How to Completely Prepare For Tech Interviews?

A majority of college students hold a vision of getting into their dream company after completing their graduation. And why only college students, even many working professionals want to get rid out of their current job and get into their dream job or company eagerly.

But…what comes between these individuals and their dream job…?? Okay, it is the INTERVIEW PROCESS!

Yes, to secure the desired job in your targeted company like Amazon, Microsoft, Swiggy, etc. you’re first required to crack their multiple interview rounds. And to prepare for these tech interviews is not an easy-to-go task, especially for the freshers (or you can say college students) who often come across numerous problems such as what to prepare, where to prepare, etc.

However, things are not that difficult too as it seems. One can conveniently prepare for the tech interviews, whether it be of a startup or an IT giant if he follows the right preparation roadmap and strategies with sheer determination and consistency. Here, in this article, we’ll get to know what skills you need to learn or what things you need to do, to crack the interview of any big tech company. Let’s get started:

1. Get Proficient with the Preferred Programming Language 

First and foremost, you need to understand the programming fundamentals and get proficient with the preferred programming language. If you’re going out for interviews for tech job roles like SDE, Software Tester, Web Developer, etc. you obviously should have a decent command of coding or programming skills. Though as there are numerous programming languages out there such as Python, Java, C++, Swift, etc. – you’re not required to learn and master each and every programming language, you need to pick out those 1 or 2 programming languages relevant to your career domain and goals. Just for an example, if you’re looking forward to building a career as an Android Developer, then it would be better for you to become proficient with languages like JAVA and Kotlin compared to other popular languages like PHP, Swift, etc. Also, many renowned tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. often require the candidates to write code on the whiteboard – hence, you’re recommended to thoroughly understand the basics and syntax of the particular language.

2. Learn Data Structures and Algorithms

This is something you can’t even think to avoid preparing before going out for a tech interview in any of the leading IT giants. Data Structures and Algorithms is the most preferred skill by these tech companies, and they significantly assess the candidates in the interview based on their understanding of Data structure and algorithm concepts. It not only allows the interviewer to assess your technical skills and knowledge but also shows your problem-solving skills to him/her. You simply can start to learn Data Structures & Algorithms from the basic concepts like Array, Stack, Queue, Searching, Sorting, etc., and then gradually move towards the advanced concepts like Hashing, Tries, Greedy Algorithms, Dynamic Programming, and others.  

Also, you’re not only required to learn these DSA concepts theoretically but you’re recommended to implement them also by solving various programming problems for better understanding and proficiency.

3. Gain a Decent Knowledge of Core CS Subjects

Moving forward, the fundamentals and core concepts of important CS subjects particularly Operating Systems, Database Management System, and Computer Networks must be clear to you. These core subjects hold a considerable weightage in the tech interviews and the interviewers usually ask several questions from these subjects, especially from the fresher candidates who’ve just passed out of college or are in their final year. Though, as a fresher, you’re not required to dive deep down into these core subjects – all you need to have is a clear understanding of their basic concepts. For example: in the case of Operating Systems, you need to know about Process Management, I/O Management, Threads and Concurrency, Memory Management, etc. Similarly, when it comes to DBMS, you’re required to go through relational and non-relational databases, ACID property, normalization, etc. Also, if you’re having a considerable amount of work experience, you can opt to explore and learn System Design concepts such as Load Balancing, Caching & Proxies, CAP Theorem, Sharding, etc. while preparing for tech interviews.  

4. Get Your Hands Dirty on Aptitude and Reasoning

While preparing out for the tech interviews, most of the students often skip preparing for aptitude and reasoning sections – and it somehow makes them lose the job opportunity even before appearing for the coding or technical interview rounds. Yes, the interview or recruitment process of almost every tech company includes – Aptitude and Reasoning Test, Coding Round, and Multiple Face To Face Interview Rounds (including Managerial and HR Round) where the Aptitude/Reasoning Test acts as the screening round. Hence, you need to be a bit concerned and prepare well for this screening round too to go ahead in the interview process.

The Aptitude section generally includes topics like Number system, Equations, Ratio and Proportion, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Time and Work, Time Speed & Distance, Areas and Mensuration, Averages, Permutations and Combinations, Probability, Sets, Progressions, Functions, Series, etc. whereas the Reasoning Section often comprises the following important topics: Series, Missing Numbers, Odd one out, Data Sufficiency, Assumptions and Conclusions, Puzzles, etc.

5. Work On the Required Soft Skills

Other than that, you need to work on the required soft skills as well while preparing for the tech interviews to get an edge over others. Along with the required technical skills, the interviewer also assesses your soft and analytical skills to identify whether you’d be able to do the tasks in an optimized and efficient manner or would you be able to work in a team environment or not, etc. Some of the crucial non-tech skills on which you can work are communication, problem-solving, decision-making, research & analysis, collaboration, and others. These skills are indeed required by almost every tech company from the candidates – hence, you should definitely opt to enhance them.

So, as of now, one of the major concerns of yours i.e. – ‘What to prepare?’ would have been resolved. Now, you must be thinking about another concern i.e. how to prepare, right…?? No worries, let us tell you that, whether it be programming fundamentals or Data Structures & Algorithms, or core computer science subjects – you can get all the required resources for your interview preparation at a single place with GeeksforGeeks Complete Interview Preparation Course.  

This Complete Interview Preparation course is particularly designed for the Pre-final/Final year Students and Working Professionals to help them out in landing their dream job. The course will cover – Understanding of Programming Languages (C++ & Java), Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs) Concepts, Data Structures & Algorithms (Basic to Advanced Level), Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Concepts & Case Studies, Computer Science subjects like Operating System, Computer Networks, DBMS, etc., Aptitude and Reasoning.  

Moreover, you’ll be provided with premium lectures, theory notes, practice tracks, assessment tests, and various other resources required for placement preparation, and that too with the most affordable prices. In addition, you may get the additional feature of doubt support – all you need to need is while purchasing this course, click on “Add to Cart” for Doubt Support and Assistance. What else do you need…??

Now, as you have known that what skills you need to learn and possess to get completely prepared for the interview along with knowing about the best preparation resource i.e., GeeksforGeeks Complete Interview Preparation Course – it’s time to know what else you can do to validate your skills and knowledge, to enhance your confidence, and to get an edge over others.  

1. Build Projects

One of the best ways to get a thorough understanding of programming concepts, data structures & algorithms, databases, etc. is to learn by doing i.e, by building projects. You can build several minor and major projects as it will not only help you to learn the tools and technologies better but will also validate your skills and knowledge and boost your confidence. Moreover, when you hold a decent portfolio of several worthwhile projects, it helps you to get an edge over other candidates in the interview having the same technical skill set as yours. You can use several standard platforms like GitHub, Bitbucket, etc to put your projects online as it will make it easier for you to showcase your work to the recruiters. Also, before going out for interviews, you’re recommended to brush up on your project details effectively as you’ll be asked several questions related to it in the interview.  

2. Participate in Coding Challenges and Hackathons

What can be the better way to assess your skills than competing and brainstorming with various brilliant minds all across the world. Participating in renowned programming contests and hackathons gives you the much-needed exposure and opportunity to showcase and validate your skills. In fact, many leading companies give preference to the candidates who hold some considerable rankings or achievements in such coding challenges and hackathons events. There are numerous standard coding challenges platforms such as HackerRank, CodeChef, etc. where you can easily participate in programming contests regularly hold by them.

3. Get Some Hands-On Experience with Internships

In addition, you can opt to gain some real-time practical exposure or hands-on experience by joining one or more worthwhile internship programs. In internships, you get to work on projects in a real-time environment that makes you more proficient with your skills and learning. Also, there you get a chance to know about the required soft or non-tech skills in the industry such as proper communication, time-management, teamwork, etc. on which you can work accordingly. Other than that, the relevant internship experience adds much-needed value to your resume and helps you to stand out among other candidates.  

Some additional tips that you consider in this interview preparation journey are listed below:

• Shortlist target companies and understand their hiring processes
• Prepare an effective and ATS friendly resume
• Build a strong online presence
• Grow your network and ask for referrals
• Practice Mock Interviews, etc

So, this is the pathway that you need to follow to completely prepare for any tech interview. And, it is for sure that you’ll follow the above-mentioned approaches with determination & consistency then no one can stop you to get into your dream job!!

Now, what…?? Okay, there’s one more concern that is still remaining to discuss – how to get adequate job interview opportunities or how to apply for them? No worries, we have a cure for this problem too as GeeksforGeeks provides you with its enriching GFG Job Portal where each and every candidate out there can explore thousands of job opportunities conveniently and apply for the same without any charges.

You can get the company information, job description, and other required details for each job by simply clicking on it. And, if you find the job opportunity relevant, you can apply for it from the same page by clicking on the “Apply Now” button. Let us tell you that more than 200 companies are listed at GeeksforGeeks Job Portal and 10000+ students have already applied for the job through the portal.

What are you waiting for now…?? Do follow the above-mentioned strategies to prepare for your upcoming tech interviews and make use of the GFG Job Portal as well to get some remarkable job opportunities!!