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. These aren't theoretical—they're battle-tested strategies that actually work.

Before the Interview

1. **Practice Out Loud**

Solving problems silently is different from explaining your thought process while coding. Practice talking through your solutions as if someone is watching. This feels awkward at first but becomes natural with practice.

# 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."

2. **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

3. **Review Your Resume**

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

4. **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

5. **Clarify Before Coding**

Never start coding immediately. Ask questions:

- What's the input size? (Helps determine time complexity requirements)

- Can there be duplicates?

- Is the input sorted?

- What should I return if there's no valid answer?

6. **Start with Examples**

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

7. **Explain Your Approach First**

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

> "I'm thinking of using a hash map to store seen values, giving us O(n) time complexity. Does that sound reasonable?"

8. **Write Clean Code**

Even under pressure, write readable code:

- Use meaningful variable names

- Add brief comments for complex logic

- Keep functions focused and short

# Bad:
def f(a, t):
    d = {}
    for i, x in enumerate(a):
        if t - x in d:
            return [d[t - x], i]
        d[x] = i

# Good:
def two_sum(nums, target):
    seen_indices = {}  # Maps value -> index
    for i, num in enumerate(nums):
        complement = target - num
        if complement in seen_indices:
            return [seen_indices[complement], i]
        seen_indices[num] = i

9. **Test Your Code**

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

10. **Handle Edge Cases**

Always consider:

- Empty input

- Single element

- All same values

- Negative numbers (if applicable)

- Very large inputs

Communication Tips

11. **Think Out Loud**

The interviewer can't read your mind. Verbalize your thinking, even when you're stuck. Saying "I'm considering a hash map approach but concerned about space..." is better than silence.

12. **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.

13. **Ask for Hints Gracefully**

If you're stuck, it's okay to ask for direction:

> "I'm torn between two approaches. Could you give me a hint about which direction to explore?"

14. **Accept Feedback Positively**

When the interviewer suggests an optimization or correction, don't get defensive. Say "That's a great point" and incorporate the feedback.

15. **Prepare Questions for Them**

At the end, ask thoughtful questions:

- "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. Take deep breaths. Remember: the interviewer wants you to succeed—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, 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](/practice) and build the confidence you need to land your dream job.