Untold Aspects of Software Engineering Interviews from an ex-Meta Engineer

In my previous article I outlined the starter preparation tips for ensuring success in software engineering interviews. In this article I discuss some untold aspects of software engineering interviews that are equally important to clearing the interviews.

But first, a little about me, through my 16-year career in software development, I’ve worked at companies ranging from startups to giants like Zoom, Meta, and HubSpot. I've participated in over 200 interviews as both interviewer and interviewee, securing offers from companies like Shopify and Twilio in addition to the companies where I worked. However, my journey wasn’t smooth—I had to learn through extensive research, trial and error, and interview rejections due to a lack of accessible resources early on.

Untold aspects

Presentation Skills

It is not what you say, it is what they hear.

This holds true in interviews as well. It is not enough for you to know the solution alone. It is vital for you to be able to explain it well to the interviewer. This is where the actual job differs from the interview process. In software engineering, unless you are pair programming, you code in silence. However, during an interview, you must talk through your solution so that you demonstrate your knowledge to the interviewers. This requires practice.

Here are a few methods you can use to practice this skill,

1. Practice alone: Take any coding/design/behavioral question, answer it by coding on an editor or designing on a white board or answering behavioral questions out loud. This ensures that you are not hearing yourself speak those answers for the first time in an interview and risk throwing yourself off your game.
2. Practice with a friend: Have a friend ask you questions and answer out loud
3. Mock Interviews: Answer a question that someone from the software industry can evaluate and provide feedback. It is best to pick someone who is in a position of hiring. Such as hiring managers or senior software engineers. This is often the best resource for practicing as it helps you get used to the feeling of interviewing with someone you do not know and closely mimics the real scenario of interviewing.

Mock Interviews

This is an often underrated step in the interview preparation process. Arguably the most important as it helps you remove any initial nervousness from the real interview. There are many services that offer mock interviews. I have listed a few here,

• interviewing.io: Offers anonymous mock interviews for $225. Best to use when you have an interview scheduled and you need that final practice with an interviewer.
• Exponent: Offers live video mock interviews for $250. Best to use when you have an interview scheduled and you need that final practice with an interviewer.
• Hello Interview.com: Offers live video mock interviews for $170. Best to use when you have an interview scheduled and you need that final practice with an interviewer.
• Mock Ace: Offers async mock interviews for $10 where you pay to get an interview link that you can use to record the interview in one sitting using their platform and submit it. A qualified Mock Ace reviewer will review your submission and provide feedback. Best to use to test waters and assess your level of preparedness periodically.

Collecting Feedback

It is always disheartening to receive a rejection letter after an interview. However, it is not all doom and gloom. It just means that now you have an opportunity to get valuable feedback about your areas of improvement so that you can improve your chances of success on the next try. If you have faced a rejection, make sure to follow up with the recruiter, if required multiple times about giving you feedback. Once you receive it, incorporate it in your next interview.

Knowing When You are Ready

While that is ultimately a personal decision, a good measure is that,

• You are able to solve each coding question in 15 minutes and are able to walk through your solution with a use case confidently.
• You are getting good feedback on your System Design from mock interviews.
• You are convinced that you are not making up situations and are speaking from experience in behavioral interviews and that you have the STAR responses down pat.

Good luck!