Re:Ask HN: Hardest part about preparing for technical interv...
by neilsharma on Wednesday October 19, 2016 @01:34PM
(#12745818)
Yeah, the scope of possible questions is unreasonably vast. Have you come across any exhaustive list of CS (algorithms) and SWE knowledge needed to adequately prepare for interviews? Or better than a list, a high quality end-to-end resource with Q&As?
Re:Ask HN: Hardest part about preparing for technical interv...
by AnimalMuppet on Wednesday October 19, 2016 @04:52PM
(#12747566)
No, I haven't.
But I think you're taking my answer in a bit different direction than I meant it. I meant that the way to "prepare" for the interview is not by preparing for the interview, but rather by really learning stuff that you actually need for your career. Don't try to figure out how to game it. Instead, learn more so that you're more the candidate that they're looking for.
Now, you can still get tripped up by stupid stuff. "Oh, you didn't know the exact time complexity of that algorithm? No job for you!" But if they're playing that kind of game with you in the interview, you may not want to work there anyway...
The best way to prepare is to actually learn as much as you can - not as "interview preparation", but as actual knowledge. Then, as specific interview skills, you also need to learn to think under pressure, to communicate what you're thinking well, and to gracefully and smoothly say that you don't know, but you could figure it out with a bit of time and Google.