An Almost Proven Way To Successfully Pass A Golang Job Interview
Are you feeling nervous and anxious about job interviews?
I’m going to break down the whole process for you and throw in a few “secret” tips to pass almost any interview with flying colors.
Let’s pinpoint what skills do you need to get hired as a Golang developer.
The first part, obviously, grasp of the language and computer science fundamentals. Nothing new here.
But not every book/course/resource is equal.
If your knowledge is kinda rusty, you have to roll up your sleeves, study, and get as much practice as possible to solve real-world problems.
Mastering Golang is not easy but straightforward.
I assume you already can code in Go (maybe not as an expert developer, but enough to get a job). If you’re not, read this article first.
Your first step to master the bits of a language required to pass a typical Golang job interview is taking these three courses on Qvault (You can browse and read all the courses for free. Exercises are available with a paid subscription, but introductory courses come with free exercises. No credit card is required.):
If you’re absolutely sure you know the language enough, only take the third “Interview Prep — Go” course.
And note, this selection is intended to get you on the right track as fast as possible if you already can code.
These three courses are going over the most used parts of Golang you encounter at your job.
“Interview Prep — Go” is especially valuable to you because an author has experience participating in Golang job interviews as a job seeker and interviewer. The most asked info is there in the course.
Qvault has an active Discord server, where you can ask questions and even get resume feedback.
The second part is crucial (and the hardest).
That’s what everyone calls “soft skills.” I call it “people skills.”
It doesn’t matter how much you know Golang (or any other language), frameworks, technologies… if you’re not a team player or have bad manners, a company has no use for you.
Start with your appearance.
Learn if a company has a dress code or not, and dress as they expect it. I’m not going to tell you that you have to be clean, with combed hair, etc.
That’s obvious.
Even if you think that today everyone is relaxed a bit and doesn’t care much — you’re wrong. People always judge other people. It’s in their genes. Do the best you can to look decent and feel comfortable. (This is critical, too. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, an interviewer may unconsciously think you’re nervous or inattentive.)
Next — be very, very polite and friendly.
Again, a company wants to hire you because you’re a professional (or a future professional).
Show them that you are.
Not losing your cool during an interview and being polite are unconscious signals of your professionalism any human being immediately picks up (even if they’re unaware of it).
If they’re rude, be polite and say goodbye.
You’ll be stunned how being polite opens doors for you every time.
Be punctual.
Never ever be late. This is a plague of the modern world.
And, again, people judge you on that.
An interviewer will likely choose a punctual person over a non-punctual if everything else is equal.
The next part is controversial a bit, but hear me out anyway.
If you can, find out who an interviewer is and learn about him/her as much as possible. What she likes. What’re her previous jobs. Everything you can get your hands on.
And use it when you get a chance.
For example, ask, “How it was working at…?” “Do you like your current job/company more?”
There are no specific rules, but people like to talk about themselves. And, probably, their families and friends are already sick of hearing the same stories again and again.
The main takeaway: a person will like you more if you’re genuinely interested in him/her and you’re a good listener.
We use every advantage here.
Even outright flattery works. But don’t go overboard, of course. If you like something about another person and you heartily mean it — then say it.
Sometimes, your interviewer may be somewhat rude and abrasive.
Usually, it’s because he worked like a fiend through his morning, and now a boss asked him to conduct an interview (or something like that).
He isn’t mean.
Be polite and friendly, and he’ll relax a bit.
Remember: Most people are good. Sure, you’ll stumble onto evil sociopaths and total jerks now and again. But, they’re a minority.
Learning the fundamentals, practicing (completing exercises and writing your own programs), and mastering “people skills” will get you a cushy job.
Now go and get ’em, tiger…
Affiliate earnings disclosure:
If you click on any link in this article and buy a course/book or several courses/books, I get a small cut from every sale.
