Coding Interview Process

How to approach the coding interviews and what to do step-by-step

Before

Always

• Prepare Self-introduction and final questions

By setting

Virtual

• Prepare pen and paper
• Be in quiet environment with earphones
• Check your setup - internet, webcam, audio
• Prepare environment (coderPad/codePen)

Phone

• put the phone down and use earphones
• Check the setup
• request for virtual interview instead, if possible

During the Interview

1. Introduce yourself

Take about a minute

2. Understand and clarify the question

1. Paraphrase and repeat the question to the interviewer
2. Clarify assumptions
   • Can you modify the original structure?
   • How is the input/data stored
   • A dictionary of words is a list of strings or a Trie
   • Is the input sorted
3. Clarify inputs
   • what’s the range?
   • what’s the format?
4. Talk through an example
   come up with simple cases to ensure the understanding and ask if they are in line with interviewer’s expectations

3. Create and optimize a solution

• Use Coding Interview Techniques
• Explain different approaches (at a high level) and discuss the trade-offs
• Talk about time/space complexity in big O notation
• Listen to any remarks from the interviewer
• Agree on the best approach and optimize it
• Wait for interviewer signal to start coding

4. Code the solution

• Explain what you’re doing as you’re writing
  • compare different approaches where relevant
• Write working code wherever possible, not pseudocode
• Write clean, simple and correct code
• Use clear names
• Ask for permission to use trivial functions without implementing them
• Write modular code, from high-level to low level
• State where you would do things differently in other circumstances

5. Finishing coding

• Scan code for mistakes
• Look for edge cases
• step through edge cases
• Look for possible refactoring
• Reiterate space and time complexity
• Explain trade-offs and how the approach can be improved if given more time

6. Ending

• Ask good final questions, tailored to the company
• thank the interviewer

7. Later

• Record the interview questions and answers
• Send a follow up email/LinkedIn invitation to interviewer(s) thanking them for their time and opportunity to interview

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Sources

Coding Interviews

• Front end practice
• Coding Practice
• Algo monster coding practice

General

• Tech Interview Handbook