7 Tips for a Software Developer Job Interview

Published in

The Startup

6 min readJan 22, 2019

Having a job interview is a stressful situation for many people. Besides the pressure of getting hired or not, various questions need to be answered before and during the interview, like what to wear, how to get prepared, how much money to ask and much more.

There is actually no written-rules for having a successful interview, but there are some tricks you can learn and increase your chance to get the job.

Personally, I’ve made over 30 job interviews in the last 5 years, from startups to global companies, even in different countries… I’ve learned a few things and now would like to share them with you.

1. Just Relax

First of all, being nervous or stressed doesn’t help you at all, so you should learn to relax. A calm candidate, (but not too calm) seems more professional and self-confident rather than a nervous one. But how to do that?

There are some basics that help you to feel relaxed before the interview:

Do some research about the position and the company, get prepared
Arrive a bit early so you have time to breathe
Think positive, focus on your strong skills
Remember, an interview is nothing more than a conversation
Enter the interview knowing that (if things go wrong) there are always other opportunities in the market
If the interview doesn’t go well, take it as an experience, learn from your mistakes and you’ll do better next time

If you achieve to keep calm, you will also express yourself better to your potential employer and increase your chance to get hired.

2. Be yourself & improve yourself

This is also as important as the first rule. Let your potential employer understand who you really are, and what you really know. Don’t pretend to know something you actually don’t. Don’t lie.

It’s OK not to know everything

You will receive lots of questions during the interview. You can’t know everything. Nobody can know everything, it’s fine. What important is that knowing at least the fundamentals of your expertise area.

So when you receive a question that you don’t know much or nothing at all, just say it, but you should also tell them that you are willing to improve yourself, you’re open to learning new things.

Focus on learning

Your interest in learning new things matters. Software world changes rapidly. Constant learning is a part of our job. Additionally, the more you know, means the better you become at your job, which also means the more you earn.

3. Ask questions

Before you go to an interview, it is expected to make some background research about the company and position. One of the questions you may become is “What do you know about our company?” It is also good for you to know about your potential new job.

There are 2 benefits of asking questions during the interview:

Firstly, you show that you’re really interested in getting the job. Because if they feel you’re not that into getting the job, they won’t hire you.
Secondly, it’s good for yourself. The more you know about the company & position, the better you can make the right decision whether taking the job or not.

So just not only answer questions but also feel free to ask them.

4. Show your coding skills somewhere ONLINE

In some of the interviews, you will be asked whether you can show your coding skills. In today’s world, everyone has a social media profile. So why not to have a Github account for example? It is free, and you can upload your projects or contribute to others.

Using Github is optional, but if you have at least 1–2 example projects there, you will increase your chance to get hired, significantly.

It’s not a MUST, but I strongly RECOMMEND having a Github account, including 1–2 project examples.

5. Don’t talk BAD about your previous workplaces

Another important point is to talk carefully about your former employers/companies. I assure that you will receive a question like: “What are the reasons that you want to change your job?” or “Why did you leave company XYZ?”

Whatever the reason is, your potential employer shouldn’t think that you’re complaining about everything and if they hire you, you will probably also do the same with their company.

For example, you’ve been waiting for a promotion for 3 years, but you feel that you won’t get it. So rather than telling them: “Hey, you know what? They’re liars, they promised me for 3 years for promotion but still nothing…”

Try to say “I’ve worked in some nice projects with friendly colleagues, but the promotion I was expected since 3 years is still not there, so I thought maybe it’s time for a change.” is a way better answer you can give.

So think before you talk, giving smarter answers will increase your chance.

6. Salary Expectations

Companies mostly ask your salary expectations on the application form. Make sure that you know the market range in your local region, so you can know better what to expect.

For example, if the market range is between $40,000 — $60,000 yearly annual, and if you ask a $100,000 you not gonna get the job unless you’re Bill Gates. (But hey, then you start your own business :))

Once I had a successful interview, and they offered me like $30,000, which is far below the range. I can’t even pay my rent with that, so I had to reject the job, and the next month I’ve found another with a way better salary.

So know what your local market range is and you can ask something between, depending on your experience.
Don’t accept very low offers unless you’re starving

Finally, It’s better not to talk about money until they ask.

7. What if things go wrong?

Some of your interviews won’t go well as you expected. You may experience some of the conditions below:

Very hard technical interview/assignment
The company or position isn’t like it has written in the job description
Very low salary offer
Irrelevant or too many questions to be answered
Cross-interrogation style interviews, you receive questions from an interview group of 5 people (Hard to believe but I lived that, they try to measure your stress level)
Arrogant or too serious interviewers/managers

You may not reach an agreement under these circumstances. You can get angry or unmotivated, but later you realize that it’s unnecessary.

Good or bad, every job interview is an experience for you. There are always better opportunities and kinder employers somewhere outside, just keep looking until you find them.

Last but not least, don’t be late! :)

Actually the more interviews you make, the better you become. Everything is about experiences. There are even more things to cover. I will also write the 2nd part and cover the possible common technical questions you may be asked.

I hope those tips I’ve mentioned help you in your following interviews. I wish you all good luck and a better career.

Thank you for your time & support!