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CraftMarch 27, 202511 min

Tech Interview Prep: Land Your Dream Job

Master technical interviews. Ace coding challenges, system design, and behavioral questions.

Ü
Ümit Uz
Mobile & Full Stack Developer

Interview Overview

Technical interviews test coding skills, problem-solving, system design, and cultural fit. Preparation is key to success.

typescript
const interviewStages = [
  'Resume screen',
  'Recruiter phone screen',
  'Technical screen',
  'On-site interviews',
  'Offer negotiation'
];

Data Structures

Master These

typescript
// Arrays
const arrayOps = [
  'Two pointers',
  'Sliding window',
  'Binary search'
];

// Linked Lists
const listOps = [
  'Traversal',
  'Reversal',
  'Cycle detection'
];

// Trees
const treeOps = [
  'Traversal (DFS/BFS)',
  'Height calculation',
  'Lowest common ancestor'
];

// Graphs
const graphOps = [
  'BFS/DFS',
  'Dijkstra',
  'Topological sort'
];

// Hash Tables
const hashOps = [
  'Lookup O(1)',
  'Collision handling',
  'Hash functions'
];

Algorithms

Essential Patterns

typescript
// Two Pointers
function twoSum(nums: number[], target: number): number[] {
  let left = 0, right = nums.length - 1;
  
  while (left < right) {
    const sum = nums[left] + nums[right];
    if (sum === target) return [left, right];
    if (sum < target) left++;
    else right--;
  }
  
  return [];
}

// Sliding Window
function maxSumSubarray(nums: number[], k: number): number {
  let maxSum = 0, windowSum = 0;
  
  for (let i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
    windowSum += nums[i];
    
    if (i >= k - 1) {
      maxSum = Math.max(maxSum, windowSum);
      windowSum -= nums[i - k + 1];
    }
  }
  
  return maxSum;
}

// Binary Search
function binarySearch(nums: number[], target: number): number {
  let left = 0, right = nums.length - 1;
  
  while (left <= right) {
    const mid = Math.floor((left + right) / 2);
    
    if (nums[mid] === target) return mid;
    if (nums[mid] < target) left = mid + 1;
    else right = mid - 1;
  }
  
  return -1;
}

System Design

Framework

typescript
interface SystemDesign {
  requirements: {
    functional: string[];
    nonFunctional: string[];
  };
  estimation: {
    users: number;
    requests: number;
    data: number;
  };
  architecture: {
    components: string[];
    dataFlow: string;
  };
  tradeoffs: {
    pros: string[];
    cons: string[];
  };
}

Practice Problems

typescript
// Design URL shortener
// Design Twitter timeline
// Design chat system
// Design file storage
// Design recommendation engine

Behavioral Questions

STAR Method

typescript
// Situation
const situation = 'Describe the context';

// Task
const task = 'What was your responsibility?';

// Action
const action = 'What did you do?';

// Result
const result = 'What was the outcome?';

Common Questions

typescript
const behavioralQuestions = [
  'Tell me about yourself',
  'Why do you want to work here?',
  'Describe a challenging project',
  'Handle a disagreement with coworker',
  'Time you showed leadership'
];

Practice Routine

Daily Practice

typescript
const dailyPlan = {
  morning: '1 coding problem',
  afternoon: '1 system design',
  evening: 'Behavioral prep'
};

// Weekly goals
const weeklyGoals = [
  '7 LeetCode problems',
  '2 system designs',
  'Mock interview',
  'Review weak areas'
];

Resources

typescript
const resources = {
  coding: ['LeetCode', 'HackerRank', 'CodeSignal'],
  systemDesign: ['System Design Primer', 'Designing Data-Intensive Apps'],
  behavioral: ['Cracking the Coding Interview', 'Tech interviews']
};

Mock Interviews

Practice with Feedback

typescript
// Mock interview platforms
const platforms = [
  'Pramp',
  'Interviewing.io',
  'AlgoExpert'
];

// Get feedback
const feedback = [
  'Code clarity',
  'Communication',
  'Problem-solving approach',
  'Time management'
];

Day Before Interview

Final Prep

typescript
const lastMinute = [
  'Review key algorithms',
  'Practice whiteboard coding',
  'Research company',
  'Prepare questions',
  'Get good sleep'
];

Interview Day

Success Tips

typescript
const interviewDay = [
  'Arrive early',
  'Bring resume',
  'Ask clarifying questions',
  'Think out loud',
  'Test your code',
  'Show enthusiasm'
];

Conclusion

Consistent practice is key. Master data structures, algorithms, and system design. Practice mock interviews and prepare behavioral stories.

Ace your next interview!

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