Hi, I'm Linda. In my transition to software development, I had a lot of online programming interviews. Compared with the offline interview, the online interview does have its own characteristics. Today, I would like to share some real experiences with you, hoping to help friends who are preparing for the interview.
1. Familiarize yourself with the interview platform
The first time I interviewed with HackerRank, I made a lot of mistakes. I usually have code completion in practice, but I found that there was no automatic prompt in the actual interview, and my speed was obviously unable to keep up with it. Later, I deliberately practice handwriting code in Notepad, and slowly adapt to it. It is recommended that you go to each platform in advance to try your hand, in particular, pay attention to:
- How to run test cases
- How does debugging work
- What does the code-sharing interface look like
2. Algorithm problems to practice conditioning
When I first started using LeetCode, it took me a long time to do the simple sum of two numbers. Later found that the focus is not on the number of questions, but on practicing common questions into muscle memory. For example:
- When you see "eldest string," you think of sliding Windows
- Encounter "Sum of paths" directly considers DFS/BFS
- "Buying and selling stocks" question first draws a state transfer chart
3. Choose a language you are good at
My interviews in Python were much smoother than in Java because I was more familiar with syntax. I suggest that you:
- Knowledge of at least one scripting language (Python/JS)
- Memorizing common data structure methods, such as Python's collections. deque, Java's PriorityQueue, can save a lot of time at critical moments.
4. The code should be as clear as telling a story
There was an interview where I wrote a very complex solution, and although I passed the test, the interviewer said that I could not understand it. Later I learned: use search_list instead of sl for variable names, break big functions into smaller ones, and add short comments at...... for key steps. You can write code and ask yourself: Will someone else understand it in 5 minutes?
5. Talk about your thought process
In the beginning, I always wrote the code, but later found that writing while explaining the effect is better. For example:
"Here I use the hash table to store occurrences, because the query time is O(1)..."
"The loop boundary is n-1, because you want to compare neighboring elements..."
Even if you make a mistake, the interviewer will correct it in time, and it becomes an opportunity for interaction.
6. Mock interviews
My classmates and I mock twice a week and find many small problems:
- The microphone echoes
- The cursor is too small when sharing the screen
- Say "uh..." when I am nervous.
During the interview, you need to maintain a normal heart, and regard the interview as a technical communication, but it is easy to play.
I hope this experience will be helpful to you, and I hope you will receive your desired offer.
Release time:2025-04-02
