Tips to Ace Your Tech Interview

Everyone knows that making the right impression and representing your best qualities during an interview is very important for getting a job offer.

Technical or It interviews are a bit different from other job interviews. Here the hiring manager is usually an expert in tech too so be careful and prepared to face technical questions. Interviews are your one-time chance to sell your abilities and skills.

The purpose of the interview is to evaluate the candidate’s proficiency in specific areas, such as coding or product testing.

Tech Interview Basics

So how is a candidate evaluated in a technical interview? Each organisation has a set criterion. Let’s have a look at the average situations you might face.

Usually, tech interviews have three basic stages:

📞 A phone or video call stage. The company likes your resume and wants to talk to you. This is a short screening call that is done to see if you are enthusiastic and generally qualified for the role. Here the interviewer is usually a person from HR who just wants to evaluate you and this interview stage usually lasts for 15-30 minutes.

💻 The assignment stage. Many tech companies nowadays want to test your skills (except when the position is very senior) with a test or assignment. It might be conducted over a zoom or skype call or you could be given a homework assignment. In most cases, these assignments don’t take more than a few hours.

📝Final Onsite Interview Stage. This is the stage that can be called the actual “technical interview.” Here an expert senior manager interviews you with coding challenges and sometimes you have to complete them in front of the interviewer(s). Technical final stage interviews can last 1-2 hours, but sometimes an onsite technical interview can be several hours to a full day. However, owing to the remote work scenarios and covid protocols many companies do not encourage onsite interviews anymore and have the final interview via Zoom/Skype/Hangout/Teams etc.

WHAT TO WEAR FOR A TECH INTERVIEW

This is one of the most common dilemmas faced by most newbies and even some professionals. Although we all have an impression that most tech companies are nowadays relaxed and casual workplaces, it’s vital that you dress smartly and properly for your interview. For most interview experts it’s a good idea to dress one level above the company’s dress code. If the company allows casuals to work, wear business causals. Look up the social media page of the company before you go for the onsite interview to get an idea about the company culture. And if you can’t find anything talk to the recruiter for a tip. Always dress for success.

Some Important Tips For an IT/Tech Interview

• Communicate your passions that relate to the position you are interviewing for.
• Address the questions in an organized fashion.
• Be excited, but not too dominating. Listen and then answer
• Remember the interview is like a sales call. If the interview is a sales call; you are the product. Sell yourself the best you can!
• Be prepared to describe why the role and their work is an area of interest and passion for you.
•  It's almost sure that at one stage of the interview you will be asked about what you are seeking in your next role, your salary expectation, and your technical skills. Be prepared to explain in detail
•  Be honest about your skills and knowledge. Taking guesses while answering a technical question is a strict no-no
• Be the Geek you are. While having a technical discussion, discuss your personal interests and opinions on the topics at hand. Try and get the interviewer involved in discussing mutually interesting topics.

How to Prepare For the Interview Day

• Don’t leave decisions to the last minute. Choose what you are going to wear to your job interview and know how to reach there. Calculate the travel time, and where you will park if driving.
• Read through your resume to make sure that you know the exact dates of your employment experience as per the resume.
• Be prepared to answer why you left the position and what achievements you had while being employed in a certain role.
• Research the company or organization and the job position you are applying for. 
• Try and find out who you will be meeting with and what their title is. Once you know do some research on LinkedIn and learn more about their background.
•  Ask the HR person who schedules the interview about whether you will be simply meeting in person, and or will be taking any evaluations. This can help to be as prepared as possible.
• Be ready with smart questions you will want to ask. Don’t be caught off guard when they ask you if you have any questions. You should have at least three questions for them if possible.

Conclusion

Interviews don’t need to be painful, nerve-wracking chapters in your career. Be yourself and enjoy the process. If you are still nervous talk to one of our career experts who can help you with tips to fit into the job and the company. Remember that the interviewer also wants the meeting to be a success just like you.