Recently I updated my LinkedIn (adding my GitHub with my projects, their source codes, mockups and my website that is under construction but looks very nice on its one page, adding my top skills on LinkedIn)
this week on LinkedIn 2 recruiters from recruitment agencies contacted me and I spoke with them over the phone and both very impressed by my projects and knowledge as web developer, they said they both liked my CV a lot (I don’t even have the banner on linkedIn “open to work”)
What to expect exactly after the initial non-tech phone conversation with recruiters?
for example one of these recruiters told me that the interview stages for that company they are hiring for comprises of 3 stages and one of them I remember he said was a home-assignment about coding and he said it was not time-limited but obviously it is best I complete that code as soon as possible
both of these companies do not have glassdoor or indeed employee reviews
apart from the code challenge, what are the other 2 interview stages about?
first step with recruitment agency asked me both about my web dev experience, for example to discuss my experience with PHP, WordPress, my accomplishments
this is what I will get hired for, then they explained the job proposal in details, benefits and things like this but in the other 2 interviews what would be talked about?
I understand I would be interviewed then by the hiring manager and I guess before then by the tech recruiter or web developer working there already but to talk about what exactly?
How to prepare myself for the full path of interview stages?
There is no standardization in the hiring process. It will probably involve a technical interview led by a couple of developers and a separate interview with a manager or department head. Every company does it differently though.
I’ve been through a few interviews in the last year.
Recruiters don’t have the technical knowledge. You can wow them with skills you have that sound technical. Don’t over-sell yourself or the technical interview they may expect too much from you. You’ll want to be familiar with the position and ask lots of questions. I find getting them to talk has led to good results for me.
Technical interview - They’re all different. I’ve actually given interviews when hiring for my last company. They need to determine your baseline knowledge. Lots of basic CS knowledge questions. If you can answer basic questions, then it will probably get more advanced depending on the position. They may ask questions on how you dealt with issues in the past or what you would do in certain scenarios. You need to get comfortable talking about coding. If you have coder friends, talk shop with them often. That’ll come with experience, but can only help.
Coding activity - If they use some of the coding activities online, they can be truly awful. Know which language you’re most familiar with and make sure you can write code fluently. It’s ok to ask if you can use the internet, but make sure you use documentation and not google “How do I create a variable in javascript?”
I noticed from these 2 phone interviews with non-technical recruiters that when forwarding to the actual hiring companies they want a couple of completed projects but those take time not just forward projects on my GitHub
I am working now on a udemy course to create a WP theme from converting an HTML theme
these non-tech recruiters expect the portfolio website to show off the live projects, while so far my website is nice but is under construction
@emanual4real1
thanks for your tips, what do you mean by “some of the coding activities online can be truly awful?”
the idea of mostly being interviewed via videocalls makes me awkward, I don’t know to pose, how to look my best and be confident, do you have tips for this as well?
the camera on my pc does not work so I use iriun app and the video passes through mobile phone. the mobile phone is positioned right behind my pc’s screen
how would recruiters especially the technical ones feel about the fact that my pc’s camera does not work?
should I make sure the mobile phone’s camera is positioned where the pc’s camera is? do recruiters care about this?
or should I pretend my pc’s camera works?
Some of the online code tests, like LeetCode, can be pretty awful. I did an AWS one. Wasted half an hour just trying to understand the question and didn’t have time to even complete the coding challenge which was difficult on its own. I’ve heard some of the big companies will do those kind of tests.
It wouldn’t hurt to have something more stationary if you could borrow a laptop with a built in camera. I don’t think they would care that your camera doesn’t work, but having to reposition the phone will be distracting to everyone.
Someone I worked with recommended that you put their video image right below your camera so it appears you’re looking directly at them otherwise you’ll tend to look wherever their image is
Make sure your background is professional looking even if it is blurred.
I like the video interview better; they probably can’t even see your hands, just chest up.
Phone interview: This is a brief screening call to assess your basic qualifications and interest in the position.
Technical interview: This is a more in-depth interview that will test your knowledge of web development technologies and concepts. You may be asked to solve coding problems or explain your approach to web development projects.
Behavioral interview: This interview will focus on your soft skills, such as your communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. You may be asked to describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation or worked on a team project.
Take-home assignment: This is an optional step in the interview process. If you are asked to complete a take-home assignment, you will be given a project to work on outside of the interview. This is a way for the interviewer to assess your skills and abilities in a more realistic setting.
On-site interview: This is the final stage of the interview process. You will meet with several members of the team and be given a tour of the office. You may also be asked to participate in a group coding exercise or presentation.
I’ve heard some coding interviews use ‘Advent of Code’ problems.
It might help to take a look at them, you could use them to practice the interview by explaining the process of solving a problems with a friend or family member.
I’ve also heard that being interviewed is also a skill that takes time to really get comfortable with. Consider asking the interviewer for feedback, so you can improve
To get to the Advent puzzles:
go to ‘events’, click one of the dates, then choose a puzzle.
I agree, its a very uncomfortable colour scheme
You can find people online sharing their answers and discussing the puzzles.
There are a few vids on YouTube.
There are also a few people sharing on GitHub:
To get to the puzzle-click a date, then a puzzle number
‘README.md’ file has an explanation of the puzzle
‘input.txt’ file has the puzzle you need to solve.
the other files are a solution to the puzzle in JavaScript.
But there are many ways to solve the same puzzle with more people sharing solutions, and they can be written in any language your comfortable with.
I also enjoy coding games, so appreciate your links
I use CSS Battle, but make small projects in P5.js, which is a library for JavaScript that allows you to create things visually.
The Coding Train has some interesting challenges, such as fractal trees, and ‘the game of life’
thanks for suggesting p5.js and CSS battle. Advent looks very boring to me, it is not my cup fo tea
yesterday I did codingfantasy, flexbox froggy and a bit of flexbox ducky, a fun way to practice coding (great to fully understand and remember flexbox properties and values)
(great to fully understand and remember flexbox properties and values)