JOB SEEKERS: How to prepare for a technical interview

Technical interviews can be overwhelming, but you need to prepare adequately for them because they can make or break your chances of landing that highly coveted job posting. Whether you are self-taught or interviewing for the first time, it all boils down to how well you can undertake whatever task is assigned to you.

Therefore, to be able to crack a technical interview, you need to organize yourself and practice to prove to the interviewers that you have what it takes to excel in your new role. Here is how to prepare for a technical interview:

Understand what to expect

Technical interviews present great opportunities to meet potential teammates. Depending on what you are interviewing for, your interviewers may approach the tech part of the process differently than others. However, the end goal is always to find out whether you are the right fit for the organization. As such, expect to be presented with technical challenges that you will be expected to handle correctly.

If they give you a take-home assignment

Some companies tend to give ‘take home’ challenges where they ask the candidates to complete a take-home technical undertaking that has to be completed by a set date. If this is the case, make sure to find out when the assignment is due. If they do not specify a date, try and make sure that you complete everything within a week or communicate the best date for you and hand it in by then.

Study

Essentially, a technical interview will consist of a question and answer session that will attempt to gauge your knowledge of terminology or your understanding of how things work. In order for you to do well, you will have to go back to your books and study. An easy way to find out which questions you should expect is simply by making a Google search to understand the language and answers that you should give

Be honest about your experience and knowledge

A necessary evil about applying for a technical job is passing the technical interview. It can be harrowing if you do not know the answer to a specific question but you should be as honest as you can. Nothing makes an interviewer more mortified than a candidate that is willing to take wild guesses when answering a question. Giving the wrong answers can make you appear insecure, which will affect the pace of the whole interview.

Be enthusiastic

Employers love candidates that are passionate and enthusiastic about what they are applying for. If you come across as confident, it can help you along in the process. This and the right technical skills prove that you are the right candidate for the job.