Technical Interview Tips: What to Do and What to Avoid 💡

Technical interviews can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re asked to solve complex problems on the spot or explain your thought process to someone you’ve just met. But with some preparation, you can approach them with confidence and increase your chances of landing the job.

Whether you’re gearing up for a coding interview, a whiteboard problem, or a system design discussion, these tips will help you perform your best. 💪

What to Do (The DOs) 

1. Understand the Company and Their Tech Stack 🏢

Before you show up, take some time to learn about the company’s work and the technologies they use. For technical roles, this is especially important because you might be asked specific questions related to their tools or platforms.

• Why it matters: If you know their tech stack and challenges, you can tailor your answers to show how your experience matches their needs. It also shows genuine interest in the company.
• How to do it:Look for mentions of their technology on their website, LinkedIn page, or job description (e.g., Python, AWS, Kubernetes, etc.).Check their GitHub repositories (if public) to see what kind of projects they’re working on.Read employee reviews or blog posts to learn about their engineering culture. Some companies have blogs that discuss how they solve technical problems.

Example: If the company works heavily with React and you have experience with Angular, be ready to explain how your knowledge of component-based frameworks can transfer easily.

2. Brush Up on Core Concepts 📚🤓

For technical interviews, it’s crucial to have a strong grasp of the fundamentals. Most technical roles require you to solve problems or discuss concepts related to coding, system design, or troubleshooting.

• Why it matters: Even if you’ve been working for years, interviewers often test foundational skills to see how you think under pressure.
• How to do it: Review data structures (arrays, linked lists, hash maps, trees) and algorithms (sorting, searching, recursion, dynamic programming). Practice common coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or CodeSignal. Refresh your knowledge of Big-O notation and be ready to analyze the efficiency of your solutions. If the role involves databases, brush up on SQL and database design concepts.

Pro Tip: If you’re rusty on coding challenges, start small. 🐾 Solve easy problems first, then gradually work your way up to medium and hard ones.

3. Practice Explaining Your Thought Process 💬

Technical interviews aren’t just about getting the “right” answer. Interviewers want to see how you approach problems and make decisions. If you can explain your thought process clearly, it’ll leave a great impression.

• Why it matters: Even if you don’t solve the problem completely, showing logical thinking and problem-solving skills can still earn you points.
• How to do it: When practicing coding problems, narrate your thinking out loud. For example: “First, I’ll sort the array because it’ll make it easier to find duplicates.”Break problems into smaller pieces. Describe how you’re tackling each part.Be honest about roadblocks. Instead of freezing, say something like, “I’m stuck here because I’m unsure about how to handle edge cases. Let me think it through.”

Example: If asked to reverse a linked list, explain why you’re using a two-pointer approach instead of recursion (e.g., better space complexity).

4. Prepare for Real-World Scenarios 🌐

In addition to coding problems, many technical interviews include scenario-based questions. These test your ability to solve practical issues that the company might face.

• Why it matters: This shows the interviewer you’re ready to apply your skills in the real world, not just in hypothetical situations.
• How to do it:For system design interviews, practice creating scalable architectures. Review topics like load balancing, databases, and API design.For troubleshooting roles, prepare to talk through how you’d debug issues. For instance, “How would you diagnose a slow query in a database?”If the role involves DevOps or cloud technologies, review how to design CI/CD pipelines or deploy applications on platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

Example: Be ready for a question like, “How would you design a URL shortener?” Think about trade-offs, scaling, and edge cases (e.g., duplicate URLs).

5. Practice Mock Interviews 📝

Rehearsing with someone else can make a huge difference in how you perform during the actual interview.

• Why it matters: Mock interviews help you get comfortable thinking out loud, handling pressure, and receiving feedback.
• How to do it: Use websites like Pramp or Interviewing.io to schedule free mock technical interviews with peers. Ask a friend or mentor to pretend to be an interviewer and critique your performance. Simulate the exact format of the interview (e.g., coding on a shared document or whiteboard).

Pro Tip: Time yourself during practice to ensure you’re not spending too long on one problem. Many interviews test how well you manage time under pressure.

6. Follow Up with Technical Details 👩💻

After the interview, it’s a good idea to follow up with a thank-you email. For technical roles, you can also briefly clarify or expand on any technical discussions you had during the interview.

• Why it matters: It shows professionalism and that you care about the role.
• How to do it:Thank them for their time and mention something specific about the interview (e.g., an interesting problem or discussion).If you didn’t fully solve a question but thought of a better solution afterward, you can include it. Example: “I had some additional thoughts on the scaling issue we discussed. Another approach might be to use a caching layer with Redis for faster lookups.”

What to Avoid (The DON’Ts) ❌

1. Don’t Memorize Solutions 🧠🚫

Trying to memorize answers to specific problems from sites like LeetCode can backfire. Most interviewers can tell if you’re regurgitating a solution without understanding it.

• Why it’s a problem: It shows a lack of flexibility and deeper understanding.
• How to avoid it: Focus on understanding patterns and strategies, like divide-and-conquer or greedy algorithms, so you can adapt them to new problems.

2. Don’t Jump to Coding Without Planning ✍️

It’s tempting to start typing code right away, but jumping in without a plan can lead to mistakes.

• Why it’s a problem: You might miss edge cases or end up with inefficient code.
• How to avoid it:Take a minute to think through the problem and outline your approach. Write down the steps or sketch out a quick diagram if needed.

3. Don’t Forget Edge Cases ⚠️

In technical interviews, your solution needs to handle all possible scenarios—not just the basic ones.

• Why it’s a problem: Missing edge cases makes your code incomplete or unreliable.
• How to avoid it:After solving the problem, test your solution with different inputs, like empty arrays, negative numbers, or very large datasets.

Example: If writing a function to find the longest palindrome in a string, test it with inputs like an empty string or a string with no repeated characters.

4. Don’t Neglect Communication 🤐

Some candidates focus so much on solving the problem that they forget to explain what they’re doing.

• Why it’s a problem: Silent problem-solving leaves the interviewer guessing about your thought process.
• How to avoid it:Talk through each step as you go, even if you’re not sure it’s the right answer.

5. Don’t Panic if You Don’t Know the Answer 🤷♂️

No one expects you to know everything. It’s okay to admit when you don’t know something.

• Why it’s a problem: Trying to fake an answer or guessing wildly can hurt your credibility.
• How to avoid it:If you don’t know, say something like, “I’m not sure about that, but here’s how I would approach finding the solution.”

Extra Tips for Success 🌟

• Be Comfortable with the Tools: If your interview involves coding on a platform like CoderPad or a whiteboard, practice using those tools beforehand.
• Ask Questions: If you’re unclear about a problem, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification. It’s better to ask than to make assumptions.
• Be Honest About Your Experience: If you’re not familiar with a tool or concept, it’s okay to say so—just show a willingness to learn.

Final Thoughts 💬✨

Technical interviews can be challenging, but they’re also a great opportunity to showcase how you think and solve problems. Focus on the basics, explain your thought process, and don’t stress if you don’t get everything perfect. Remember, interviews are as much about how you think as they are about what you know.

Good luck—and happy coding! 💻