- What do you say if I ask you to develop a service that processes thousands of requests per second with minimal latency?



- Hmm ... I will say that you have such a problem in the company. But you have no ideas and you discuss it in interviews with candidates :)

This is how I answered when I was first asked a question about architecture. We had a good laugh. But then the interviewer made me design the service.



Since then, ten years have passed and countless interviews on both sides of the table. I have worked for Microsoft, Google, Stripe and received offers from many other companies. When I interviewed myself, I realized one thing: standard interview advice is extremely inadequate.



Why spend weeks practicing problem solving when your head is completely empty during the interview? Everyone says to watch out for recruiters, but what if you're not? How can you show your best side if you are too afraid?



I've checked the answers to these questions several times (sometimes by accident). As practice has shown, folk wisdom gives average results. But you can improve your interviewing skill.



For some reason, no one talks about some of the specific aspects of interviews that have helped me on several occasions:

• Use recruiters to your advantage
  
  
• Take real job interviews
  
  
• Don't miss out on learning opportunities during job interviews
  
  
• Maintain skill even when you are not looking for a job

Council number 1. Use recruiters to your advantage

On the phone, they are so friendly and helpful: "We look forward to meeting you!" It's clear that this is all a sham, I thought earlier. I was sure that after the conversation, they secretly discuss my qualities behind my back. Like, he suits the company or not.



And they are really discussing. But not in the way you think.



Recruiters do not evaluate your professional qualities, at least not after a phone call. Their decision about your professionalism was made long before this call. If you're offered an interview, congratulations, you've already crossed that bar.



Now the recruiter wants to work with you. His job is to get you accepted. They know the average candidate has poor interview preparation skills and will happily help correct that deficiency. Why discard strong candidates who can't do well in interviews? They want to help everyone show their best.



How can you take advantage of this?



Ask them questions! For example, such:

• "What should I do to prepare for the interview?"
  
  
• "What values ​​of the company would it be good to talk about during the interview?"

And be honest about any problems you face.

• If you get sick the day before the interview, call the recruiter and ask to reschedule the interview. He wants to schedule an interview when you're in top shape!
  
  
• Didn't the parking lot leave time for preparation? You can still set another date. In the worst case, they will say, "Sorry, we can't do this." It won't hurt your chances.

Your insane technical skills no longer matter to them. Either way, humility and openness to learning will show you in the best light.

Council number 2. Take real job interviews

You need to improve your interviewing skills. Programming is great, but not nearly enough in real-life interviews. Try to get real interviews as often as possible. And don't limit yourself to the companies that interest you.



Learn to deal with pressure.



When you come to a real meeting, the world changes: you are locked in a cage with a lion. The heart pounds in the chest. The psyche explodes when the body goes into hit or run mode. Sticky hands struggle to write semi-legible code on the board. There is a threat behind every shadow. Even the harmless "Would you like something to drink?" seems like a nefarious test which you choose: Coca-Cola or coffee ...



This experience can only be gained in a real interview. And only there you will learn how to deal with it. Your ass gets kicked at the first interview. And on the second. But once you get past a few of them, you will get used to the adrenaline rush. You might even like it. You will become a bullfighter who confidently opposes the attacking bull. Here's how to overcome fear.



You might find these workout interviews a lot easier than the real ones! When the stakes are low, the lion looks less fierce. I have found that I do best when I don’t care about the outcome. I become much calmer and more at ease. The faster I think, the brain is considering more possibilities. Now, even in important interviews, I try to convince myself that I don't care, like it's a workout interview.



Learn to answer ambiguous questions.



After each interview, write down all the questions you were asked. Review them that evening while they are still fresh in your mind. Focus especially on behavioral and architectural ones that don't have a specific right answer. Think about how to answer them better. Are there stories from your life that you can refer to? Wait a few days and look at these questions again. And then you will find a better answer.



Each answer you prepare is one stroke in the picture of your preparation. Chances are good that you will again face similar questions. Over time, you will be able to mix together a palette of prepared sketches - and paint a stunning picture of how your abilities make you a valuable asset to the company.



Think quickly.



During training interviews, you may find that the company is actually interesting. Recruiters are counting on that option. They suggest trying to get an interview even if you say the company is not interesting. And this happened to me many times.

Council number 3. Don't miss out on learning opportunities during job interviews

I found out about it by accident, but it really pays off.



Once at a college job fair, I walked around and looked around. My gaze fell on a pile of Rubik's cubes being handed out by a company I had never heard of. I really wanted to get one! Of course, I couldn't just walk up and ask him directly, so I went and chatted with the guy who worked at the booth. His name was Vince. A few minutes later I left with the precious Rubik's cube in hand. That evening Vince called me and offered to do a real job interview on campus. I already had a job offer from a company that I liked, but I thought, “Of course, why not? Experience is not superfluous. "



I had no intention of working for them, it was some boring financial business. There was nothing to lose. Therefore, during the interview, I could freely ask any questions. When it seemed to me that I answered incorrectly, I asked: “It seems that here I gave a blunder. What is the right way then?" (I wanted to know the answer for future interviews!) When I was asked a difficult question, I enjoyed solving the problem with a smile, rather than worrying how badly it would reflect on me (remember my witty question at the beginning of this article? This is what that interview looked like).



It turns out that companies like this behavior: the next day I was offered another job. At a significantly higher salary than the first one. Yes, and they wanted to send me to New York in two weeks to get to know the company. I still didn't want to go to them, but a free ride to New York ... Okay, write it down! Company name: Bloomberg.



Bloomberg had experienced recruiters. They used two days to the fullest to ensure that the candidate remained delighted with the company (I was very close to accepting their offer). During that trip, Vince said that I made a big impression when I fearlessly asked questions, even when I was completely stumped.



Since then, I have no hesitation in asking any interview questions. Don't limit your curiosity! And as an interviewer, I confirm: sincere interest is always a good sign.

Council number 4. Maintain skill even when you are not looking for a job

James Whittaker recommends taking a practice interview every year, just to confirm that you can get it.



It's an inspiring feeling to know that if you lose your job, you can quickly find another. Removes a huge load from the shoulders.



I myself occasionally accept an invitation from a recruiter (for this it is useful to create an account on LinkedIn). I don’t bother to prepare myself, at least not at the first stage. These interviews provide insight into which areas you need to refresh your knowledge and where industry practice is changing.



For example, in a tech interview last summer, I didn't immediately realize that they wanted to see real working code. Instead of the usual pseudo-code in Google Docs, the interviewer asked to select the desired language in the online IDE. And I have no particular preference for language. At work, I use a lot of tools and change languages ​​about every five months. Therefore, even such simple things as "creating an array" usually have to google. So which one to choose? Well, I chose C #.



But I didn't think that the very verbose syntax of Visual Studio is great for automating, but this online IDE is not. Even for such a simple task as creating an array, it took precious minutes to find the right package to import and the exact syntax. Needless to say, I ran out of time. So I got burned ... but it opened my eyes to how interviews are changing and what to prepare for in the future.



Four months later, I was contacted by a company called Stripe. They also expected working code and even allowed their IDE to be used. This time I was ready. And now I work there.



These four strategies have helped me over and over again: use recruiters, train in real-life interviews, gain new knowledge there, and maintain skill.



What do all these tactics have in common? They take away fear. Fear that prevents you from expressing yourself as much as possible. Train more often and the interrogation rooms will turn into a playground for you.



“Never show that it's difficult for you,” Vince told me. But when the bets are funny and you are having fun, what are the problems?