How to Pass a Technical Interview

How to pass a technical interview in IT companies. This article deals with both phone and in-person interviewing.

Steps

Phone Interview

1. Understand the importance of a phone interview. Many people do not think of phone interviewing as interviewing. They think of it as a phone call. It is an interview and it determines if you are going to be interviewed on campus.
2. Be aware that phone interviews are often used to screen candidates in order to narrow the pool of applicants who will be invited for in-person interviews. They are also used as a way to minimize the expenses involved in interviewing out-of-town candidates. If there is enough common ground, then the phone interviews are almost always followed-up by an in-person interview.
3. Understand the process. Phone interviews are generally conducted in two steps. The first step is with a recruiter in human resources. The second step is a technical interview, usually with one of the people you would be working with. Technical phone interviews are usually only conducted for people living outside the geographical region. This is done because the company wants to have some level of confidence in your technical abilities before they decide to spend the money to fly you in for an in-person interview.

In-Person Interview

1. Be confident. If you have reached this far, then you are in a good shape and should be proud of yourself. You are among the top. In an on-campus interview you will meet with three to four technical people who are most likely the people you will end up working with. You may also meet with a group manager. The entire interviewing process can take days. Be prepared for a wide variety of questions that range from common personal questions to very challenging technical questions. The aim for this interview is for the interviewers to determine if you have the skills to do the job you are interviewing for, and if you are someone they would like to work with.
2. Prepare well for your interview.
3. Practice pseudo code.
4. Ask questions during the interview.
5. If it is a phone interview, have a cup of water ready and try to walk while you are on the phone.
6. Have a copy of your resume in front of you; they will be asking about what you have written there.

Warnings

• You do not know everything, so if you do not say so.
• Do not write things you do not know in your resume. They will figure out during the interview that you are fudging and lying about the extent of your abilities. Interview questions are designed to tease this out of people.