My 100 Failed Interviews: Recommendations From a Guru

Tip: Go for interviews every day or at least every week. If you can afford it, you can skip ahead ;)

If you don't have time or don't want rejections, I suggest trying out an effective preparation method inspired by my experience preparing for university exams.

PS: This method can help IT professionals at any level - junior, senior, middle - and in any programming field - Android, iOS, frontend, backend, fullstack, data science, and others.

Moreover, these tips are also relevant for students preparing for university exams.

1. Start by gathering all possible questions related to your field. There can be around a hundred questions. Distribute them over the days leading up to the interview. For example, if you have 15 days until the interview, that's roughly 6-7 questions per day. Number of questions/number of days = number of questions per day.

   
   

2. Write down your answers on paper. It may seem simple or useless, but this method actually works effectively with visual memory. Try to use as many illustrations, diagrams, jokes, or anything vivid that will stick in your mind.

   
   

3. Now it's time to learn your answers. The best way to memorize material is to systematically study it. You may not use all methods, but the following approach is ideal for me:

* Review the questions randomly or prioritize them based on importance.

* Record voice answers to the questions (it's better to do this right after you've written down your answers on paper).

* Try to reproduce the answers from memory.

* Listen to the recorded answers, and highlight any shortcomings in your responses (preferably highlight them in a bright color).

This will allow you to assess your level of knowledge on each question, identify weak points, and review material that hasn't been fully understood.

If you've reached this stage of preparation, you may have accumulated voice answers that you can listen to on your way to the interview.

If you need a break during preparation, I suggest a passive learning method: play mock interview recordings for your position and engage in a simple game (for example, I like to play paper.io).

This will allow you to relax while listening to the answers and observing the respondent's behavior during the interview (how they think, what answers they give when they don't know the real answer, how they structure their sentences, how they demonstrate confidence in their answers).

As an Android developer, I enjoy watching interviews on Kirill Rozov's Android Broadcast and Alexey Gladkov's Mobile Developer channels. I especially like how Kirill Rozov answers interview questions - I think he's a professional whose answers and behavior can serve as an example.

Interviewing is a skill that needs to be practiced. My tips are just tools to help you prepare better. They may not be as useful if you're interviewing daily, but if it's not your everyday routine and you want to get an offer faster, they will be perfect for you.

Sometimes, even when you know everything and are confident, barriers can arise between you and the interviewer, whether it's mutual dislike or misunderstanding. It happens, and it's normal.

It's important to remember that it's impossible to know the answers to all questions. Try to relax, think clearly, and act confidently.

Now, I want to hear your opinion: how do you prepare for interviews? What preparation methods do you find effective? How often do you manage to get a job offer?

PSS: If you're interested in this topic, I can also talk about how I search for job offers and communicate with HR without lengthy CV/resume reviews (and it's not through LinkedIn or headhunters/hh.ru).