Getting better at technical interviews comes down to one thing: practice. The practice you should be doing isn’t only about increasing technical expertise. Soft skills are also essential to acing your technical interview. If you can’t communicate your technical ability, how is the interviewer supposed to see it?

Here are some friendly ways to prep so that you don’t go into your first interview with no experience.

1. Try Out Mock Interviews

Mock interviews are a fantastic way to get a feel for technical interview time management, problem-solving, and communication skills. You might learn some funny, useful things about yourself, like:

• Throat feels dry after talking through your solution? Keep a glass of water nearby!
• Communication Skills: See how it feels to talk through your problem-solving process for 30 minutes or more.
• Noticing your gaze wandering off during Zoom calls? Staying engaged (orlooking engaged) is key for video interviews.

You can set up mock interviews with friends, classmates, or even a professor. There are also some pricier services where FAANG+ engineers will interview you, like Interviewing.io. They’re a top-notch service known for their skilled interviewers if you’re looking for something professional, but you can learn a lot from informal practice, too.

2. Watch Real Interviews in Action

If you’re not quite ready to jump into mock interviews yourself, start by watching others! Interviewing.io has a free library of recorded interviews where you can filter by company, programming language, and problem type. Seeing how other people handle questions can give you some insider tips on navigating tough problems and help you feel more confident in your own approach.

There are also a bunch of mock interviews on YouTube where you can see how real engineers react to questions in real-time. Another great way to see how engineers solve technical problems is by watching videos by Neetcode. He does a fantastic job of breaking down complex technical solutions into understandable steps. Technical communication like his is crucial to having a successful interview.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice with Coding Platforms

Regular coding practice is one of the best ways to level up your skills, and there are plenty of platforms to help you stay on track:

• LeetCode: Tons of categorized problems to help you build specific skills and confidence over time.
• HackerRank: Great for coding, databases, and other skills that companies love to test.
• CodeSignal: Known for timed challenges, which are perfect for learning to manage time under pressure. They even have company-specific assessments!

Practicing consistently will make it easier to recognize patterns in problems and will help you develop a structured approach to your solutions.

4. Reflect on Your Solutions

After you finish a problem, take a quick moment to review and reflect:

• Could you make the code run faster?
• Does the code read well?
• Can you explain your approach out loud?

These are questions you are going to be asked by an interviewer so you should get used to thinking about them while you solve a problem. You can also pretend that you are in an interview while doing your Leetcode practice. Talking out loud while coding can feel awkward, which is why it is essential to get used to it.

Conclusion

Technical interviews aren’t just about code—they’re about building confidence and a sense of comfort with the process. With some practice, mock interviews, a bit of watching and learning, and steady review, you’ll be ready to crush it. Good luck, and happy practicing!

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