​There is very little advice out there for Software Developer interviews. Talented Developers very often run into difficulty when it comes to job interviews, focusing heavily on their passions and not prepping their interview skills. Having good interview skills can excel your career by giving you opportunities. Read below as we take you through some of our top tips on how to ace your next Developer interview.

1. Build Developer Experience 

Its highly common in the industry for Software Developers who are starting out or moving from another career field, to have a lack of relevant experience and how to go about getting it. So how do you get experience if you don't have any? Create it. It will look good on your CV and give employers confidence in hiring you.

There are many ways to get relevant experience that doesn't involve working directly for a company as a Software Developer:

• Join an open source project

• Start an open source project

• Build a mobile app and put on the app store

• Build a small web app

• Start a blog

2. Learn to solve algorithm based problems

This is a highly important skill that every Software Developer should have and isn't hard to learn. Included in many job interviews are 1 or more problem solving questions, either on a whiteboard or computer. Often many developers, who are usually great programmers, freeze on this type of question and fail it. Taking time to learn how to solve problems like this can slingshot you into the top 10% of developers who interview for most jobs. Familiarity and confidence are key in problem solving.

3. Technical questions require thought and process

This is your chance to show how you deal with challenges. The problems are sometimes made difficult intentionally to test how you handle such a situation.

• Read the problem several times and define it in your own words

• Anchor your thought process and conclusions throughout

• Lay out your strategy to solve the problem before you code

• Create a first draft and use it to define any edge cases that may need further attention

• Ask questions, it may lead you to a better solutions

4. Show your coding skills somewhere online 

In some interviews, you may be asked whether you can show your coding skills. It’s useful to have a GitHub account including 1-2 project examples. Today, when searching for new recruits for their project, most companies look into the GitHub profiles. If your profile is available, you will have a higher chance of being recruited even if you are not from a great university or college.

​

5. Use a recruitment agency 

Using an experienced recruitment agency can have real benefits in ensuring you have the right CV for the job you are applying for. A recruiter can give you tips on how to improve your CV, after all they review CV’s for a living. Getting help to create a quality CV will open up a much larger pool of opportunities for a job. You can relax and trust in the professionals to help you produce the best possible CV. An experienced recruiter also has many other benefits:- it first and fore-mostly saves you time looking for jobs, a recruiter will have an abundance of contacts and jobs at their fingertips, it also costs you nothing. To read more about why using a recruiter will get you the right job, follow this link.

​

6. Do your research

Researching your interviewer can bring you benefits you may not have realised before. As humans we like to know that people are interested in us, an interviewer is more likely to recommend you for a job if you have shown some sort of interest in who they are and what they do. It is absolutely ludicrous not to research the company you are interviewing for ahead of time, and the interviewer if you know who it will be. Social media, and by extension the internet, have made it so easy for us to learn a lot about a person with just a little bit of research. It shows that you actually are detail-orientated and take your career seriously.

On a final note, be prepared. Our consultants at VANRATH will guide you through every step of the recruitment process and provide extensive interview prep for candidates. As experts in the field with unparalleled experience, you can be reassured of the value and detail of the interview preparations we provide. Head over to our website to find out more on why you should team up with VANRATH  for your next career move. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

To explore all of our available IT Jobs click here or call us on 028 9033 0250 to speak with directly with one of our expert consultants.