Interview Review
Whiteboard Advice
Source: hackernoon - The Best Whiteboard Interview Advice I Ever Recieved
Without any suspense, here it is: communicate.
- First, restate the question. This illustrates you were listening, and gives you time to think. If your understanding is off, an interviewer will be happy to clarify any misunderstandings, so it’s a win-win.
- Ask about edge cases. Before you even code, consider what edge cases could arise given your identified input/output and ask about them. Maybe you don’t have to consider them, or maybe the interviewer would like to see how you handle them.
- Ask about test cases. Ask if there are tests cases that should pass. It may be expected, but it may also come as a surprise.
- Write pseudocode and ask if it makes sense. Writing pseudocode will let you get your logic down without having to worry about syntax or idioms. Ask the interviewer for feedback. If you get some, great! Additionally if you get tripped up by writing real code, you’ve already demonstrated a solution to the problem and your thought process.
- After writing code, ask for feedback. Once you have pseudocode, make into actual code. If you forget syntax or a method name ask the interviewer. If they refuse to help, move on. Once your code is complete, ask if it looks good, and be open to discussion of your work.
- When you’re stuck, ask for help That’s it. Just ask. It’s not illegal, and they won’t kick you out immediately. Be tactful, and phrase it conversationally. (remember, communicate)
- We’re all human. Be a human.
More Tips for Whiteboarding
Source: Steve Merritt - 7 tips to ace a programming interview
Alright, it may sound like we’re repeating ourselves, but here’s 7 more tips!
- Take some time before starting - After the interviewer finishes explaining the problem, just tell them you’re going to take a minute or two to think. Then think. Look at the cieling, floor, directly into their eyes, whatever. Then re-engage and explain what you’ve thought up.
- Write down the steps of your solution before coding. Make a list. It doesn’t have to be verbose, but it should trace the logic of your solution.
- Write pseudocode first. Write some code-looking stuff. It doesn’t have to be syntactically correct. Just get your logic down in something more closely related to code. Sometimes interviewers will consider this a good enough solution and accept it as your answer.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. You don’t have to be perfect in a code interview. Additionally, if you don’t know something off the top of your head, just say you’d look it up. Focus on the big picture that is the problem and solution.
- Sit down. Be humble. Coding interviews aren’t just about coding. Your personality is being asses just as much as your capabilities. Communicate clearly. Be respectful. Accept criticism with grace. Collaborate with the interviewer if possible. Have empathy. Be honest.
- Come prepared. Put in work to prep yourself. Find material to study, such as Cracking the Coding Interview.
- Review your work. You won’t always finish in time, but if you have time remaining, don’t throw your hands up. Use the time left to review your work. Assess the efficiency and correctness of your code. Try to arrive at O(log(n)) for sorting or O(1) with hash tables for most everything else.