10 Technical Interview Tips

Introduction

Technical interviews can be a hard nut to crack. Even experienced developers sometimes struggle with them. The pressure of being evaluated, solving problems on the spot, and communicating your thought process all at once can be overwhelming.

But here’s the good news: interviewing is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice. In this article, I’ll share 10 tips that can help you perform better in your next technical interview.

Whether you’re a junior developer going through your first round of interviews or a seasoned engineer looking for a refresher, these tips apply across the board.

The Actual Tips

1. Research the company beforehand

Before you walk into any interview, you should know:

• What the company does and what their product is
• The tech stack they use (check their job posting, careers page, or engineering blog)
• Recent news or blog posts from the company
• The company’s mission and values

This shows genuine interest and helps you tailor your answers. It also helps you decide if the company is a good fit for you.

2. Prepare your introduction

You’ll almost certainly be asked to introduce yourself. Don’t wing it. Prepare a 2-3 minute summary that covers:

• Your background and how you got into development
• Your most relevant experience
• What you’re looking for in your next role
• Why you’re interested in this specific company

Practice it until it feels natural, but not scripted.

3. Think out loud

This is probably the most important tip. Interviewers want to understand your thought process, not just see the final answer. When solving a problem:

• Explain your approach before coding
• Talk through trade-offs and alternatives
• Mention edge cases you’re considering
• If you’re stuck, explain what you’re trying to do

Thinking out loud turns a silent coding exercise into a collaborative problem-solving session.

4. Ask clarifying questions

Never assume you understand the problem completely. Before diving into a solution, ask questions:

• What are the expected inputs and outputs?
• Are there any constraints (time, space, data size)?
• Should I handle edge cases (empty input, null values)?
• Is there a preferred language or approach?

This shows maturity and prevents you from solving the wrong problem.

5. Start with a brute force solution

Don’t try to find the optimal solution immediately. Start with a brute force approach:

1. Solve the problem in the simplest way possible
2. Verify it works with a few examples
3. Analyze the time and space complexity
4. Then optimize if needed

A working brute force solution is infinitely better than an incomplete optimal solution. You can always improve from there.

6. Know your data structures and algorithms

You don’t need to memorize every algorithm, but you should be comfortable with:

• Arrays and strings - traversal, manipulation, common patterns
• Hash maps - lookup, frequency counting
• Linked lists - traversal, reversal, cycle detection
• Trees and graphs - traversal (BFS, DFS), basic operations
• Sorting and searching - understanding time complexities
• Recursion - base cases, call stack

Practice these regularly on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank.

7. Practice coding by hand or on a whiteboard

Many interviews still use whiteboards or shared documents without auto-completion. Practice writing code without your IDE’s help:

• No auto-complete or IntelliSense
• No syntax highlighting
• Write clean, readable code from memory

This feels awkward at first but quickly becomes natural with practice.

8. Skip Don’t skip the behavioral questions

Technical skills get you in the door, but behavioral questions determine if you’ll thrive on the team. Prepare stories using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for common questions:

• Tell me about a challenging project you worked on
• How do you handle disagreements with teammates?
• Describe a time you had to learn something quickly
• How do you prioritize when you have multiple deadlines?

9. Review your own past projects

Be ready to discuss your portfolio and past work in depth:

• What was your specific contribution?
• What technical decisions did you make and why?
• What would you do differently in hindsight?
• What did you learn from the project?

Having this fresh in your mind shows confidence and depth of understanding.

10. Follow up after the interview

After the interview, send a brief thank-you email. Mention something specific from the conversation that resonated with you. This is simple, professional, and surprisingly rare - it helps you stand out.

Closing Notes

Technical interviews are not a perfect measure of your abilities as a developer. Some people are great at interviews but struggle on the job, and vice versa. Don’t let a rejection define your self-worth.

The best thing you can do is prepare consistently, practice regularly, and learn from every interview experience - whether you get the job or not.

And remember: the interview is a two-way street. You’re evaluating the company just as much as they’re evaluating you.

Homework

Put these tips into practice with the following exercises:

1. Research - Pick a company you’d like to work for and write a one-page summary of what they do, their tech stack, and recent developments
2. Introduction - Write and practice your 2-3 minute self-introduction. Record yourself and listen back
3. Coding challenges - Solve at least 3 coding problems this week on LeetCode or HackerRank. Practice thinking out loud while solving
4. Mock interview - Find a friend or use Pramp for a free mock interview. Practice asking clarifying questions and explaining your thought process
5. Behavioral questions - Write STAR method responses for 5 common behavioral questions