Programming Interviews

The other day I spoke with a developer on my team. I knew she was doing double duty each day, and working Saturdays/Sundays. So I asked how she was doing. She confided that she thinks about quitting every day. Ouch. I know the feeling.

Some time ago I read this book on programmings interviews. I think I actually bought the book. Just recently I checked a book out from the library with the same title. I think it was an earlier version of the book from the year 2000. It still had some good stuff in there.

I want to share some of the tricks here. With this economy, everyone needs to be prepared to ace in interview to get a job. The best preparation is to actually work through some coding examples on your own. It is hard to learn enough by just reading a book. You must learn by doing.

Programming in general is difficult. The best way to find a job is to network. If you get a recommendation from the inside, you move to the front of the line. You should avoid headhunters that want you to work with them exclusively. Know that headhunters look out for their own self interests.

The most important factor in getting a job is the on site interview. Succeeding there is what this book tries to teach you. I will be blogging about this topic for a little bit. Next time I will start on what you should wear to your tech interview.