For the behavioral part, you can write out and rehearse your answers beforehand – just to have something prepared in the back of your mind for when you’re in the heat of the moment.

Good luck!

General Questions about Game Development

These are the low-difficulty questions you’ll get asked mostly during the phone screen and at the start of your in-person interview.

1. Tell me about your personal projects.

2. On a scale of 1-10, how good are you at C++?

3. Tell me about your experience/expertise with Unreal Engine.

4. How do game UI frameworks work exactly?

5. What is Qt?

6. What is WPF?

Specific Game Development Interview Questions

While many questions in game interviews overlap with general programming interview questions, there’s also many that are specific to this industry. Because game dev companies are dealing with a lot of unique problems, they want to make sure you have the right kind of expertise needed for solving these.

7. How do you implement a system where stats change constantly, like in a role-playing game?

8. How would you create an algorithm for the spread of a virus among game characters?

Technical Questions

9. What is the Big O runtime of a list/array/set/map/hashmap/vector?

10. How to do Binary Search?

11. When do you best use a list/array/set/map/hashmap/vector?

12. How does a hashmap work in detail?

13. What is the runtime for binary searching an array?

14. What are balanced vs unbalanced trees and when to use each?

15. How do you do depth-first & breadth-first searches, using stack/queue?

16. What’s the difference between a reference and a pointer?

17. What does dot product represent? What does its magnitude mean?

18. How can dot product be used?

19. What does cross product represent? What does its magnitude mean?

20. How can cross product be used?

21. How do you reverse a string?

22. What is reflection and how does it work?

23. How do you reflect a vector against a wall?

24. How does the vtable work?

25. How do you determine when a moving object is nearest to another object?

26. When do you need to normalize a vector?

27. How do you calculate a normal?

28. How do you calculate the distance between two vectors?

29. How do you set a bit?

30. How do you clear a bit?

31. How do you check a bit?

32. How do you toggle a bit?

33. What is the maximum value for an int32?

34. Please write -3 in binary.

35. Please write -4 in hex.

36. How large is an int* on a 64-bit system?

37. Explain a Slab allocator.

38. Explain a Buddy allocator.

39. Explain a Stack allocator.

40. Explain a Relocatable Heap.

41. Explain a Pooled Allocator.

Game Debugging Questions

42. How would you go about trying to reproduce an error?

43. What options does a debugger give you for solving a specific problem?

Optimization

44. How do you make a function run on thousands of objects at as high a framerate as possible?

45. How do you allocate memory such that CPU cache size is used most effectively?

46. Do you have experience with tools like VTune, and how would you use them?

Behavioral Interview Questions for Game Developers

Also called “cultural fit”-questions, they are meant to screen you for how compatible you’ll be with the company and your coworkers, as well as attributes like being disciplined and a good problem-solver.

You’ll be asked about your time working at other companies, to see how you’ve dealt with different situations and challenges.

47. Tell me about yourself.

48. Why are you passionate about Game Development?

49. What was the hardest bug you’ve had to fix in a game – and how did you do it?

50. Tell me about a conflict you’ve had with your boss/coworker.

The post 50 Game Developer Interview Questions (Common & Critical) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Why are they asking this? Is it because they care about how much you enjoy yourself when you’re writing code?

No, they’re not that altruistic.

This question screens whether you’ll be able to put out the results the company wants – with consistency.

• Will you be proactive in your role as a Software Engineer?
• Are you curious enough to want to keep learning new skills? To get to the root of any issue?
• Will you pull through when things get tough, or will you falter?

“Being passionate” is code for being a hard worker, a smart problem-solver and a relentless bug-fixer who doesn’t mind putting in extra hours to get projects across the finish line.

How to convey your passion for Software Development

Knowing what they’re really asking with this question, you can come up with a response that ticks all the boxes. If you do, chances are your interviewer will start imagining you using that passion of yours to accomplish their company’s goals.

Tell a story about a time you were persistent

The most believable way to talk about your passion is to give a real-life example. 

Recall your toughest challenges and how you were able to overcome them through sheer force of will (i.e. passion). 

You’ll gain the interviewer’s respect for your tenacity. This means that from your story, he’ll be drawing all the right conclusions about your character.

Explain your mindset

How does your passion for Software Development shape your attitude towards the problems you encounter in your work?

Tell them that when you get challenged, that’s when you thrive. How you love to rise to the occasion and solve even the most serious struggles thrown at you.

You love to work hard and inspire your teammates to be successful. You get satisfaction from working towards a common goal – and winning, because your team did all it took.

Talk about major goals you still want to hit

As with any behavioral question, it’s smart to tailor your response to what their company wants to achieve.

You’ve been passionate about Software Engineering for a long time. But your passion is ongoing. You’re still aiming for the next level.

This lines up with their company’s goals: In the position you’re interviewing for, you could pour your heart into meaningful projects. Not only would it serve your self-actualization – but maybe even more importantly, your zest for this profession could also help them reach new levels of success.

The post “What makes you passionate?” Software Engineering Question appeared first on Simple Programmer.

“Tell me about yourself”. The HORROR of a question. Open-ended, subjective, no official answer…

In this article, we’ll dive into how you can answer it in the most powerful way.

“Tell me about yourself” is your first opening into interviewers’ minds. Use it to your advantage.

If you do it right, you’ll be able to guide the rest of your interview based on your answer to this first question.

Let’s start with your self-introduction “Don’ts”

You don’t want to start off your interview as a rambling mess. So think about this question a bit before your interview.

Avoid these mistakes when answering, and maximize the chance you’ll be judged favorably.

• Don’t rattle off buzzwords. For every adjective you use for yourself, be prepared with some real-life anecdotes.
• Don’t ramble. This isn’t the time to talk about your entire life story or restate your resume. Don’t give unnecessary info. Don’t bore them to sleep.
• Don’t self-deprecate. Yes, you should be human. But oversharing or harping on your weaknesses isn’t the way.
• Don’t say your goals are “money” or “to move to that city.” They want to hire someone who is driven by something higher than that.

Use Your Answer to Make Yourself Memorable to the Interviewer

“Tell me about yourself” boils down to “What do you want the interviewer to remember about you?”

You’ll want to give a compelling answer that makes them buy in to you as a capable, interesting candidate, and see a positive potential future with you in front of their eyes.

But how do you do that?

Your 3-Chapter Software Engineering Backstory (& How to Tell it)

As we’ve said: We don’t want to bore the interviewer with our answer – we want to peak their curiosity and make them excited about where we come from & where we want to go.

For this, you can tell your life as a compelling story (because that’s what it is).

To give this kind of life to your answer, you can use a simple 3-part storytelling formula:

1. The Beginning: How it all started – and what led you to take this path in the first place
2. The Middle: Highlights and insights of your journey
3. The End: How it all fits with the job you’re interviewing for

When crafting your answer, keep asking yourself this scriptwriting question:

“How does this progress the story?”

If it doesn’t progress the story, it’s not useful.

Just like a movie character, we have a story, too. And we’re trying to convey that story to an audience as persuasively as we can. 

1. Your Origin Story (setting the scene, introducing the characters, adding backstory)

This is where you paint a quick picture of your background, what defines you as a person, and how that led you to get your start in tech.

You don’t want to drag this part out for too long.

It’s “setting the stage” for the defining moment: The moment it was revealed to you that this is your calling, and you want to spend all your energy on it.

The defining moment

This moment is what triggered you to say:

“This is what I want to do with my life”.

It set the direction for your career. It’s where you consciously chose this path for yourself.

Nobody wants to hire someone without direction. But if you can illuminate this defining moment and decision for your interviewer, you’ll stick out as someone who’s determined, on the path, and set to achieve more great things in his life.

It’s a great quality to show off in an interview.

2. Your journey until this point in your career

After the defining moment, you can start going into some detail about:

• What your career has been like so far: What have you been doing since that fire was created in you?
• What important things you’ve learned
• What you’ve achieved and created
• Which individual strengths you were able to display
• How you stayed inspired along the way
• What the journey set you up to do (at their company, possibly?)

One interviewer put it this way:

“This part of the interview is me trying to give you an opportunity to sell yourself. Tell me about projects, lessons learned, goals within the field, real world examples of skills, anything that tells me you are right for the job.”

Having learned the employer’s pain points, it’s easy to answer the question about yourself by describing (in detail) how you solved similar problems at your previous projects.

In short, you were born and trained all your life to solve those exact problems.

3. The culmination: Using everything you’ve learned to do big things at their company

This part of your story is all about painting a promising picture in their head: A picture of you being of service to their company.

The interviewer is asking: “help me understand who you are today, as it relates to this position.”

Your answers should be framed accordingly.

Alex Rogachevsky, CTO at LionStack, gave the following tip:

“Press the interviewer’s pleasure buttons, the most important of which is eliminating the “pain points”. You’re being hired to solve some problem.”

And you’re uniquely qualified to be able to do that – because of everything that you’ve done so far on your journey. Remember to focus on experiences or skills that the interviewer will find relevant for the position you’re interviewing for.

If you can convincingly describe how it all led to this moment, and how your experience will help them solve important problems, you’ll have your interviewer intrigued, and bought in to your story.

When it comes time to judge your interview, he’ll remember how he felt about how you laid out this story.

Software Engineer Self introduction examples

To make it more practical, let’s look at some examples of how people are using this framework to convey their career story in a way that’s interesting and pulls the interviewer in.

Career Shifter Example – Jaclyn Ling, CEO of Hatchways

Let’s say you studied Psychology, but are now interested in working at a tech startup. You’ve been programming for about a year.

“When I was growing up, I was always fascinated by human behavior, and learning about why people do what they do.

But during my studies and internships, I realized Psychology was a lot more theoretical, and not actually executionary.

And so I still really appreciated learning about people, but using it in order to build something that improves the lives of others.

So I wanted to look for something that was a lot more executionary. That’s when I discovered programming – I did it as one of my elective courses in school – and I absolutely fell in love with it.

The ability to build something and actually see the result right away was magical to me.

So over the last few years, I’ve been working on building up my web development skills. Something I love about it is I can build web projects that help people solve the problems they’re facing on a day-to-day basis.

What I’ve learned both from my Psychology degree, but also my time spent programming, is doing impactful work.”

Senior Developer Self Introduction – Pen Magnet, Programmer with 20+ years experience

“I chose to study Electronics because I was interested in circuits during my childhood. Also, I heard learning Electronics could enable one to program computers – they were a luxury in those days!

In company X as senior developer, I led a team of 4 developers who handled payment microservice of our retail website. We were in charge of CRUD operations for all transactions – checkouts, refunds, tax withholding.

I also optimized several functions and reduced average execution time / CPU utilization / memory utilization by 60%.”

Social Media Developer Example

“I got started programming because I wanted to build a social network for cats.

That didn’t take off, but the prototype helped me get a job at a small tech company in my home town.

Last month, I read an awesome article on Hacker News about the social network your company is building. The scaling challenges you face seem like they’ll help me grow faster and stronger than my current role will.”

Conclusion

I haven’t been in any interview where this question wasn’t asked.

You might as well ace it.

The post “Tell me about yourself” in Software Engineer Interviews appeared first on Simple Programmer.

interview

kickstart

Interview Kickstart is a comprehensive  2-4mo interview prep online bootcamp.

Read Review →

Best for Soft Skills

accelerate your software developer career

Accelerate your S.D. career has the best advice on personal presentation skills.

Read Review →

Best for Budget

master the coding Interview – udemy

Master the Coding Interview has hours of video lectures at an affordable price.

Read Review →

Best Overall

algo

expert

Algo Expert offers curated questions, videos and IDE at a good price point.

Read Review →

The 3 categories of courses

• All-inclusive interview prep courses. These teach you how to solve both coding and behavioral questions – the complete package.
• Soft skills courses. Focusing most on the interpersonal and meta-skills you need to answer questions well and win over your employer. 
• Pure coding questions courses. They’re providing detailed problem-solving steps and a live coding environment for effective interview preparation.

Criteria for evaluating the courses

• How well they instruct algorithms & data structures. You should get so much practice in your coding course that you’ve got these topics down pat. They should be making you so good at DSA that you’ll blaze through any question. 
• Do they select the best interview questions? You don’t want to grind out 1000s of mildly related problems. You don’t need a course for that. What you want is to only learn what’s most relevant to your upcoming interview.
• Whether they teach problem-solving. With the right approach, you need not fear any challenge thrown at you during the interview. A great coding interview prep course teaches you how to take apart any problem – and solve it in the most efficient way.
• Value for your investment. Diving into the skills for far-out future interviews? Then it’s fine to start with a budget option to get your feet wet. Maximize your chances at an upcoming interview? Invest more in an in-depth course, for a big potential payoff.

Complete Interview Prep Courses – Coding & behavioral

There are a courses you can use to prepare for your coding interview out there that have it all: 

• They’re turning you into a master at solving coding questions. 
• They’re revealing the right approach to problem-solving. 
• Plus they’re preparing you for the behavioral part of the interview, instilling in you the proper mindset for success , and teaching you those crucial, often-neglected soft skills. 

So you’ll go into your coding interview with confidence & impress the recruiters.

These are the best complete courses out there:

1. AlgoExpert

• Best for: If you’re looking for a more focused alternative to LeetCode with good video explanations.
• Unique features: They’ve added systems design & behavioral courses to their bundle. Mock interviews with other users.
• Price: $79 for the complete Tech Interview Bundle.

Your instructors at AlgoExpert

• Clement Mihailescu, founder of AlgoExpert, an Ex-Facebook Software Engineer with a 400k strong YouTube Channel. 
• Tim Ruscica aka Tech with Tim (over 1 million subscribers on YouTube), Ex-Software Engineering Intern at Microsoft. 
• Ex-Amazon and Facebook Software Engineers for the Front-End & Machine Learning courses.

Course content

With AlgoExpert, you’ll learn to solve hand-picked, relevant coding interview questions inside their platform.

• For each problem, you get a detailed video explaining the best way to solve it. 
• There’s a module with coding interview tips, and you get curated practice tests to assess whether your interview preparation has been successful.
• You can sharpen your skills in a live environment by doing mock interviews with other users on the platform.
• The tech interview bundle also features a whole course on systems design, plus 15 lessons on behavioral interview prep.

Pros & Cons

• Curated questions so you only learn what’s relevant to your interview.
• Great value for the modest price.
• The behavioral section could be more comprehensive.

2. Interview Kickstart

• Best for: If you want the immersive bootcamp experience.
• Unique features: 7-18 week cohort-based instruction. A 6-month support period where they help you polish your resume & more.
• Price: $6200

We’ve also taken a more in-depth look at Interview Kickstart’s program if you’d like to know all the details.

Your instructors at Interview Kickstart

Your instructors at Interview Kickstart will be tech leads and hiring managers conducting coding / behavioral interviews at FAANG and Tier-1 companies.

Course content

The bootcamp will have you master concepts and solve problems in data structures, algorithms and systems design. On top of that they’ll teach you role-specific skills as well as soft (behavioral) skills and give career advice.

Here’s how your weekly schedule will look with Interview Kickstart:

Friday: You’ll receive the pre-class study material on foundational conceptsSunday: Live class on the week’s topic with a FAANG+ instructorMon-Wed: Solve the curated question sets and run test casesThursday: Simulated tests and instructor-led calibrated discussions

Pros & Cons

• You’ll go into the most depth with the Interview Kickstart online coding bootcamp – as it stretches over 2-4 months.
• You’ll be most likely to follow through with all the lessons because the instructor sessions are scheduled, and you’re expected to participate in the tests and assignments.
• You’ll invest the most money into Interview Kickstart compared to all other online coding preparation courses.

3. Interview Cake

• Best for: If you’re looking to get helpful hints while solving coding questions, just like you would in a real interview.
• Unique features: Helpful, progressive hints for solving questions. 100-day ‘no questions asked’ refund policy. Read all about Interview Cake here.
• Price: $149 for 3 months, $249 for 12 months

Your instructors at Interview Cake

Parker Phinney started Interview Cake in 2013 after helping his friend prepare for a round of coding interviews and her getting a job at Facebook. 

He refined his approach by teaching students at coding bootcamps in San Francisco.

Course content

First, you’ll get a high-level instruction in algorithmic thinking — which you can then apply to the rest of the course.

The next 8 modules have you master all types of algorithms & data structures.

Then you have 4 modules not all other courses offer you, teaching you:

• System design
• General programming
• Bit manipulation
• Combinatorics & math
• JavaScript-specific questions
• Coding interview tips

Pros & Cons

• Good instruction of technical questions you need to prepare for coding interviews.
• Easy to pick & choose specific topics to drill. 50 hours of practice questions & readings.
• Plus a small section on soft skills and mental hacks.
• Only written instructions and explanations, no video content.

4. Grokking the Coding Interview (educative.io)

• Best for: If you want to master problem-solving skills.
• Unique features: Best at coming up with patterns for solving questions. You can access over 300 other courses (for example Grokking the Behavioral Interview) on the platform. Upon completing the course, you’ll earn a certificate.
• Price: $19.99 per month

Your instructors at educative.io

Educative was launched in 2015 by three software engineers working at eBay, Microsoft and Facebook.

Course content

Your instructors at educative.io have come up with 16 patterns for coding interview questions. This allows you to solve any problem once you know which pattern it belongs to. Every problem in the course is solved in Java, Python, C++ and JavaScript.It’ll take you around 50 hours to complete the interview prep course:182 lessons, 125 challenges, 1043 playgrounds, 217 illustrations.

Pros & Cons

• Access to different courses like systems design and most coding languages.
• A code compiler is included.
• You get a certificate after you’ve completed the course.
• Great if you like reading. But no videos.

Behavioral (Soft Skills) Prep Courses for Programming Interview

These courses dive deep into some of the intangibles of getting a great software engineer job.

You need to master soft skills to properly market yourself and maximize your value on the job market. 

If you apply these lessons, you can outshine the other (even the more skilled) candidates.

These are the best behavioral and soft skills courses to prep your coding interview:

1. Accelerate Your Software Developer Career: Digital Toolkit by Simple Programmer

• Best for: Gaining the right mindset for coding interviews & learning how to present yourself in the best way possible. Maximizing your market value as a programmer.
• Unique features: A course module on how to “dress to impress” at your interview. The “Job Hunting Plan” module & the “Salary Negotiation” module.
• Price: $175

Your instructor

I’m John Sonmez, the founder of Simple Programmer. In Accelerate Your Software Developer Career, you’ll get the strategies I’ve used to work my way up to lucrative senior development positions. You’ll benefit from knowledge I’ve used to create 55 PluralSight training courses on topics ranging from Java to iOS to GoLang, and to write the best-selling book, Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual. The “soft skills” tactics you’ll learn have led me to become a speaker at international developer conferences and consult with major corporations like Verizon.

Course content

• The “hard” questions: Language-specific questions, algorithm & data structure questions, design pattern questions, object oriented questions, SQL & database questions. Video explanations on how to solve each.
• The “how” of solving coding interview questions. If you have the right process, you can crack most questions, no matter their content. Because you know how to approach and solve the problem presented.
• The “soft” questions: Behavioral questions, plus how to prepare for the best chance to ace the interview.

The post 11 BEST Coding Interview Preparation Courses Compared (2023) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Learn how to display the exact behavioral attributes companies are looking for — so you can win at your next interview, and go far as a Software Engineer.

How to answer behavioral questions

Be goal-oriented & socially savvy

When the interviewer is asking you to tell them about yourself, it’s not to make small talk — they’re judging you for certain attributes they like to see in a candidate.

By telling compelling stories about your experiences, you can let your favorable qualities shine through without being on-the-nose or coming across as dishonest or bragging.

Know what they’re looking for

The main attributes companies are screening for are:

• Your ability to solve problems while displaying empathy & leadership towards your team members.
• Your passion for achieving goals in service of the company’s mission
• Your commitment to your technology and using it as well as you can
• Your personal presentation: How charismatic you are & your communication skills

Prepare your stories in NSAR format

This template for answering behavioral interview questions was created by Gayle McDowell of Cracking the Coding Interview:

1. Nugget – tease and give a short summary of your story
2. Situation – explain what happened in a succinct, engaging way
3. Action – show how you handled the situation, displaying your positive qualities
4. Result – let them know what happened because of the actions you took or influenced. Back it up with numbers if you can

Make a grid with your practiced stories

To remember the stories you want to use in your answers, it helps to visualize them in a simple grid. Here’s an example layout you could choose (again, this is influenced by Gayle McDowell’s work):

Want to go deeper? We also have a post on the best strategies and tactics in behavioral software engineering interviews for you to check out.

Most Frequent Software Engineer Behavioral Interview Q’s & A’s

Let’s now get into the questions you’ll likely be asked.

You’ll find the qualities each question is screening for, how to best approach your answer, and an example answer for all of them.

“Tell me about yourself.”

<

p dir=”ltr”>Screens for

• Skills fit
• Cultural fit

• Motivation

• Goal-orientation

How to

answer

• Don’t ramble or rattle off buzzwords
• Tell your background in a compelling story
• Connect everything back to the company you’re interviewing for

“Which principles should all Software Engineers follow?”

Screens for

• Domain mastery
• Processes / Work ethic

• Teamwork

• Problem-solving ability

How to

answer

• Mention positive qualities for SWE’s: Resourcefulness, critical evaluation, commitment to excellence
• Include your coding approach (e.g. code design, clean code, effective debugging)
• You could give examples of where SWEs go wrong — and how you’d do it better

“What’s a recent technical challenge you’ve faced — and how did you solve it?”

Screens for

• Domain mastery
• Processes / Work ethic

• Teamwork

• Problem-solving ability

How to

answer

• Go step-by-step using the NSAR framework
• Allude to curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, leadership and grit 
• Sum up how it better prepared you for challenges at your next job

“Why do you want to take this Software Engineering position with our company?”

Screens for

• Ability to research
• Genuine connection

• Skills fit

• Vision

How to

answer

• Talk about how you found out about them
• Tell a story about your connection to what they’re working on
• Outline future projects you’d like to be part of

“Why should we hire you as a Software Engineer?”

Screens for

• Skills fit
• Passion & Motivation

• Resilience

• Longevity

How to

answer

• Don’t oversell or be fake
• Emphasize that you love doing the relevant skills
• You’re happy solving their problems and growing further at their company

“What are your strengths as a Software Engineer?”

Screens for

• Technical skills
• Soft skills

• Self-awareness

• Excessive Ego

How to

answer

• Tailor it to the company, its stage, goals and needs
• Show how you can fill the current skill gaps in their team
• Give examples and tell stories

“What are your weaknesses as a Software Engineer?”

Screens for

• Self-awareness
• Humility

• Proactivity

How to

answer

• Confidently say the weakness
• Give an example & state why it’s an issue
• Explain how you’re working to improve on this

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years as a Software Engineer?”

Screens for

• Vision
• Personal Development

• Dependability

• Humble confidence

How to

answer

• Don’t say something generic like “I’ll be a respected Engineering Manager”
• Outline the growth journey of your last five years
• If you’ve kept developing, and can look back at how much you’ve grown after the next 5 years, you’ll know you’ve been successful

“What makes you passionate about Software Development?”

Screens for

• Motivation
• Grit

• Curiosity

• Initiative

How to

answer

• Avoid sounding overblown and fake
• Make sure your answer fits what the company is doing
• Give examples for your being a motivated problem-solver

“Why did you choose Software Engineering as a Career?”

Screens for

• Passion
• Motivation

• Personality

• Talent

How to

answer

• Show your passion for tech
• Explain how you love solving problems
• Mention the ability to create useful things from scratch

“How do you stay up-to-date on new technologies related to Software Development?”

Screens for

• Curiosity
• Initiative

• Learning ability

• Discipline

How to

answer

• Summarize why it’s important to stay up to date
• List your favorite ways to learn
• Give specific examples of how you’ve learned about new trends 

“How do you deal with a member of your team who disagrees with the work you did as a Software Engineer?”

Screens for

• Teamwork
• Confidence

• Empathy

• Ego

How to

answer

• Never blame others or make excuses
• Display your openness to constructive criticism
• Show how you’d handle the situation confidently

“How do you handle conflict with co-workers?”

Screens for

• Team spirit
• Humility

• Leadership & Confidence

• Empathy

How to

answer

• Don’t say you never have conflicts – they happen at every job
• Explain handling conflict professionally without compromising your reputation
• Show your ability to reason and persuade

The post 13 Behavioral Software Engineer Interview Questions, Answers appeared first on Simple Programmer.

How you come across. 

How you’re able to show off your abilities.Apply these 8 tips to leave a great impression on your interviewers during your coding interview.

Coding Interview Tips to Help You Get the Job:

Tip #1: Communicate Well

Be nice to your recruiter. 

Be personable, be human, crack a joke. Show your charisma.

The interviewer is looking for for a great addition to their team. You would meet every day, solving tasks together, sit in the same meetings, probably pair-program, and spend most of your time together. 

So it’s important to behave like a nice person: Be friendly, communicate in a clear way, do not frustrate the interviewer, and so on.

Point out your interests.

During the meeting, point out your interests, hobbies, and activities that have a connection with the company’s work style, team spirit, and culture.

This will demonstrate that you too care about being the right person for the job.

Don’t argue, blame or make excuses. 

Take responsibility for your own actions and if you don’t know the answer, simple, say “I don’t know the answer.” Or even better, say “I don’t know the answer but I’ll find out (and here’s how)”

Tip #2: ASK them  questions

Come with questions prepared.

When preparing for the interview, write down some questions you want to ask—your proactiveness will add some bonus points to your application.

This tactic shows your interviewer your real interest in the position. It also gives you a clear picture about the opportunity and you can decide if you want to join them at all.

A win both ways!

Ask questions about the role.

Ask about the position, ask about the company, ask about the technologies they use. This is a great way to show that you understand what you’re doing.

For example, if you’re applying to be a Java developer, ask about the version of the language and the related technologies.

You may ask questions about the scope of projects, too.

Tip #3: How you can Buy Time in the Interview

Drink some water.

At the beginning of most interviews, you’ll be asked if you need water. It is good to say yes. You can buy some useful seconds during the interview by drinking some water. In the meantime, you can think about an answer.

Note down your thoughts.

If you quickly note down your thoughts as they’re asking, you both buy time and create a structure that will help you give a better answer.

Ask clarifying questions.

They ask about a topic, and you ask back: “What parts of it would you like me to focus on?” This can buy you more seconds to formulate your answer.

Add introductions to your answers.

If you make the first part of your answer a short overview of the topic – obviously don’t make it long-winded – you have time to think about what you’ll say next.

Tip #4: When you get stuck on a question

Seek to understand the problem.

We have to find a way for you to understand it. And there’s a couple of different things we can do, right? One of them is simplifying the problem down.

So we have that 50,000 foot view, how do we simplify that problem down now? Can we break it up into multiple points? Can we pseudo-code it out?

Think out loud.

Interviewers are not mind-readers. They don’t know what you are thinking when you are scratching your head trying to figure out how to insert a new node into a linked list.

Just talk. When you’re trying to solve a problem, talk through it. 

You do get bonus points for thinking about a problem the right way and showing your problem solving skills–even if you don’t get the answer right.

Make the ugly solution happen.

People feel as though they need to get the best solution out every time in interview. But it’s not about being the most efficient in the world right away.

Likely when you’re in the interview and you get the ugly solution working, the interviewer will ask you: “Is there a better way to use that’s more efficient?” Which will give you the avenue to refactor your code.

Too many people get hung up with trying to get that best solution so that they end up not even solve the problem. They’re too worried about looking silly – when you should worry about solving the problem at all.

Tip #5: involve the interviewer

Ask questions first.

Don’t just start coding the solution to a problem. Even if you think you understand it. Ask the interviewer some questions to confirm.

The point isn’t to run off and code the right answer, the point is to simulate how you’d behave in a real-world environment. If you don’t ask clarifying questions about your assignment in a coding interview, the interviewer will assume you wouldn’t ask questions in a real-world situation either.

So, take your time, ask questions–make sure you understand what kind of code you are supposed to write, before you write it.

Ask them for feedback.

Especially if you don’t know the answer to a problem and they’ve timed you out. It doesn’t hurt to ask the interviewer their opinion on your code and your solution to the problem.

Show that you’re interested in learning – you don’t just want to get the answer right, but you want to understand it.

I guarantee it won’t make you look stupid. But it’ll make them feel important.

Tip #6: be confident

Speak cleary.

Your responses to questions during the interview are the best way to showcase your communication skills.

Speak clearly and slowly, enunciate your words, provide examples to back up every claim you make, and be receptive to following up on everything you say.

Have confidence in your answers.

Don’t make too many ‘maybe’ statements. Don’t flip-flop around in your answers.

Say what you know, and move on. And leave it at that because that’s going to come off way more confident than anything else.

Don’t give up so easily.

Try a little. Try a little more. An interviewer will respect you a lot more if you try hard.

No one wants a coworker who whines about how hard something is and promptly gives up.

Tip #7: Work cleanly

Name things cleary.

If you’re in a coding interview and you write code with one-letter variable names – like I so often see in coding interviews – the interviewer is going to assume that is how you normally write the code that you put into production in real-world applications.

It takes you two extra seconds to think of and write out a clear and meaningful variable name, so do it.

Test your code.

I can’t believe how many software engineers, who would normally test every line of code they write, completely forget to do this in an interview or think it’s not important.

Write a unit test to test it if you can, but if you can’t, at least paper test it. (That means walk through the code with possible inputs, line-by-line.)

Don’t rush.

It’s not a race. It’s about being thoughtful, analytical, careful and accurate.

No one is going to be too impressed if you whip out code super fast, but do it carelessly. It looks like you just don’t care and you are all about showing off instead of writing good code.

Be the guy who takes his time, tests his code and makes sure it works, before he throws it over to the interviewer and says he’s done.

Tip #8: what to do AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW

Send a thank-you note.

After your interview, send a nice thank-you note to the hiring manager, and ask if they need anything from you.

Send messages to everyone involved.

The same goes for anyone working at the company you came in contact with during your interview:

Send them a thank-you note. That way you’ll stay top of mind with the team.

Do a debrief for yourself.

After every interview, go over the questions you didn’t perform well on, and do your best to figure them out later in a less stressful environment.

There’s a strong chance you’ll encounter the same concept (often the same question). You want to do better next time you are asked a similar question to the one you struggled with last time.

You want to see progress.

If you got rejected, ask for feedback.

Some interviewers are willing to help you out with a bit of feedback after you’ve failed to get the offer.

From this, you can learn what you need to study next or how to better present yourself at other interviews.

Being open to constructive criticism always pays off!

The post 8 Best Coding Interview Tips to Get Your SWE Job appeared first on Simple Programmer.

If you know how to prepare — and you take all necessary steps — you can tackle anything the interviewers throw at you. Which means that sooner or later, you’ll get one of those high-paying jobs, to start your coding career off on the right foot.

Coding Interview Preparation – The 7 Steps

1. Build your coding portfolio

2. Enter their sphere

3. Think like a winner

4. Master interview questions

5. Sharpen your soft skills

6. Do mock interviews

7. Prepare to negotiate

This is how you’ll succeed, in a nutshell. Follow this roadmap for your coding interview preparation. Internalize the seven steps. Focus and execute them as well as you can. Get that high-paying Software Engineer job.

1. Prepare your portfolio

There’s few things interviewers love more than when they can see with their own eyes the real-world results of your coding skills.

When they see your developer portfolio:

• They know you’re passionate about building and problem-solving
• They see proof of mastery over your craft
• They appreciate your discipline to see things through to completion

Tip:When you send in your resume, include your portfolio.

Designers do this — and engineers should, too: It’ll make you stand out.

The more side projects you complete, the more likely you’ll learn how to code effectively and land a job:

• Build a mobile app or web project. And have the source code ready to show. A portfolio full of real coding projects will raise your status above other interviewees.
• Get GitHubbing. Provide your interviewer your Github username so they can see the projects you work with and how you work with them.
• Do Hackathons. Having participated in a Hackathon is a great item to include on your resume — and to talk about during your interview.
• Contribute to Open-Source projects. This shows you can work with a team and you can handle having your code reviewed.

2. Enter their sphere

The next step for you to go into your coding interview with unshakeable confidence:

Become an expert on THEIR company. And get in touch with them early on.

• Check their “About us” page. Here you can learn about their history, self-image, and values.
• See what they’re posting on social media. From checking out their Twitter, Facebook or YouTube presence, you can glean more about their messaging and communication style.
• Read recent articles about their company. This way you make sure you’re up to date on what’s happening in the company and their current business dealings.
• Find your interviewers on LinkedIn. Find out as much as possible about their background. You can then use this information to better connect with them during the interview.  
• Get to know the company’s team. Search for the people in the same branch. Send them a connection request and start engaging them! The result is that on the day of the interview you already know everyone.
• Connect with recent interviewees. After introducing yourself, politely ask them for tips on the interviewing process. In many cases they’ll be glad to help you out. They might even point you to the kinds of questions they were asked.

Now you know about their history and current events. You know what they value. And you’ve gotten to know your interviewers and potential future coworkers.

You’ve even learned how to best prepare yourself — from people who’ve recently gone through their interviews.

Each of these will give you an advantage going into your coding interview.

3. Think like a winner

• Visualize success. Take the time to mentally rehearse your coding interview. Imagine how you’ll solve problems proficiently, communicate confidently, and stay focused during the whole interview process.
• Nothing to lose. Sure, every interview is a big opportunity. But even if you were to fail, there’s more companies out there you can apply for. Go in with an attitude of abundance, and you’ll find it easier to perform well — while staying calm and confident.
• Don’t stress about what’s outside your control. Stressing about the result, stiff competition, or team dynamics is a waste of your inner resources, because it is outside of your control. Stay independent of the outcome. If you get the position, great; if not, no big deal—don’t take it personally, and prepare better for the next interview.
• Persistence will pay off. If you’re willing to do the real work and put in the time, you will succeed eventually. Even if you’re not the greatest developer and have limited experience, with persistence you can land a good role. And once you do, it gets much easier from there. 

4. master coding interview questions

Answering the technical questions well is of course a big part of getting the job offer. Follow this guide to to ace the technical part of your interview.

Also check out frequently asked coding interview questions here.

Learn how to problem-solve

You won’t crush your coding interview by just memorizing problems.

The goal is to understand things at a higher level.

You want to be able to take a problem you’ve never seen before, break it down, and analyze it. You get which patterns it follows. Then you know how to solve it. And you can explain your process to the interviewer step by step, with confidence.

That’s how you solve coding questions effectively. That’s how you impress at interviews.

A simple problem-solving process

• Read the problem completely twice.
• Solve the problem manually with 3 sets of sample data.
• Optimize the manual steps.
• Write the manual steps as comments or pseudo-code.
• Replace the comments or pseudo-code with real code.
• Optimize the real code.

Prepare for data structures & algorithms questions

Data structures

Algorithms

How to practice coding questions

Make your schedule

If you want to prepare to crush the coding interview:

Give yourself three months of focused study before you even apply for any jobs.

Set aside 2-3 hours per day and work on 2-3 coding questions during that time. By the end of three months, you’ll have cracked around 200 problems. 

You can then go into your interview with full confidence.

Practice solving questions out loud and on paper / whiteboard

In your practice, you want to get as close to the real thing as you can.

Get in the habit of mapping your solutions out visually, asking and answering questions, and talking through your process. This is what you’ll be asked to do in your coding interview.

And if you’ve already been doing exactly that for several months: Guess what — you’ll be able to execute it like clockwork.

Want a ready-made structure? Choose a coding interview prep platform

If you’d rather not deal with creating your own schedule, picking the best questions to practice, and looking up the best solutions, you might want to invest in a course or preparation platform.

Platforms like AlgoExpert guide you through your coding interview prepping process.

You get the most likely questions curated in an easy format, a built-in compiler to input your code right there, and solutions with step-by-step explanations. 

Also see how different coding interview preparation courses stack up.

5. Sharpen your soft skills

Level up your soft skills as a developer to prepare for the behavioral part of your coding interview.

3 tips to make a good impression

• Answer questions about your prior projects with examples
• Understand the company so you can tailor your explanation why you want the gig, and why hiring you will add value
• Ask interesting questions demonstrating your interest and passion

Prepare Behavioral Answers

Win over your interviewer with great answers to behavioral questions 

Whenever you’re asked a typical behavioral question, you can structure a response using CAT, a framework invented by Saeed Gatson:

• Circumstance.
• Actions.
• Takeaway.

Start off by talking about a circumstance you were in, then explain the actions you took to solve the issue, and finally describe your takeaway from the whole experience.

It helps to come prepared with a few circumstances in mind beforehand.

The “Tell Me About Yourself” Question

Use Saaed’s NFL approach, which stands for Now, Former, Later.  

• Start off with what you’re working on now.
• Then talk about something you’ve done at a former job or project.
• Finish up with goals you want to accomplish later at this given opportunity.

I’ve never not been asked this question in an interview. It’s pretty much guaranteed. You might as well ace it.

The Behavioral Traits They Look For

The right developer isn’t just someone who knows algorithms; it’s someone who communicates effectively and knows what it means to be part of a team.

What they look for in the behavioral interview can be summed up in The 4Ps: (credit: Saeed Gatson)

• Problem-Solving Ability.
• Passion for the Company.
• Passion for Technology.
• Personable Presentation.

In detail, they’re looking for these traits:

Behavioral traits for coding interviews

How to improve your soft skills before your coding interview

Social skills respond well to frequent practice. 

Seek to put yourself into challenging social situations that require you to be charismatic:

• Talk to new people. Try to win them over by being interesting and interested.
• Look for any opportunity to speak publicly and take it.
• Practice mock interviews with your friends, other programmers, and senior software engineers.

6. practice mock interviews

To be prepared to perform under pressure, simulate the real coding interview environment as much as you can. Mock interviews are the best way to do this.

Again, there’s online platforms to help you do these mock interviews. There’s two major options:

• Pramp pairs you with a peer interviewing for the same types of jobs as you. You can use the platform for free to do your mock interview with peers.
• Other interview platforms charge for their service, but instead of a peer mock interview, you get paired with real FAANG senior software engineers.

Do these many times before your coding interview, and you’ll be prepared to breeze through it.

7. Prepare to negotiate

Don’t forget to prepare yourself for a good outcome!

If you’ve followed all steps of the study roadmap so far — then you’ve maximized your chances of receiving an offer, sooner rather than later.

If you negotiate correctly, you can increase your starting salary at a software engineering job by a good amount—much more than you can ever expect to get from raises.

It pays to negotiate

And second, raises are based off of a percentage of your current salary. That is why it’s critical to get a good salary when starting a new job and to negotiate as best as possible.

If you can raise your overall compensation by 10%—which is usually easily obtainable—you can possibly put yourself ahead by 2-3 years in terms of raises, which usually are around 2-3%, but might actually be 0%.

• Don’t be first to name a number
• Don’t say your current or past salary
• Make counteroffers
• Be careful moving down from what you want, always try to make them come up
• All parts of the package are negotiable
• Don’t be afraid to take your time

That’s a wrap on how to prepare for your coding interview!

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p style=””>For tips on how to act during your coding interview, check out my article with 17 coding interview tips.

The post CRUSH Your Coding Interview Preparation – 7 Steps to Success appeared first on Simple Programmer.

I know the feeling.

You’re before a big coding interview.

Yeah, you’ve got your education. You’ve become a software developer to the best of your ability. You’ve been putting in the coding reps.

But still.. Now, months or weeks before the big day..

Suddenly you’re starting to feel.. clueless. And to be honest – a bit scared.. or more than a bit!

[pullquote align=”normal”]What will those mean recruiters ask you? [/pullquote]

I’ve been through many coding interviews. More recently I’ve been on the other side, too – as an interviewer. I’ve even written a book all about programming interviews.

Why are coding interviews so hard?

Coding interviews ARE getting harder. Programmers are studying more to prepare. It’s getting more competitive. Interviewers adapt — by asking harder questions.

Also, it’s just stressful to code under pressure. And the questions are often kept too short to be used as a useful screening tool. Instead they’re tripping up even good coders.

But… if you’re smart and disciplined about preparing, you can still dominate that interview!

Study these questions inside-out.

Today I’ll spill the secret on the questions you face during a coding interview and how you tackle them successfully.

To ace your programming interview, you need to prepare with real programming interview questions. Practice on real problems and learn their patterns.

You’ll impress the interviewers with your informed, to-the-point answers, to where they’d be dumb not to hire you.

The world needs more great programmers (YOU!!) with well-paid jobs – so you can keep making the world a better place.

I sincerely wish that for you.

Good luck![blank_space height=’0.1em’]

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The 5 Types of Coding Interview Questions to Master

Take a moment.

Put on the shoes of who’s asking you the coding interview questions.

Recruiters want the full picture. They want to know about:

1. your CODING KNOWLEDGE about basic programming concepts[blank_space height=’1em’]
2. your CODING SKILLS, mostly related to data structures (arrays, strings, linked lists, binary trees..), concepts (bit manipulation, design patterns..) & algorithms[blank_space height=’1em’]
3. your LOGICAL ABILITY in general. Sure,  intelligence is mostly inherited. But anyone can work to get everything out of their God-given level of intelligence: By practicing logic puzzles and refining their logic skills. [blank_space height=’1em’]
4. your PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS – it’s what makes you a good programmer vs. “just a coder”[blank_space height=’1em’]
5. your PERSONALITY – and how well it fits their company’s culture & goals. These are the so-called “behavioral” interview questions.[blank_space height=’0.5em’]

The 5 categories:

1. Coding knowledge
2. Coding skills
3. Logical ability
4. Problem-solving
5. Personality

Prepare yourself for questions in each of these areas. You’ll know what’s coming, and you’ll be able to give a smart answer. 

Show up to your programming interview (in-person or via video) well-prepared for these types of questions.

It’s your chance to outshine the other candidates.

Now, on to the 5 types of coding interview questions you need to master: [blank_space height=’0.1em’]

1. Basic programming interview questions 

Early in the interview (and also throughout), interviewers are looking to test you on your programming fundamentals.

These are questions on general programming terms, concepts, and functions.

If you struggle on the basics, they’ll be able to quickly cross you off the list of job prospects. 

Coding Interview Questions for Freshers

If you’re a fresher looking forward to your first coding interviews, start with the more basic questions in this article. Once you’ve mastered them, you can move on to more difficult questions, problems, and puzzles. Work on the “freshers” questions first, and you’ll be ready for the most advanced stuff. But it all builds on the basics!

So make sure you understand these basic programming concepts:

The Top 13 General Coding, Design & Programming Fundamentals Questions

See how many of these questions you can answer in a row without slowing down.

1. What are the pros and cons of your chosen technology?

If your favorite technology is Node.js, for example — you need to be able to answer this technical question thoroughly because it’s going to show your depth of knowledge in this specific area.

And since you’re more likely going to be interviewing for a Node.js job, pros and cons are often overlooked. And people just go, oh yeah, I use JavaScript. I use Node. They don’t actually know the pros to use it, and they don’t actually know the cons. And when they give answers, they might just say, “Oh yeah. Object oriented. Oh yeah. Great with memory.”

Don’t be vague. Be to the point.

Find some pros and cons of your technology, and better yet, find pros and cons of anything on your resume.

2. What are variables? Without variables, you don’t have a program. Variables are values that change within a program, based on the overall conditions and the “work” the program is doing. Variables are values stored or “declared” within the program and represent the working data set for the program. Variables = data sets + algorithms.

3. What is inheritance?

Inheritance is one of the core concepts of object-oriented programming (OOP) languages. It is a mechanism where you can to derive a class from another class for a hierarchy of classes that share a set of attributes and methods.

You can use it to declare different kinds of exceptions, add custom logic to existing frameworks, and even map your domain model to a database.  (Source)

4. What is polymorphism?

Polymorphism allows new objects in programming to assume the properties of existing objects. The object providing the inherited characteristics is known as a “base class” or “superclass.”

This is a program’s ability to process an object differently, according to its type or class. Picture a car versus a tank. Polymorphism would be a system that provides a blueprint for the systems they have in common and works across both types of vehicle.

5. What are pointers?

Pointers contain memory addresses for other values. Manipulating pointers can save time versus manipulating the data the pointers refer to. This can be an efficient way to write programs that manipulate data.

Pointers are used often in C, but less so in Java.

6. Name four types of storage classes. 

Register, static, external, and automatic.

1. Register: These are storage classes kept in the register of the central processing unit.
2. Static: This is a storage class in which the variable does not change. It is declared at the beginning stages of the programming task.
3. External: A storage class local to a piece of hardware, such as device drivers. These say to the compiler: “If I need this variable again, read it from the external device for the most current value.”
4. Automatic: A storage class in which blocks or functions define local variables.

7. What is encapsulation? 

This is one of the most important concepts in object-oriented design. It involves bundling together a class with a set of instructions. In encapsulation, an object includes not just its data but also functions that can mutate that data. Encapsulation may be used to hide the nature of the data while still facilitating interaction.

8. Name seven data types. 

1. Floating point
2. Integer
3. String
4. Float
5. Real
6. Character
7. Boolean

9. Name six data structure types. 

1. Linked lists
2. Files
3. Stacks
4. Queues
5. Trees
6. Graphs

10. What is the difference between a “declaration” and a “definition” of a particular function or variable? 

A declaration involves the type and function of an identifier and describes what the linker requires to reference it. A definition describes what the compiler needs to do to interact with the identifier. Sometimes a declaration provides an initial value, and sometimes the definition provides the value.

11. What is the difference between an interpreter and a compiler? 

An interpreter executes commands directly, while a compiler converts those commands (the program) from source code to machine code. Compiled programs run faster than interpretive languages and can be used at scale.

• Interpretive language examples: Basic, Korn Shell, Ruby, Python
• Compiler language examples: Java, C++

12. What are the functions of object-oriented design? 

1. Encapsulation
2. Polymorphism
3. Inheritance
4. Abstraction

13. What is a real-time operating system? 

A real-time operating system (OS) processes data as it becomes available, without a buffering period.

• Example of a real-time OS: Controlling factory machinery in real-time. Not necessarily instant, but essentially on-demand.
• Examples of non-real-time OS: Windows and macOS. Response time is not as important.

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2. Data structures & algorithms interview questions and answers

You need to know Data Structure and Algorithm inside-out.

Yes, you’ll learn a lot of new concepts by simply attempting to solve these questions.  I still suggest you first refresh your knowledge of Data Structure and Algorithms before you dive head-first into the questions!

Make sure you can create them from scratch. The questions about them may be basic or not – the more you’re able to create them from scratch, the more easily you can answer any interview question about them, whether basic or not so basic.

How to approach any technical programming question

1. Ask questions.
2. Create an algorithm.
3. Write “Pseudo” code first.
4. Write your code without rushing.
5. Test your code – thoughtfully fix mistakes.

(This is the process outlined in the classic Cracking the Coding interview by Gayle Laakmann)

Database questions: The Top 7

Coding for databases might involve using languages such as Python, Java, and C# to build and implement web-based, cloud-based, and mobile applications that individuals and organizations can use to interact with collections of information.

Not every programming career will require expertise in database management systems.

But it doesn’t hurt to learn the major concepts around databases.

14. Define the word “database.” What kind of interactions does a database management system provide?

A database is any electronic system that contains data and allows it to be used, accessed, updated, and processed.

Database management systems (DBMS) allow administrators, applications, software, and end users to interact with the data stored on the database.

15. How do database management systems improve on the functionality of file-based systems?

A file-based system may be interacted with directly by users, but not necessarily concurrently. Data-based management provides mediation between the file system and the application programming interfaces (APIs) being used and is more likely to facilitate multiple users at once. However, these users cannot change the same data at the same time.

16. What are the three main types of database technology?

1. Structure/data: Useful when writing a program that needs to store, manipulate, or read data—but where a full database implementation is not desirable.
2. Navigational: Navigational databases are associated with hierarchical or network models. This describes a database where objects are processed iteratively, one by one.
3. SQL/relational: This stands for “structured query language.” Used to retrieve or update information in a database.

17. What is normalization used for?

Normalization reorganizes data to eliminate redundancy and save disk space. It does so by creating multiple tables and outlining the relationships between them.

18. What is the difference between DDL and DML?

DDL stands for “data definition language.” It specifies the structure of a database. DML stands for “data manipulation language” and refers to how data is to be retrieved or modified from said database.

19. Why is database partitioning necessary?

Partitioning improves efficiency and data availability and minimizes data loss by creating separate, more stable, and more available separate filesystems. Partitioning allows for parallel processing or separating partitions that need to be accessed more or less often.

20. What is an entity—and what is an entity set?

An entity is a discrete object or data point, such as a person or place. An entity set groups entities of the same type.

In Java, an entity is an instance of a class. For example: Class = “car.” Instance/entity = “Cadillac CTS.”[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

Array Coding Interview Questions

Arrays are the most common data structure in programming—and a vital component in determining how information is accessed. If you have variables as the fundamental building blocks, arrays are the next step up.

It’s one of the darling topics of interviewers and you’ll hear a lot of questions about arrays in any coding interview, e.g. reversing an array, sorting the array, or searching elements on the array.

The key benefit of an array data structure is that it offers fast O(1) search if you know the index, but adding and removing an element from an array is slow because you cannot change the size of the array once it’s created.

In order to create a shorter or longer array, you need to create a new array and copy all elements from old to new.

The key to solving array-based questions is having a good knowledge of array data structure as well as basic programming constructors such as loop, recursion, and fundamental operators.

Here are the top 12 questions about arrays you’re likely to get asked at your coding interview:

21. How would you check whether an array contains only digits?

22. How would you go about finding all the permutations of a given array?

23. How do you find the missing number in a given integer array of 1 to 100? (Solution)

24. How do you find the duplicate number on a given integer array? (Solution)

25. How do you find the largest and smallest number in an unsorted integer array? (Solution)

26. How do you find all pairs of an integer array whose sum is equal to a given number? (Solution)

27. How do you find duplicate numbers in an array if it contains multiple duplicates? (Solution)

28. How are duplicates removed from a given array in Java? (Solution)

29. How is an integer array sorted in place using the quicksort algorithm? (Solution)

30. How do you remove duplicates from an array in place?(Solution)

31. How do you reverse an array in place in Java? (Solution)

32. How are duplicates removed from an array without using any library? (Solution)[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

Trees – The Top 15 Interview Questions and Answers

The following three categories—trees, graphs, and lists—are similar in some fundamental ways, but they still require some specialized knowledge that you might have to call upon during your interview. How well do you know your way around linear and nonlinear data structures?

In Java, trees contain packages that describe how to manipulate lists.

All information in the real world cannot be represented in linear fashion, and that’s where tree data structure helps.

Tree data structure is a data structure that allows you to store your data in a hierarchical fashion. Depending on how you store data, there are different types of trees, such as a binary tree, where each node has, at most, two child nodes.

Along with its close cousin binary search tree, it’s also one of the most popular tree data structures. Therefore, you will find a lot of questions based upon them, such as how to traverse them, count nodes, find depth, and check if they are balanced or not.

A key point to solving binary tree questions is a strong knowledge of theory, e.g. what is the size or depth of the binary tree, what is a leaf, and what is a node, as well as an understanding of the popular traversing algorithms, e.g. pre-, post-, and in-order traversal.

Here’s a list of 15 popular binary tree-based coding questions from software engineer or developer job interviews:

33. What is a binary search tree, and what is it used for?

A binary tree is a data structure that has two “children” and facilitates the study of data that bifurcates.

34. Name five types of trees.

1. Binary trees
2. Binary search trees
3. AVL trees
4. B-trees
5. B+ trees

35. How is a binary search tree implemented? (Solution)

36. How do you perform preorder traversal in a given binary tree? (Solution)

37. How do you traverse a given binary tree in preorder without recursion? (Solution)

38. How do you perform an inorder traversal in a given binary tree? (Solution)

39. How do you print all nodes of a given binary tree using inorder traversal without recursion? (Solution)

40. How do you implement a postorder traversal algorithm? (Solution)

41. How do you traverse a binary tree in postorder traversal without recursion? (Solution)

42. How are all leaves of a binary search tree printed?(Solution)

43. How do you count a number of leaf nodes in a given binary tree? (Solution)

44. How do you perform a binary search in a given array?(Solution)

Problem-solving with trees:

45. How would you go about mirroring a binary tree?

46. How do you count a number of leaf nodes in a given binary tree?

47. How would you check whether a tree is balanced or not?[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

Graphs Questions

Graphs are nonlinear data structures composed of multiple nodes and edges, or “vertices.” Graphs can represent networking architecture and can be deployed to solve practical problems. Broadly, they describe directed or undirected relationships.

48. What is depth-first search, or traversal, for graphs?

Depth-first search (DFS) searches graphs and trees by beginning at the root node and following each branch as far as it can before it backtracks. DFS may be used to detect cycles in a graph, to find a path, and to locate strongly connected components.

49. What is a breadth-first traversal for graphs?

Breadth-first traversal (BFS) examines sibling nodes first and children nodes second. BFS may be used in peer-to-peer networking for finding the shortest path and even in web crawlers used in search engines.

50. Given a particular graph, how would you determine whether or not it cycles?[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

Lists questions in coding interview

A linked list is another common data structure that complements the array data structure.

Similar to the array, it is also a linear data structure and stores elements in a linear fashion.

However, unlike the array, it doesn’t store them in contiguous locations; instead, they are scattered everywhere in memory, which is connected to each other using nodes.

[pullquote align=”normal”] A linked list is nothing but a list of nodes where each node contains the value stored and the address of the next node.[/pullquote]

Because of this structure, it’s easy to add and remove elements in a linked list, as you just need to change the link instead of creating the array, but the search is difficult and often requires O(n) time to find an element in the singly linked list.

It also comes in varieties like:

• a singly linked list, which allows you to traverse in one direction (forward or reverse)

• a doubly linked list, which allows you to traverse in both directions (forward and backward)

• a circular linked list, which forms a circle

In order to solve linked list-based questions, a good knowledge of recursion is important, because a linked list is a recursive data structure.

If you take one node from a linked list, the remaining data structure is still a linked list, and because of that, many linked list problems have simpler recursive solutions than iterative ones.

Here are 8 of the most common and popular linked list interview questions and their solutions:

51. How do you find the middle element of a singly linked list in one pass? (Solution)

52. How do you check if a given linked list contains a cycle? How do you find the starting node of the cycle (Solution)

53. How do you reverse a linked list? (Solution)

54. How do you reverse a singly linked list without recursion? (Solution)

55. How are duplicate nodes removed in an unsorted linked list? (Solution)

56. How do you find the length of a singly linked list (Solution)

57. How do you find the third node from the end in a singly linked list? (Solution)

58. How do you find the sum of two linked lists using Stack? (Solution)[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

Algorithmic interview questions

Algorithms are often the bread and butter of a coding professional’s career. You know them as the recipe that powers how data is gathered, sorted, and ultimately made useful in other processes.

You can expect algorithm-related questions such as these 7:

59. How is a bubble sort algorithm implemented?(Solution)

60. How is an iterative quicksort algorithm implemented? (Solution)

61. How do you implement an insertion sort algorithm? (Solution)

62. How is a merge sort algorithm implemented?(Solution)

63. How do you implement a bucket sort algorithm?(Solution)

64. How do you implement a counting sort algorithm? (Solution)

65. How is a radix sort algorithm implemented?(Solution)[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

String Coding Interview Questions

Along with array and linked list data structures, a string is another popular topic on programming job interviews. I have never participated in a coding interview where no string-based question was asked.

A good thing about the string is that if you know the array, you can solve string-based questions easily, because strings are nothing but a character array.

So all the techniques you learn by solving array-based coding questions can be used to solve string programming questions as well.

Here’s my list of 11 frequently asked string coding questions from programming job interviews:

66. How do you print duplicate characters from a string? (Solution)

67. How do you check if two strings are anagrams of each other? (Solution)

68. How do you print the first non-repeated character from a string? (Solution)

69. How can a given string be reversed using recursion? (Solution)

70. How do you check if a string contains only digits? (Solution)

71. How are duplicate characters found in a string? (Solution)

72. How do you count a number of vowels and consonants in a given string? (Solution)

73. How do you count the occurrence of a given character in a string? (Solution)

74. How do you find all permutations of a string? (Solution)

75. How do you reverse words in a given sentence without using any library method? (Solution)

76. How do you check if two strings are a rotation of each other? (Solution)

77. How do you check if a given string is a palindrome? (Solution)

These questions help you improve your knowledge of string as a data structure.

If you feel that your understanding of binary tree coding is inadequate and you can’t solve these questions on your own, I suggest you go back and pick a good data structure and algorithm book.[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

3. Programming Interview Logical Questions and Solutions 

Apart from data structure-based questions, most of the programming job interviews also ask general logic-based questions, which I’ll describe in this section.

It’s important that you practice these concepts because sometimes they become tricky to solve in the actual interview.

Having practiced them before not only makes you familiar with them, but also gives you more confidence in explaining the solution to the interviewer.

Here are 9 Logic & Math questions:

78. How do you swap two numbers without using the third variable? (Solution)

79. How do you check if two rectangles overlap with each other? (Solution)

80. How do you design a vending machine? (Solution)

Logical Math and Probability Interview Questions

81. What’s the formula to check if a number is even?

num % 2 == 0

82. What’s the formula for the Sum of 1 to N?

1 + 2 + … + (N – 1) + N = (N+1) * N/2

83. What’s the math formula for the Sum of Geometric Progression?

2⁰ + 2¹ + 2² + 2³ + … 2ⁿ = 2ⁿ⁺¹ – 1

84. Given two fair dices, what is the probability that two dices sum to 8?

There are 36 (6*6) outcomes for tossing two fair dices, and the outcomes when two dices sum to 8 are:

(2, 6), (3,5), (4,4), (5,3), (6,2);

The probability of two dices sum to 8 is 5/36. Source

85. There are 100 people standing in a circle. The person standing at 1st position kills the next person (i.e.the person standing at 2nd position) and gives the sword to next to next person (i.e. the person standing at 3rd position ). Which person survives in the end?

If the total number of people is not in power of 2, then the person at nth position of the Arithmetic Progression defined below will always survive.

Arithmetic Progression ( X ) = a + d * ( n – 1 )

where, a = 3

d = 2

n = Total number of persons – Greatest nth root of 2 less that total number of persons

So for a circle of 100 persons:

X = 3 + 2 * ( 100 -64 – 1 ) = 73

86. How do you check for Primality? (Solution)[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

4. Problem solving interview questions for software engineer or coder jobs

Some programming interviews will build to some kind of practical, hands-on, or problem-solving demonstration to see how well you can improvise and bring together the major and minor programming concepts.

Remember that the most important underlying skill for any type of programmer is the ability to think logically.

11 problem-solving questions for you to practice:

87. Here’s an example of a problem involving random selection:

If you had an array of 52 numbers, such as a deck of cards, it would be easy to choose one at random. Your task is to generate a number between 1 and 52 and use that as the index to your array. In other words, derive a system whereby a number or card is chosen at random from a set or deck with all numbers or cards equally probable.

88. Here’s a more difficult variation:

Imagine you can neither see the whole set at once nor store it. In other words, you’re not told how many total numbers there will be, and you are shown only one number at a time. You cannot store all the numbers you are shown, and you are only told when you’ve seen the final number of the set.

If you are allowed to store two numbers at most, can you respond with a random number, chosen in an equiprobable manner, from that one-at-a-time set or stream immediately upon being told the stream is complete?

89. Here’s how to solve this problem:

You need store only two numbers: the total count of numbers seen so far, and your current candidate response, selected from the number stream if it were to end at that point.

When you are shown the first number, you have a count of one. Therefore, your candidate response must be the first and only number seen—it has a probability of one out of one. If you are shown a second number, it becomes your new candidate response with a probability of one out of two. Likewise, a third number will become the new candidate response with a probability of one out of three, and so on.

Thus, as each new number is seen, generate a random number between one and the number of data points seen to that point (N). If your random number is equal to N, then keep the number you were just presented with as your new possible response. Otherwise, keep the answer previously saved through this same logic.

You perform this selection update each time you see a new data point. When you are told the stream is done, the saved value is the right response, chosen equiprobably from all the numbers seen. The probability is 1 out of N regardless of how many there were before the stream stopped.

Here are some other problems to work through:

90. Write an algorithm to find each instance of a given word in a selection of text.

91. Write a program to generate a random number from within a given range.

92. How do you check if a string contains only digits?

93. Given two strings of characters, find the minimum number of changes required to convert string 1 to string 2.

94. How do you count a number of vowels and consonants in a given string?

95. Given a grid where each square has a numerical value, how would you code a solution for finding the lowest-value route from one side of the grid to the other?

Problem-solving questions on scalability

96. Find all documents that contain a list of words

97. Design data structures for a social media network (Solution)[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

5. Behavioral Programming Interview Questions – How do you fit their culture?

By asking so-called behavioral questions during your programming interview, they’re trying to figure out if your personality will fit their company’s culture.

If you’re arrogant, you get argumentative and defensive quickly when someone criticizes you, or you start blaming others, they’ll take that as a reason to reject you for the job.

Soft skills software developer questions – study them!

Though most of your programming interview will be about your coding skills & analytical ability — it’s well worth your time to prepare for these “softer” questions. Recruiters will probably ask you about some of the points in your resume as well. So it makes sense to be ready for that, too.

Quick Tip: In our article on soft skills for programmers, we go much deeper into the behavioral attributes you need to succeed in programming interviews – and generally, your career.

The Top 7 Behavioral & Soft Skills Programming Interview Questions

98. What are your weaknesses?

When they’re asking about your weaknesses, give them an actual weakness of yours! Don’t give another strength of yours, disguised as a weakness.

This would make them think you’re arrogant or egotistical.

Rather, be honest about a weakness you have — but then show them how you’re working to overcome that weakness.

99. What’s a recent technical challenge you’ve faced — and how did you solve it?

They’re judging your process here.

Prepare a situation you had, in which you solved a problem through a process.

It might be an error you at first couldn’t solve. But you show them your process of how in the end, you managed to debug  it.

Maybe you went to Google — but Google didn’t find anything.

Then you went to Stack Overflows. Then you went to some of the blogs you know, you watched YouTube videos. Maybe you still couldn’t find the answer.

So maybe you went to your mentor.

Your network.

Maybe finally you got to talk to the creator of the stack or the open source library. And you finally solved the problem.

This is how you show them what you can do for them, by using your amazing problem-solving process for their company.

100. What have been your failures, and how do you deal with failure in general?

Again, be honest about a real failure you’ve experienced. Then you can paint yourself in a positive light by showing how you’ve bounced back from that failure and how you’re making sure the same won’t happen again.

It’ll show them your strength of character.

101. Why do you believe you’re a good fit for this job?

This is a great place to give your elevator pitch.

Even if it’s not asked, you can answer this question: Maybe on your way out, if someone’s walking you out.

It’s about the why. You have to sell them on the why. If you’ve ever watched Simon Sinek’s video, it’s much like that.

The why, how, and what.

102. What’s the greatest knowledge you’ve gained from a past experience?

This question revolves around a specific point on your resume.

This is where you have a great opportunity to sell some of the soft skills you might have learned.

Or if you just got done with a strength and weaknesses question, relate back to the weakness, and talk about the strengths that you were just talking about.

Regardless, this behavioral programming interview question is where you can sell what you’ve learned and why you believe now you’re prepared for this job because of what you’ve learned in the past and how that will help you here and now.

103. How do you handle conflict with co-workers?

What the interviewers are looking for here is that you can prove you can work well with people, aren’t petty — and if conflicts happen, you’re both resilient and proactive in solving the problem.

So instead of blaming and complaining, you’re taking the lead. You’re acknowledging you might be partly responsible for the conflict, but you’re not being weak either.

104. General “small talk” questions

You might get to small talk with the interviewer. Here it’s important not to reveal anything that they’d use to immediately disqualify you.

Don’t talk about:

• Politics
• Religion
• How you think about others of different cultural backgrounds

‘Weird’ Common Programming Interview Questions they won’t stop asking

Sometimes, the interviewers will ask you something slightly “cringe” — cliché questions they got from who-knows-where.

They won’t really help them assess candidates in the way they think they do. But they’re sometimes still asking them.

Have a satisfying answer prepared and you’ll be able to dodge these unnerving, but still common questions.

105. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Paint the picture of how you’ll still be working for their company, growing it in all sorts of ways.

Never talk about how you’re considering other options for your future.

106. What was your salary at your previous job?

Here they’re trying to see if you’re going to give up proprietary information to someone else.

When you’re asked this question, say something like “I’d prefer not to reveal my previous salary right now because that’s proprietary information.”

107. What salary do you want for this job?

If the interviewer asks you about what salary you want in the job you’re applying for, don’t answer the question directly. What the question really is asking is if you think of yourself above the company.

Rather say something like: “I feel that I’d like to know more about the company and see how we like each other before we discuss salary. And salary’s not the most important thing I’m looking for.”

After all, you’ll later have to negotiate your salary as part of your overall compensation package, anyway.

Brain Teaser Interview Questions

These are tricky questions that can be logically solved. They’re not directly programming questions, but they’re supposed to show your interviewers that you can think on your feet and are smart enough to quickly solve the puzzles thrown at you.

108. You have nine balls. Eight are of the same weight, one is heavier. You’re given a scale which tells you only whether the left side or the right side is heavier. Find die heavy ball in just two uses of the scale.

Divide the balls into sets of three. After weighing once, you’ll know which has the heavy ball.

(with N balls, where N is divisible by 3, weighing once gives us a set of N/3 balls with the heavy ball.)

For the final set of three balls, simply repeat the process: Put one ball off to the side an weigh two. Pick the heavier of the two. (Or, if the balls are the same, pick the third one)

109. There’s a building of 100 floors. If an egg drops from the Nth floor or above, it’ll break. If it’s dropped from any floor below, it won’t break. You’re given two eggs. Find N, while minimizing the number of drops for the worst case.

Solve for X in: X + (X-1) + (X-2) + … + 1 = 100.

X (X + 1) / 2 = 100 -> X = 14.

We go to floor 14, then 27, then 39, … This takes 14 steps in the worst case.

[blank_space height=’0.1em’]

Your next step to rocking your coding interview

These coding, data structure, algorithm, logic and behavioral questions are the ones you need to know to successfully interview with any company — big or small, for any level of programing job.

This list of coding questions:

• helps you to start prepping for your interview[blank_space height=’1em’]
• gives you good topics to study[blank_space height=’1em’]
• lets you find your strengths and weaknesses

Above all, you need good knowledge of data structure and algorithms to succeed in your coding interview. So that’s where you should focus most of your attention. But.. don’t neglect those soft skills either!

Wishing you all the best for your programming interview,

Sincerely,

John

For more information about how to succeed on your journey to becoming a highly paid software developer, discover the 5 learning mistakes programmers make:

The post Top 109 Scary Coding Interview Questions SOLVED with Answers appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Angular is quite vast and difficult to navigate. Consequently, interview questions based on the Angular framework can be tough, as it is laborious to get familiarized with each part of it.

In this post, I will guide you through both basic and advanced Angular interview questions that you can expect if you have applied for a post as an Angular developer. So without any further delay, let’s proceed!

Top 15 Angular Interview Questions and Answers

Q-1. What Is Angular?

Angular is an open-source and free JavaScript framework created by Google in 2016. It allows you to build modern web and mobile applications by implementing various web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The primary programming language used by Angular is TypeScript. Basically, it is an open-source front-end framework suitable for creating enterprise Angular applications, as it allows developers to reuse its code and is easily maintainable.

Q-2. What Are the Various Types of Technologies Used in Angular?

Angular is a free and open-source JavaScript framework that is highly preferred by web developers. The popularity comes from the use of several technologies to perform specific tasks easily. Angular allows for a great experience while building applications. It uses TypeScript, which is known as a superscript of JavaScript.

Q-3. What Are the Advantages of Angular?

The advantages of the Angular framework are:

• Follows MVC architecture. MVC stands for Model-View-Controller, which is known as one of the best advantages of Angular. The Model is responsible for managing all the application data and the View manages the data display. The Model is said to be the lowest level of the pattern for maintaining data, while the Controller is a bridge between the View and Model layers.

• Dependency injection. The dependency injection of Angular makes the process of application development easy for web developers. It is used to fulfill these dependencies and allows you to divide the task among different services. This is the main reason why developers prefer working with Angular development.

• Two-way data binding. One of the leading advantages of Angular is its two-way data binding technique, which helps you to reduce the development time. The View layer represents the Model layer and remains in ideal synchronization. This way, users can see the changes in the View automatically when you modify anything in the Model.

• Allows you to add custom directives. We can use directives in Angular to change DOM element behavior for which we need to use the directive name as an attribute to the DOM element.

• Support RESTful services. The RESTful functionality in Angular is used to create APIs for a web-based application. It is provided in the ngResource module where it’s separately distributed from the core AngularJS framework. These RESTful services are highly-scalable and maintainable.

• Trivial code generation. Trivial code generation in Angular is a process of using specific tools to create metadata and get usable code output. This process allows you to reap all the benefits of handwritten code.

• Validations are supported. Angular runs validation, generates a list of validation errors, and displays the results. Through this, you can improve the data quality by validating user input from the UI.

• Support static and angular templates. Angular allows you to use TypeScript and editor tools so that you can statically analyze the components. Further, editors provide autocompletion feedback and detect which type of template is being used.

• Build CLI commands visually. We can use the Angular CLI command line interface tool to initialize, develop, and maintain the angular apps directly from the command shell.

• Offers excellent features like animation, event handlers, and much more. Angular can create high-performance, complex choreographies and animation timelines without much effort, and generate intuitive API with minimal coding. It also configures an event handler for the target event where it executes the template statement and performs an action in response to the event.

Q-4. What Are the Main Features of Angular?

The top features of Angular are:

• Cross-platform app development. Angular allows you to build excellent desktop-installed applications for Windows, Mac, and Linux using the modern web platform and deliver app-like experiences. You can also build mobile applications with strategies from NativeScript, Cordova, and Ionic.

• Code splitting. In Angular, code splitting is achieved by producing lazy-loaded modules, which deliver automatic code-splitting so that users can load the required code and render the view they request. To ensure that a module is lazy-loaded and divided into its own JavaScript chunk, don’t forget to create a lazy-loaded route.

• Animation support. Angular animations are built in a way that allows you to create high-performance and complex choreographies with little code, using the Angular intuitive API. The feature of Angular animation is built using the standard web animations API and runs on native browsers that support it.

• Angular CLI. Angular CLI is a unique tool that allows developers to build, maintain, and initialize Angular applications from a command shell. Without Angular CLI, you need to invest a lot of effort while setting up an Angular app from the beginning. Not only this, but you also have to add a package definition file, such as package.JSON, and some other configuration files.

• Declarative UI. The Angular framework uses the HTML language to define the application UI—when compared to JavaScript, this is a less complex option. As a declarative platform, you don’t have to spend your time maintaining program flows and deciding what loads first and what does not.

• Accessibility applications. Accessibility applications in Angular is a way of designing an app so that it can be accessible by those with a disability. Angular has the ability to build an app with good accessibility. It also uses attribute binding for ARIA attributes.

• CDK and Angular Material. The CDK is a standalone package that implements common interaction patterns and builds awesome components for the web. It is used for projects that need to reap the advantages of Angular Material without adopting the Material Design visual language, and represent an abstraction of the core functionalities without styling specific to Material Design.

• Differential loading. Differential loading in Angular development means sending fresh code to newer browsers and stable legacy code to legacy browsers, which helps you to translate two things: modern syntax and polyfills.

• High speed and optimum performance. The lazy-loading feature that comes with Angular development helps to boost the application’s performance and allows modules to be loaded only when they are required, so that files are not loaded repeatedly.

Q-5. What Are the Important Fundamentals of Angular?

Angular has numerous features that make it one of the most popular and useful frameworks compared to other front-end frameworks. These features of Angular are:

• Component. The Angular components are known as the basic UI building blocks that belong to a NgModule and make themselves available for other components. An application developed using the component capabilities contains a tree of Angular components associated with a template.

• Angular elements. Angular elements are Angular components known as web components, which is a web standard for identifying new elements based on HTML in a framework-agnostic way.

• Directives. Angular directives are classes that add more behavior to elements when it comes to Angular applications. Using the built-in directives of Angular, you can manage forms, lists, styles, and everything else that users see.

• Native mobile development. Angular also supports native mobile development and allows you to build amazing native applications by implementing strategies from Cordova, Ionic, or NativeScript.

• Module. The angular module defines an application and has its own modularity system known as NgModules. Basically, it is a container for the application controllers that belong to a module.

• Dependency injection. Angular dependencies are objects that a class requires to perform its function in the application. And dependency injection can be referred to as a design pattern where the class requests dependencies from external sources instead of creating them. This boosts the flexibility and modularity of your applications.

• Templates. In simple words, a template is an HTML form that tells Angular how to render a component and defines its host view. It allows you to modify and hide entire UI sections as a unit.

• Navigation or routing. Angular Router allows you to navigate from one view to the next when the user performs application tasks.

• Data bindings. The system of data binding in Angular allows your application’s components to share data with other components and update values between the child and parent components.

• Application bootstrapping. Bootstrapping in Angular is a process of loading the index.html page, app-level module, and app-level component.

• Services. Angular services are objects that are instantiated once during the lifetime of an application and increase the modularity and reusability to make your component lean and efficient. It is a broad category having a value, function, or feature that an app requires.

Q-6. What Is Data Binding in Angular?

Data binding is one of the most effective features of Angular development; it assembles a connection between application UI and displays the information.

The defining process of interactive software products is made simple because you’re not required to worry about data pulling or pushing between the template and component. If the binding delivers proper notifications and is configured in the right way, the data value is modified and the elements that are bound to the data are affected automatically.

Two-way data binding, string interpolation, property binding, and event binding are the types of data binding that come with Angular development.

Q-7. What Is DOM?

DOM stands for Document Object Model and is liable for illustrating the web page content and modifications done in the application’s architecture. All the objects included in it are managed in the form of a tree so that they can be easily accessed, modified, and manipulated using the APIs. You can use Angular directives to bind the application data to the attributes of HTML DOM elements.

Q-8. What Is the Difference Between Angular and AngularJS?

To better see the differences between Angular and AngularJS, I have included a comparative chart:

Q-9. Explain the MVVM Architecture

The MVVM architecture plays an important role in avoiding tight coupling amongst the components. There are three main parts included in this architecture:

• Model. The Model consists of an entity structure that has business logic, including repository, model classes, and local and remote data sources. In short, it represents the business logic and data of a specific application.
• View. The View is the app’s visual layer that includes the UI code. It sends the users’ actions to the ViewModel.
• ViewModel. The ViewModel abstract layer is the bridge between the View and the Model. Both are linked via data binding and make all the necessary changes to the Model.

Q-10. What Are Directives in Angular?

Directives are attributes that allow users to write new HTML syntax based on their applications. Its syntax is executed when the Angular compiler confronts them in the DOM. Angular majorly supports structural directives, attribute directives, and component directives.

Q-11. What Is Angular CLI?

The angular command-line interface (CLI) tool allows you to build, maintain, and initialize Angular applications from a command shell. Angular supports CLI tools to allow developers to add components, perform testing, and many other such operations, helping to make the Angular development workflow much easier and faster. Angular CLI also helps save time required to install essential dependencies.

Q-12. Explain Dependency Injection

In Angular, dependency injection is a software design convention in which a class requests dependencies from external sources without creating them. It allows Angular to improve the flexibility and modularity of the application, as it uses design patterns to fulfill these dependencies and divides tasks among different services.

We can say that dependency injection is integrated into the Angular framework so that the clients are not required to create dependent objects—rather, they will be created by the injector.

The Angular injector is responsible for building new components, solving dependencies, and providing them to other components who need it. Fundamentally, it is a service having a functionality that is required by various directives and components in an application.

Q-13. Explain Angular Authentication and Authorization

Forevery system concerning security, authentication and authorization are very important processes in the system. This is no different with Angular.

The user credentials are given to an authenticated API that is available on the server.  Authentication allows the user to access some resources in the system. When your application authenticates the user and receives a token from Auth0 for access, only then is the user allowed to access the token to your API as a credential.

Q-14. What Are HTTP Interceptors?

Interceptor is a trendy term for a function that accepts requests before processing them to the server. If you want to pre-process multiple types of requests in the same way, then you can make use of interceptors. For instance, you need to set the authorization header token for each request that is received by the system as shown below:

Q-15. What Is Server-Side Rendering in Angular?

Sometimes, if you have a large application with rich features and a huge bundle size, the loading speed of the page is automatically lessened as it has to download all the files and then execute them.

To overcome this issue, you can use server-side rendering to send a fully rendered page and then let the JavaScript code take over any ensuing interactions from the user. In short, the browser executes an Angular application and JavaScript endures all the interactions held among the users.

Knowledge Makes Things Simpler

As I mentioned in the introduction, Angular is quite vast and difficult to navigate. This makes interview questions appear complex and daunting. However, as they say, knowledge is power. Knowledge makes things simpler.

The guide I offered you should help you to crack your Angular interview and turn your programming into your profession. The topics I covered here are all part of preparing for an interview and are the most frequently asked questions by recruiters while hiring Angular developers.

Apart from this question bank, you’ll find numerous other Angular interview questions, but don’t forget to also go through the soft skills required for developers if you really want to crack the interview in the first go.

Have a question stuck in your mind? Feel free to ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you soon.

The post Top 15 Angular Interview Questions and Answers appeared first on Simple Programmer.

How you’re physically perceived isn’t even important in your line of work. Your job is to write code, debug it, and make sure it’s functional. Why do you need to look presentable and please interviewers to get hired? Isn’t your extensive resume and portfolio enough to prove that you can do the job well?

I hear you; it’s stressful and it feels unfair.

The good news, however, is that you can nail any job interview with preparation and practice.

Even better, as more companies start to offer remote positions, entry barriers are lowering, giving you more opportunities than ever before. So if you have the right resources at your disposal, landing your dream programming job is just around the corner. In this post, I’ll share with you everything you need to know about nailing video interviews and landing your dream remote job.

Preparing For and Acing All Your Virtual Interviews

Even if you dread interviews, you can still set yourself up for success simply by doing your research.

Start with the basics: Besides the job descriptions for positions you’re interested in, you should also head to the company’s website and read about their mission and values. Get a sense of the work culture and whether it’d be a good fit for you.

Moreover, your research should go beyond the company website. Check out employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor to see what current and former employees have to say. You can also search for articles, blog posts, or YouTube videos that give you a behind-the-scenes look at the company. Finally, you can look for information on the interviewer, such as their LinkedIn profile.

It goes without saying that if you know someone who works at the company, reach out to them and see if they’re willing to connect you with the hiring manager. This will give you a chance to learn more about the company and potentially get your foot in the door.

Overall, preparation is crucial. Without it, you may feel overwhelmed and underqualified during job interviews—particularly if you’re introverted. Conversely, if you do your research well, you’ll feel confident, competent, and prepared.

Don’t forget to also prepare a few questions yourself. Asking questions will help you avoid nervousness and show that you’re genuinely interested in the opportunity.

Becoming Well-Versed in Answering Commonly Asked Questions

Knowing how you’ll respond to the questions is one of the most effective methods of preparing for an interview.

The best way to do this is to brainstorm a list of questions you think the interviewer might ask and then come up with answers for each. This will help you sound natural and avoid uncomfortable interview pauses.

Here are some examples of common questions and how you might answer them:

• Tell me about yourself: This is your chance to give a brief overview of your professional background and highlight your most relevant skills and experience. Keep it short and sweet—around 2-3 minutes should do the trick.
• What are your strengths?: When answering this question, focus on qualities that make you a good fit for the role. For example, if you’re applying for a programming job that requires frequent collaboration, you can say that your strength is working well in a team.
• What are your weaknesses?: Be honest here, but avoid talking about qualities that’d make you a bad fit for the job. Instead, focus on areas that you’re actively trying to improve.
• What are your salary expectations?: This is a tricky question, so you should have an answer prepared. First, study salaries for similar positions in the same location. Avoid giving a specific number, and set a reasonable salary range. I’ll offer you more tips about this later in the post.
• Where do you see yourself in five years?: This question is designed to gauge your long-term motivation and career aspirations. When responding, focus on how the role you’re applying for fits into your larger career goals. For example, you can say that you hope to grow with the company and eventually take on more responsibilities.

For a more comprehensive list, check out this list of programming interview questions and how to answer them. And if you want to go deeper, here are more job interview questions you can study:

• General Interview Questions & Answers
• Programming Job Interview Questions (Series)
• Coding Interview Questions
• Python Interview Questions & Answers

Once you have a good grasp of the questions they might ask you, it’s time to practice your answers. The best way to do this is to roleplay with a friend or family member who can act as your interviewer. This will help you get used to the format and flow of a virtual interview.

Mastering the Art of the Video Interview

With the proliferation of remote work, video interviews have become increasingly popular. They can be done in real-time or asynchronously, which means you have more flexibility in scheduling. But whether it’s a live or recorded video interview, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make sure you ace it.

Find a Quiet, Tidy, and Comfortable Space

For starters, choose a spot in your home with good lighting and minimal background noise. Then, you need to make sure your surroundings are tidy and presentable.

You should also test your internet connection and familiarize yourself with the video conferencing software being used—ahead of time.

If there are potential distractions that could happen during your interview, make sure to find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. If you have kids or pets at home, make arrangements for someone to watch them during your interview.

Dress the Part

When it comes to what you wear, err on the side of caution and dress as you would for an in-person interview. So, wear professional attire that’s appropriate for the company culture.

Make Eye Contact and Smile

Although you’re not in the same room as your interviewers, eye contact is still essential. Even if it feels unnatural, look at the camera when talking to the interviewer. Otherwise, you may come across as disinterested or even rude. Remember to smile!

All of this can be difficult or uncomfortable if you’re not used to it, but it helps to project confidence and approachability. Of course, you should also avoid fidgeting or looking at nearby objects too much.

Be Aware of Your Body Language

Your body language is a big part of how the interviewers perceive you. Remember to sit straight, maintain friendly body language, and use hand gestures sparingly.

Don’t cross your arms because this can make you appear closed off. Also, nod occasionally to show that you’re engaged in the conversation.

Remember, an interview is a chance for you to sell yourself and your skills, so highlight your successes and how they make you the ideal candidate for the job. Be proud of your accomplishments and back them up with concrete examples.

Showcase Your Personality

Your interviewer wants to get to know you, so don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. This will help them see if you’re a good fit for the company culture and if you’d be able to work well with the team.

Make sure to highlight your skills and explain how they’d benefit the company. This will show that you’re not only qualified for the job but that you’re also passionate about it.

Many introverts worry about talking too much during an interview, but being too quiet can also be a mistake. If you don’t speak up, the interviewer may think you’re not interested in the role or that you don’t have anything to say. Make an effort to answer questions fully and ask a few of your own.

Overall, be confident! Confidence is vital in any interview, especially for introverts who may be more inclined to doubt themselves. Remember that you have just as much to offer as any other candidate, so believe in yourself.

Highlight Your Remote Experience

Let your interviewer know about your past remote work experience and how it makes you a great candidate for the job. This can include anything from freelancing to working from home. Explain how you stay motivated and productive when working remotely, as this is often one of the biggest concerns employers have.

Use Notes Sparingly

You can refer to your notes during the interview, but don’t rely on them too much. Otherwise, you’ll appear unprepared or disinterested. If you use them, make sure they’re concise and to the point.

Send a Follow-Up

Last but not least, remember to send a follow-up email or message after your video interview. Thank your interviewers for their time and reiterate your interest in the role. Following up shows that you’re interested in the role, and it helps keep you top of mind. You can also follow up with a phone call or email if you haven’t heard back after a week or two.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to nailing your next video interview. So, in the spirit of optimism, I’ll also share with you a few tips on how to negotiate your salary and benefits.

Negotiating Your Salary and Benefits Like a Pro

Negotiating your salary and benefits can be a daunting task, especially for introverts, but you can get everything you want with a bit of preparation. Here are a few tips.

Know Your Worth

Find out what the average salary is for your position and experience level. This will help you know how much to ask for and give you a negotiation starting point.

You can also look at salary ranges for similar positions at other companies to show your potential employer that you know the market value and help them understand your expectations.

Prepare a Counter Offer

If your potential employer comes back with an offer lower than you expected, don’t be afraid to counter.

Be sure to have a number in mind that you’re comfortable with, and be prepared to explain why you deserve it. Show that you’re confident in your skills and worth.

Consider All the Benefits

Salary is important, but it’s not the only thing to consider. Make sure you’re also taking into account things like vacation time, health insurance, and other benefits.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. And it’s better to get everything in writing, so there’s no confusion later on.

Be Willing to Compromise

At the end of the day, you may need to compromise on some things to get what you want. Be prepared to give up some things to get others.

For example, you may be willing to take a lower salary if it means you get more vacation days.

Have a Backup Plan

Always have a backup plan in case negotiations fall through. This could be anything from asking for more time to look over the offer to having another job lined up.

If they don’t want to offer you the salary and benefits you deserve, don’t be afraid to walk away from the negotiation. It’s better to walk away than accept an offer that’s not in your best interest.

Remember, you have the power in this situation, and you shouldn’t settle for less than your worth. So, go in there with confidence and be prepared to fight for what you want.

By following these tips, you should be able to get the compensation and benefits you desire.

Preparation Will Get You There

Landing a remote job can be a challenge for introverted programmers, but you can ace your interviews and get the position of your dreams with proper preparation.

Remember to be well prepared, to dress the part, and to be confident. Believe in yourself, and be ready to negotiate skillfully to get the dream job you deserve.

The post The Introverted Programmer’s Guide to Nailing Video Interviews & Landing Your Dream Remote Job appeared first on Simple Programmer.