Interview time is always exhausting and sometimes depressing. We all want to get out of that phase as quickly as possible. I work closely with the recruitment team at Directi and have taken more than 50 coding interviews. This gave me a chance to interview students from various colleges and working professionals with experience ranging from 1 to 5 years. So here are my six tips that I feel can help you crack your next coding interview.
You have more time than you think you have
There is only one key you need to unlock the potential depths of any question present in the deep sea of complex algorithmic equations.
For example, coding interviews are usually 1 hour long. Even the most challenging questions have one elegant solution. Let’s assume you need 20 minutes to code. This means you still have almost 40 minutes to come up with a hack. Yes, the first 10 minutes might pass, and you have nothing, but always be patient. You need one moment of excellence to get out of this stormy juggernaut. Don’t underestimate one full hour.
Practice to rewire your brain quickly
“Perfecting oneself is as much unlearning as it is learning.” — Dijkstra
Many times we start to wander on the wrong path in our quest to find the solution. That is perfectly fine. You might spend your precious 10 minutes on a dead end. Then you realize this is a lost cause. Now sometimes, the thought of starting again from scratch feels overwhelming, but it is necessary. You need to let go of your old solution for new ideas to come in. This shift needs to happen fast because we are bounded by time here. Short contests on coding platforms can help to build this ability.
Be Calm
You can be the potential teammate of your interviewer. You have to show him that you can be calm under pressure.
