I’ve been programming for a few years now, and I find that often people don’t know what to expect when walking into a technical interview. If you’re planning on looking for a job in programming job soon and are wondering what a tech interview is really like, you’ll find this article useful.
IT recruitment trends have emerged tremendously over the past decades now, wherein almost every organisation has an IT department now and they treat IT, professionals, with much respect and give more value as compared to a few years ago.
Whether you are about to step into the IT industry or are a seasoned professional, you will know that a technical interview is different from a traditional job interview.
Your interview is a great chance to prove to your hiring manager why you’re the best fit for their job role. However, preparing for the job interview takes a lot more effort than just googling the common interview questions.
Top Tips to Excel in Your IT Job Interviews
So, to help you bring out your A-game before the interviewers, we have compiled a list of pre-interview tips that will guide you to success on your D-day.
1. Positive Body Language
Positive body language will only come if you keep your mind filled with positive thoughts. This will wipe away your nervousness and anxiety during the interview.
Be comfortable and approach with a positive mindset. The way you present yourself leaves a significant impact on your interview.
2. Research the Company
It is extremely important to gain basic information about the company before your interview. It has been found that 47% of interviewers won’t offer the job to a candidate who has little knowledge about the company.
A common interview question is How do you think you will be able to contribute to the company? To give the best possible answer to this, it’s a must that you have a fair understanding of what the company does.
So, always do some research about the company in advance – its vision and mission, different branches, and areas of expertise. This way, you will always be prepared for any question your interviewer may ask.
3. Polish your Communication Skills
Your communication skills play a major role in your selection in any organisation, more so in IT firms. As IT firms work on projects from across the world, they want their employees to be able to communicate with the client with confidence. They are very particular about a candidate’s communication skills as it helps with the smooth operation of the projects.
Make use of appropriate professional language during the interview. Do not use any slang words or references that are not appropriate such as religion, sex, politics, race, etc.
4. Be Honest about your Knowledge
Testing your technical knowledge is the main criterion for an IT job interview. This is an often harrowing affair wherein interviewers always look for a very defined answer to their questions. You may or may not know the answer, but it’s important, to be honest about it. Giving wild guesses as answers will make the interviewer think that you are not a good fit for the position and end up damaging your image.
If you don’t know the answer say that by suggesting how you would go about finding the answer. This will demonstrate your ability to solve problems and think out of the box, thereby making the interviewer believe in your ability.
5. Be Enthusiastic & Ask the Right Questions
Recruiters always love hiring enthusiastic people. If they find you to be confident and positive, then it improves your chances of getting hired. Feel free to ask questions about training programs and certifications. It shows the interviewer that you are more passionate about the learning and advancement of the organisation.
Also mention some positive, nonwork-related attributes that assure the interviewer that you are ready to join the team.
6. Prepare for Aptitude and Coding Tests
Most people think of interviews as sitting in front of the jury where they will ask many questions. Since many candidates will be applying for the same post, most of the organisations conduct an aptitude test as the first step in order to filter out the right candidates from the huge queue of job seekers.
Freshers often have a misconception that aptitude tests will be easy, but it isn’t so in reality. To finish the test on time, days of practice are a must. So, it is very important to start practising well in advance. When it comes to coding, make sure to practice specific coding skills like data structures, trees, algorithms, arrays, etc.
7. Give the Right Logical Algorithm
There may be a situation in the interview where you know the logical algorithm of a problem but can’t code it completely. This normally occurs due to a lack of implementation skills (online coding courses can help strengthen your foundation to avoid such situations).
In such situations, you can tell the interviewer that you can write the pseudo-code or algorithm of the problem even though you cannot write the entire code. And when you are paper coding, make it clear and visible to the interviewer so that it’s easy for them to understand.
8. Don’t Freak Out Answering Tech Questions
The main part of an IT interview is the technical round. An interviewer will obviously test your limit of tech knowledge, and the only way they can find this out is by asking questions from all parts of your subject, even things that you will most likely not know. So when such a situation happens in your interview don’t panic, stay calm.
Try to work your way through the question as much as you can. Prepare yourself for how you will handle what you are not sure about. Again, early preparation helps a lot in how to pass an interview in the IT industry.
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During the program, you will be spending your time developing real projects and will be engaged in getting to learn more about software development. And after the successful completion of internship, we will connect you with leading tech companies to assist you to land your dream job.
