Cracking the coding interview ebook
Despite getting good grades in my Programming Language, Algorithm and Data Structures class in college, I would love to consider going through a coding interview that focuses on algorithms.
So I've spent the last three months cracking the coding interview ebook figuring out how to improve my interview coding skills, and eventually I got offers from the big tech companies. In this post, I'll share the ideas and tips I found along the way. Experienced candidates can expect questions about system design, but that is beyond the scope of this post.
I don't usually use many of the algorithmic concepts that are tested when coding interviews at work, where I am a front-end web engineer. Of course, I forgot a lot about these algorithms and data structures, which I learned mostly during my new, sophisticated years at university.
You get stressed out producing (working) code in an interview, and one examines every keystroke you make. Worse still, as an interviewee, you are encouraged to communicate your thought process out loud to the interviewer.
I used to think that being able to think, code and communicate at the same time was impossible, until I realized that most people are not good at coding interviews when they start out. The interview is a skill that you can improve by studying, preparing and practicing.
As a result of my recent job search,
I went on a trip to improve my interview coding skills. Front-end engineers like to rant about how the current hiring process breaks down because technical interviews can include skills unrelated to front-end development. For example, write a maze-solving algorithm and combine two lists of ordered numbers. As a front-end engineer, I can empathize with them.
Front-end is a specialized domain where engineers have to deal with many issues related to browser compatibility, document object model, JavaScript performance, CSS layout, etc. It's rare for front-end engineers to implement some of the complex algorithms tested in interviews.
At companies like Facebook and Google, people are first software engineers and then domain experts.
Unfortunately, it is the companies that set the rules, not the candidates. There is a strong emphasis on the general concepts of computer science, such as algorithms, design patterns, data structures, basic skills that a good software engineer must have. If you like the job, you must play according to the rules set by the masters of the game, improve your interview coding skills!
This publication is divided into the following two sections. Feel free to go to the part that interests you.
• Breakdown of coded interviews and how to prepare for them.
• Helpful hints and tips on all algorithm topics (matrices, trees, dynamic programming, etc.), as well as suggested LeetCode practice questions to review and improve the basics in
The content of this post can be found in my GitHub Technical Interview Manual repository. Then the updates will be made. Towing requests for suggestions and corrections are welcome!