Tackling the Technical Interview
In addition to completing a standard or behavioral interview, you may be invited to a technical interview for one of the companies you are seeking an internship or job opportunity with. Are you not quite sure what this process entails and how to use this experience to land your desired role? Our alumni have got you covered! Keep reading to hear from two graduates of The Ohio State University on what you should know for these interviews.
Yashvardhan Gusani graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering and currently works as a Program Manager at Google.
Bhanusri Sridharan graduated with a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2016 and currently works as a 3D NAND Sort Engineer at Intel Corporation.
How do you suggest students prepare for technical interviews and what can they expect from the process?
Yashvardhan: Technical interviews can be of various different types. There is no ‘secret formula’ to crack a technical interview. However, I would highly encourage the students to expect interviewers to ask any questions about the information they have listed on their resumes. The most common technical interview questions for a CSE grad are related to Data structures/Algorithms and Systems Design. To prepare for the interview, I would recommend using a whiteboard and talking out loud. You may know and understand the concept well - but to explain it to an interviewer is a different ball game all together. Record yourself answering and watch it again (I know it sounds silly but it is the straightforward way to figure out your weaknesses).
Bhanusri: The interview process is usually designed to understand how good or smart a candidate is in recognizing and applying known technical concepts into new problem statements. Get your basic concepts right. More often than not, interviews consist of problems/questions in such a way to check basic understanding of key technical topics than any complex out of the world questions. Also, try finding online what are the frequently asked interview questions for a given topic and do prepare for them.
How should students go about solving the problems or scenarios presented to them?
Yashvardhan: Ask questions. Remember, a lot of the companies intentionally pose a vague question. I like to tell students to go to an interview thinking that you are going for a discussion and not an interview. Think of your interviewer as a potential teammate. Ask clarifying questions, if you are stuck - it is totally OK to ask for a hint. If you are able to solve the question, go one step beyond and think of ways to optimize your solution or come up with test cases to test your solution. Use your time wisely.
Bhanusri: As an interviewer, I always look for how a person approaches the problem or scenario than whether they know the final correct answer. I have had situations where I have rated candidates more because I liked the way in which they explained the concepts and approached the problem even though they got stuck at the final step than candidates who just told me the right answer straight away. Hence, the key tip is to always talk through to the interviewer on what’s going on in your head to solve the problem!
When students encounter a question or problem that they are not sure how to solve, what do you suggest they do?
Yashvardhan: If students are not familiar with the concept, rather than going through with it, you can be honest and ask your interviewer if they can give you a different question. However, if you think you know even a little bit, try and challenge yourself with it. Remember, you can always ask clarifying questions and hints. What's the fun if you get a question that you already know the answer to?
One more point I would like to make is that when you are stumbling at a question and don't know anything about it, rather than saying 'I don't know, I am sorry', try saying 'I don't know the concept but what I do know....' and tell your interviewer the closest piece of information you know related to the question.
Bhanusri: In this situation, my main suggestion is to not just be silent and feel stuck. All they need to do is to not panic, clear their head for a moment and recollect whatever they know that is even slightly related to the question. Then mention to the interviewer that this is what [they know] regarding the question or what [they think] may be the method to solve the problem. The interviewer would always be willing to help them and would nudge them to the right direction!
What skills are employers looking for candidates to demonstrate in these interviews? What makes them stand out?
Yashvardhan: The primary skills they are looking for is your knowledge about the concepts, role, leadership, and soft skills. Your communication skills are also equally as important. Remember, they aren't just hiring an engineer - they are hiring a team member who can not just write lines of code but contribute to the team dynamics as well.
Successful candidates are the ones who are curious and who ask questions. These candidates come prepared with certain questions they want to ask an interviewer (at the end of the interview). Rather than asking about the company, ask them about their area of expertise, ask them about their research, their team.
Bhanusri: Two main skills employers look for is how coachable the candidate is and how approachable they are. Remember that everyone starts from scratch in a new job role as a Recent College Grad. So, employers want to assess how easy it is to ramp you up on the job so that you can start contributing to the company soon. And why I said approachable is everyone works in a team structure at a company, so it becomes important to assess how well they fit into a team environment. Exhibiting these skills/characteristics during the interview process will definitely make the candidate stand out.
Any other advice for students?
Yashvardhan: Be confident. Relax before the interview and get a good night's sleep. Go in with a clear and open mind. Start preparing for these early in your career. Solve 2-3 questions every day and within 5-6 months of continuous practice, you will be ready to solve any kind of question that you come across. Good luck!
Bhanusri: Always be confident while going into an interview. Confident about yourself and confident about your knowledge from years of education! Remember that failing an interview doesn’t mean you are a bad Engineer or that the company doesn’t have a place for you. It just means your skills or desires don’t align with the job role the employer is recruiting for. So never give up and always approach the next one with a positive mindset. Good luck!
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” ― J. M. Barrie