALREADY know somebody at the company, reach out and ask them these questions before applying.

Company Background

If you get the interview, research the company background⁴4. You need to have critical knowledge if THEY ask (don’t overreach!); e.g.,

History⁵5. e.g., when was it founded? What was it founded for? What was its first product?
Major Players⁶6. e.g., who’s the CEO? CTO? CFO? What about historical players?
Corporate Strategy⁷7. e.g., what are their products? What’s their niche? Who are their competitors?

Resume Tips

Tip: Focus on Accomplishments (not assigned tasks)

Example: Fixing a bad bullet-point

TechSocial
Software Engineering Intern
- Software Engineering Team, C++

This is slightly redundant.

TechSocial
Software Engineering Intern
- Member of Backend Optimization Team, C++

Better, but still just passive and task-oriented. We now know your assigned position, but not what you actually did.

TechSocial
Software Engineering Intern
- Optimized backend to reduce query time by 20%, C++

This is accomplishment oriented. Hip hip hooray.

Pitfalls

Out-of-Date

If your resume needs to be updated, update it.
If your resume has a gap, explain it.

Update your skills and proficiencies. Don’t list a language if you haven’t used it in several years.

Lengthiness and Formatting

Resume screeners spend less than 30 seconds on your resume.

If they are looking for something, they better be able to find it immediately.⁸8. Which is why you must tailor the resume to the position you are applying for!

Overreaching on Skills

Do not list every language you ever touched.

If you list a “proficient” language or technology, it is fair game for the interview.

Not Tailored to the Position

Highlight the items most relevant to the position.

If you did hardware engineering and web design, and the position is for web design; it is extremely wasteful to talk at length about hardware engineering.

Online Presence

Keep your website up to date and social media/digital footprint⁹9. D-did somebody s-say f-f-f-feet??? clean.

Specifically, you need authentic practice. Not just “solve problems a few times” but “somebody gives you questions and you properly work out the problem with them”.↩︎
Whether your strengths and interests align with your job.↩︎
And if you ALREADY know somebody at the company, reach out and ask them these questions before applying.↩︎
You need to have critical knowledge if THEY ask (don’t overreach!)↩︎
e.g., when was it founded? What was it founded for? What was its first product?↩︎
e.g., who’s the CEO? CTO? CFO? What about historical players?↩︎
e.g., what are their products? What’s their niche? Who are their competitors?↩︎
Which is why you must tailor the resume to the position you are applying for!↩︎
D-did somebody s-say f-f-f-feet??? ↩︎