15 Tips for Technical Interviews That Actually Work

After conducting hundreds of interviews and coaching dozens of candidates, I've distilled the most impactful advice into these 15 tips.

Before the Interview

1. Prepare Your Environment

• Test your webcam and microphone before remote interviews
• Have a glass of water nearby
• Close unnecessary tabs and applications
• Use a quiet, well-lit space

2. Review Your Resume

Be ready to discuss anything on your resume in depth. If you listed a technology or project, expect questions about it.

3. Research the Company

Understand what the company does, their tech stack, and recent news. This shows genuine interest and helps you ask better questions.

During Problem Solving

4. Clarify Before Coding

Never start coding immediately. Ask about the input first, using the questions in our LeetCode interview tips.

5. Start with Examples

Work through 2-3 examples by hand before writing code. This helps you understand the problem and often reveals edge cases.

6. Explain Your Approach First

Before coding, describe your algorithm in plain English. Get the interviewer's buy-in before investing time in implementation.

7. Write Clean Code

Even under pressure, use meaningful variable names, add a brief comment where the logic is complex, keep functions short and focused, and format consistently. Mistake #4 in our interview mistakes guide shows the same solution written with bad names and good ones.

8. Test Your Code

Walk through your code with a simple example. This catches bugs and shows attention to detail.

9. Handle Edge Cases

Always check the edge cases before you finish. Mistake #9 in the same guide has the list, with an example.

Communication Tips

10. Think Out Loud

The interviewer can't read your mind. Narrate your initial approach, why you're choosing a particular data structure, and the tradeoffs you're weighing, even when you're stuck. Saying "I'm considering a hash map approach but concerned about space..." is better than silence.

Explaining your code while you write it is a separate skill from solving silently. It feels awkward until you practice it, so before the interview, talk through your solutions as if someone is watching.

# Instead of silently writing:
def two_sum(nums, target):
    seen = {}
    for i, num in enumerate(nums):
        if target - num in seen:
            return [seen[target - num], i]
        seen[num] = i

# Practice saying:
# "I'm going to use a hash map to store numbers I've seen.
# For each number, I check if its complement exists in the map.
# If it does, I've found my pair. If not, I add the current number."

11. Admit What You Don't Know

If you're unfamiliar with something, say so honestly. Then explain how you'd figure it out. Pretending to know something you don't is easily spotted.

12. Own Your Mistakes

If you make an error, acknowledge it out loud, explain what went wrong, and fix it methodically.

13. Ask for Hints Gracefully

If you are stuck, start by saying where, as in "I'm not sure how to handle the case where..." Then try a different angle ("Let me think about this differently..."). If that doesn't work, ask for direction. You might say something like this.

It is also okay to check in when you aren't stuck, with questions like these.

• "Does this approach make sense?"
• "Should I optimize further?"
• "Are there any edge cases I'm missing?"

14. Accept Feedback Positively

When the interviewer suggests an optimization or correction, don't get defensive. Say "That's a great point" or "Ah, you're right, I missed that edge case," and incorporate the feedback.

15. Prepare Questions for Them

At the end, ask thoughtful questions like these.

• "What's the biggest technical challenge your team is facing?"
• "How do you approach code reviews?"
• "What does a typical day look like?"

The Mental Game

Handling Nervousness

Nervousness is normal. Reframe it as excitement and take a few deep breaths. Remember that the interviewer wants you to succeed, since they need to hire someone.

Dealing with Failure

Not every interview goes well. Treat each one as practice. After a rejection, analyze what went wrong and address those gaps.

Building Confidence

Confidence comes from preparation. The more problems you solve, the more patterns you recognize, and the more confident you become.

Your Action Plan

1. This week. Practice 3-5 problems while explaining your thought process out loud.
2. Before each interview. Review the company, your resume, and common patterns.
3. During the interview. Clarify, explain, code, then test.
4. After the interview. Reflect on what went well and what to improve.

Technical interviews are a skill that improves with practice. Start preparing today on AlgoArena and build the confidence you need to land your dream job.