What most people get wrong about technical interviews

[@KellyLira]

This video is so important!! The second I stopped thinking about technical interviews like a test and more like a conversation to work through the problem, the better I did! Loved the contractor analogy + saying the interviewer is there to witness your problem solving process

[@louieee8167]

This is so timely. I just finished a technical interview 2 days ago where i literally thought I messed up pretty well only to find out that I passed. My interviewer said that the actual coding interview is just a "part" of the interview process, and is not strongly reliant on the result whether you did the solution or not. Some interviewers tend to check also the behavioral side, the QAs, the confidence, how you tried to think of a solution and how you respond to pressure. Thanks for this video. Mayuko.

[@AlwaysElev8]

Yes, a remake of how to study for tech interviews please!! Thanks for this video 🙌

[@cherolphoshoko8670]

I've heard of mock interviews too, I think they also help prepare?

[@stevensong8784]

Thanks!

[@jorgerangel2390]

the way I interview developers, I make them explain how they solve a specific programing problem, instead of asking them to code, with that, I get a general picture of their communication skills and the technologies they are familiar with, that is far more valuable information

[@RandyAugustus]

This! companies that want to see actual code (imo) aren’t worth my time. Besides there 14 different ways to do anything.

[@jeremydwayne]

I honestly dislike the advice of "asking questions before starting". Every interview I've done where I started by asking questions I was met with, "because of time, assume the problem and constraints are exactly as it seems and not tricking you". So, don't expect much to come from them if you ask. I would focus more on the Logic Pseudocode like Mayuko suggested at the start of the interview. The best practice you can do is mock interviews with friends and actually set a timer for 45 minutes. That's all the time you'll get in most interviews. I just finished doing a bunch of mid -> senior level technical interviews at various companies (and landed a new job, yay!). All of them used real world problems and not the typical algorithm brain teasers. Highly recommend being comfortable with reading and parsing files. Don't waste too much time with algorithm coding challenges other than getting comfortable trying to solve something and the various benefits of data structures new in a short amount of time. Hint, the answer is almost always use a hash table. Another thing, none of the companies did on-site interviews, they were all done over video chats. Maybe the FAANGs of the world still do, but normal companies are moving to 100% remote for everything engineering these days.

[@Bayo106]

You have to know HOW to ask questions.

[@squ34ky]

Correct. The advice about explaining things like you would explain to a non--technical person is also wrong. Our industry has a lot of technical jargon that encapsulates complex concepts in maybe a single word. Trying to explain all of that to a technical interviewer as you would to a non-technical person, I imagine would be exasperating to the interviewer and waste a lot of time.

[@miguelbarajas9892]

Mayuko, you made this video just in time. I have my final round of interviews for a FAANG company next week. Thank you

[@cherolphoshoko8670]

I really love how much value Mayuko provides in her videos. I'm sure I always take notes and learn something from this channel!

[@onecient6198]

Interviews are so scary... I've never been in one but by the looks of it, it feels so overwhelming. It's almost like an exam, where you kinda have to dump a lot of information in a short time

[@LernToSpel2]

I get where you're coming from Mayuko, and I agree that this is all very important stuff, but ultimately it seems to depend on whether you get lucky with who you are assigned as your interviewer(s). I had a set of onsite interviews with one of the big names in tech (not going to mention which one) and did everything mentioned in this video, but got rejected in the end. I made sure to start by asking clarifying questions, stating assumptions, explaining high-level logic, and then I implemented working solutions while explaining my thought process out loud. I even created test cases (including corner and edge cases), and analyzed the time and space complexity of my solutions. Despite all of this, I got rejected and without a single line of feedback to know what I did wrong. Tech interviews just feel so ambiguous and the system needs to be more transparent, it's such a frustrating process :(

[@chili24137]

It's a hard process, but if it was easy than everyone would do it. And everything in life contains some amount of luck, accept it.

[@LernToSpel2]

@@chili24137 I have no gripes with the difficulty of the process, it's the luck factor. And I've long ago accepted that luck plays a big role in interviews, but it's hard to not be bothered by it.

[@chili24137]

@@LernToSpel2 As I said, luck plays a big role in basically everything in life, and you're not bothered by everything in life are you? No, so just focus on the things you can control and don't focus on the things you can't.

[@LernToSpel2]

@@chili24137 You're right, that's a good perspective to have.

[@Bestofsumprobabietc]

@@chili24137 Actually quite curious about your answer since u extended it to everything in life. This is off topic but really want to know your thoughts. If everyone were to accept everything in life especially unjust situations and decide not to speak up or offer opposition, wouldn't that just embolden those who perpetuate the unjust situation ?

[@biplobphukan5815]

Thanks mayuko... every morning i watch ur videos just to get the motivation to start working for the day.... great videos.. love them🌹

[@DemetriPanici]

*“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein*

[@_alexlazar_]

This is so true though. I always say that in engineering, more often than not, architecting and communicating are more important than the actual coding.

[@Auchioane]

I think the problem is not every technical interview will be the same. I have had ones where they just hand you brain teaser and tell you to code it in 1 hour (which is not something you will do in any job). I have had others where its a pair programming interview where you can bounce questions off the interviewers, do basically what you are saying. Other times it has just been a friendly chat and them asking me technical questions about coding standards or things I would do in certain aspects of the job. I really wish there was a standard way people run technical interviews and setting up the interviewees with what is expected from them. Otherwise I really loved this video nonetheless, keep posting these interesting videos :)

[@JeremysTutorials]

hey mayuko, just want to say i found this video super helpful! I have a technical and behavioral interview coming up this Friday for my internship with liferay, and your tips definitely helped out a lot! crossing my fingers and hoping I pass :D

[@vivekjoshi3769]

Hey good luck for interview ! Sending positive vibes :)

[@JeremysTutorials]

@@vivekjoshi3769 thank you! much appreciated

Thank you so much! It helps me a lot!

[@EggTamago7]

Veeeeery topical for me right now. Coming at it from an electrical engineering degree, and having never been exposed to any data structures and algorithms content until a few days ago when I started studying it… I’m mildly shitting myself 😬 I managed to secure a software internship locally without any such knowledge. I also managed to make it through the entire internship with the specific principles never explicitly coming up. But now that I’m applying for jobs after I graduate, I don’t think I’ll be able to ride that luck much further. If I’m honest, it’s the behaviour part I’m not too worried about. I’m pretty good at talking through a problem, and whenever I design something I start with pseudo-code and/or comments to plan out my approach from a higher level. But, having just learned what a hash-map is literally today… kinda overwhelmed 😅

[@miaa.mp4]

Great insights as always! Thanks Mayuko~

[@thestudyhub587]

Hey Mayuko! Love your videos! I’m a software engineering student based in Australia also looking to break into software industry! I feel like when I’m in a technical interview, at the back of my mind is that whenever I’m doing a interview coding question with the interviewer, while I am telling my thought process and sometimes I get stuck, I kinda feel like that if the competition is doing it without help, that makes me lower down the pack. I don’t know how to change that mindset!

[@Landon_Hughes]

Your videos have been so helpful, Mayuko 😊

[@drakbreaker]

I remember i used to stream on twitch doing algos and projects to help think out loud

[@stevensong8784]

5:40 - 6:00 Same. I strive to explain algos and coding in a way that anyone can understand to show my creative side. Have you seen The Big Short?

[@jameshizon4861]

Just in time. I am in the middle of tech interviews. Also started using Pramp. :)

[@mitchelloliver18]

Aye Sophie!!!!

[@TheYinyangman]

I have found the more senior I get the less the interview is about coding and more my familiarity with certain tech and a discussion of problem solving

[@yjw0904]

Thank you for making this video that has so much good advice.

[@1g2002541]

i just had a mock inertview today, and I realize I need much more practise of explaining with coding.

[@MrGhostYT_]

Huh, that's really nice to know! Thanks for informing me and everyone else ;)

[@ClassicGameSessions]

Great insights on technical interviews

[@eggs205]

はじめまして。まゆこさんの動画を先日より拝見しております。 私は日本で機械工学を学んでいる大学生です。 アメリカで働きたいのですが、もしソフトウェアエンジニアになるとしたら、 やはりアメリカの大学か大学院でCSの学位を取得したほうがいいのでしょうか？

[@Ramentop88]

you must enjoy that Mahogany combo for your guitars and ukulele.

[@Morphed626]

Great video, thanks!

[@flbn7377]

i'm seeing a lot of weird comments. technical interviews are about getting a feel for aptitude and critical thinking. it's got nothing to do with appearance or "winning over an interviewer's heart" if they're of the opposite sex. i usually don't comment things like this but i felt inclined to. be better guys, this is a great community.

[@johnnychang3456]

Unfortunately, the behavioral side ONLY matters when you’re able to solve the problem - Solve the problem but with bad behavior: will be considered by the company. Unable to solve the problem but have the best manner ever: not going to get you a job!!!

[@unprofessionaltrader6743]

Great video, thank you.

[@ShubhamSaini-wu4eu]

Tomorrow is my technical interview 😄

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@Dotseoem]

Please, can I know the (fake) 8-bit prompt you used in the thumbnail of this video? anyone know??

[@niharikapatil902]

So I have one more thing to worry about 😔can you do a video on interview prep overwhelm?

[@vulpixelful]

Honestly a lot of interviewers aren't as emotionally intelligent as Mayuko portrays, so they won't always respond to these cues. But, I would argue that's a signal that the team is not for you if you value those things. I know that seems like useless advice if you're looking for a job, but there are actually bad tech companies/teams to work for.

[@mr_phamtastic]

very informative video!

[@RemoG0915]

Too bad you can still end up hiring people who not only learn to regurgitate solutions but their explanations while turning down candidates who don't excel in what is ultimately an unrealistic work environment. You can learn a lot, if not more about someone's process and knowledge from a conversation without a single line of code being written than otherwise. The truth is these interviews just serve as a way to weed people down at companies that have too many applications and then everyone just likes to copy what they do in the valley.

[@yurykasper6558]

can you transform this kinda videos to podcasts on Spotify/Apple podcasts?)

[@fcsolis]

Your string instruments. I love string instruments.

[@DemetriPanici]

*“It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.” - Nathan W. Morris*

[@luvpodcast9763]

I really love ve her

[@OniByFame]

I'm definitely going to say, "aye yo Mayuko, throw me a bone, give me the answer. Give me the sauce code" 😂

[@vetiarvind]

Dude i suck at the behavioral part of the technical interviews..I aced my last google interview, no callback, no message, no ..nothing. It's been 2 months already. The same happened with some japanese company. Ok with them i just submitted a project. But what the hell is wrong with this industry? It's like they feel they can use our time and not even give a feedback as to whether we cleared it or not. Honestly, my only advice is screw the software industry.

[@ThePredator315000]

I am weak in data structures and algorithms, smh 😭😭

[@thecowegg]

A lot of youngsters these days think there's a template for everything in life, that's where they are wrong. If you are an avid programmer, you don't need macs or flashy keyboards, a laptop of any brands will do. It's the passion inside that counts and not the tools. Many have pursue the tech profession and only to realize that they are not cut out to be what they dream or plan for.

[@squ34ky]

So true! But there's always the job of the "tech" KZbinr open for those who can talk way better than they can code.

[@katateo328]

hahah, dzay ha ma mi :D:D chan dat gai kham kha ghe ta :D

[@TheYinyangman]

Just do a merge sort in Haskell in a Google doc or don’t even bother

[@_alexlazar_]

why not say "yo" 😂 I always do that kinda stuff at work

[@CrashOverride332]

Uhh, the technical interview is never what it's like to actually work at the company, and that's the chief criticism of them. I guess it is the "closest", but it's close in that Maine is the closest state to England. I'm hoping for a video on how companies can do better interviews, because the current technical interview process is terrible.

[@andyc9902]

Anyone missing Facebook

[@jaredalbin5658]

Lol I know right. It’s still down

[@MBXD001]

Mayuko do you know you’re a big deal ? Like you were a netflix engineer

[@Searching4DMT]

First to like and view

[@squ34ky]

Were you really successful as a 'software engineer'?

[@prateeksikarwar9224]

Are you alright mayuko? it looks like you were crying before the video