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Essential Software Engineering Tips for Interview Success

Get better at your software engineering interviews with these essential tips.

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Essential Software Engineering Tips for Interview Success

You don't need to grind through hundreds of LeetCode problems to land a FAANG job! In fact, you can secure a position with much less. When I was dissatisfied with my previous job and set my sights on breaking into FAANG, I was unsure where to begin. After months of research and practice, I interviewed at top tech companies in the Bay Area—Facebook, Google, Airbnb, Dropbox, and more. Although the process was tough, you don't have to endure the same struggle. This guide distills key tips to help you prepare for both technical and non-technical software engineering interviews. For more details, explore the links provided in this guide or check out the website's sidebar.

How to Prepare for Your Software Engineering Interview

  • 1. Maximize Your Chances of Getting an Interview
  • 2. Learn the Interview Format
  • 3. Choose a Programming Language
  • 4. Practice for the Coding Interview
  • 5. Prepare for the System Design Interview
  • 6. Get Ready for the Behavioral Interview

1.Maximize Your Chances of Getting an Interview

If you're struggling to secure interviews with top tech companies, your resume might be the issue. It's the most crucial element in getting noticed by FAANG recruiters. Once you get an interview, your past achievements matter less than your coding interview skills, which can be systematically improved. Effectively framing your achievements is vital to passing the screening stage.

2.Learn the Interview Format

Software engineer interviews can vary, so it's essential to know what to expect.


  • Take-Home Assignment: Less common at large companies, these assignments let you showcase your software design skills through larger projects. Startups are more likely to use this format.

  • Online Coding Assessment: Often at an early stage, this involves solving algorithm problems in an online coding interface like HackerRank. Practicing on LeetCode can help, but be prepared to work with stdin and stdout if you're using HackerRank.

  • Onsite Interview: Typically the final stage, includes multiple rounds of coding, system design, and behavioral interviews. Be prepared for whiteboard exercises or coding on your laptop. Some companies may also include a lunch session to discuss company culture.

3.Choose a Programming Language

This step is straightforward—choose a programming language for the interview. Unless you're in a specialized role like mobile or front-end, you can use any language you're comfortable with, such as Python, Java, C++, or JavaScript.

4.Coding Interview Study Plan

With countless resources available, it's crucial to focus on the most effective ones:


5.Prepare for the System Design Interview

For mid and higher level roles, expect system design questions, which aren't well covered by LeetCode. The goal is to assess your ability to design real-world software systems. Some top resources include:


6.Get Ready for the Behavioral Interview

Behavioral interviews are a staple at top tech companies. They typically involve discussing past experiences, handling specific situations, and sharing career goals. To prepare:


Learn the STAR Method: This format helps you structure answers by detailing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

  • -Situation: Share details about the situation that gave rise to the task.
  • -Task: Explain what you needed to achieve or the problems you had to solve; focus on the scope, severity, and specific benchmarks/outcomes required.
  • -Action: Explain what you did to meet your objectives, describing options you had and how you made decisions.
  • -Results: Describe the outcome of your actions and what you learned.

Practice Common Questions: Search for typical behavioral questions for software engineers at the company you're interviewing with.