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Software engineer interview tips, hiring and careers
What I learned from 100+ technical interviews, written down so you can use it. No fluff, no listicles.
Articles
AI Coding Interview: Who Allows AI, and How to Prepare
Meta runs a coding round with an AI assistant. Amazon tells candidates not to use one. Ask before the round, then prepare for either.
How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in 90 Seconds
The first question of most interviews. A 3-part, 90-second answer, and the 4 ways candidates lose the room in the first minute.
Questions to Ask the Interviewer, by Round
Ten questions, matched to the person asking. Each one shows how the work runs, and which team you would join.
The STAR Method for Software Engineers, Fixed
STAR gets a story out in 2 minutes. It leaves out the 4 things an engineering panel actually scores.
47 Behavioral Interview Questions and What They Test
The full list, grouped by the 7 things a panel is actually measuring. Prepare the 7 and you have prepared all 47.
The Behavioral Interview Answer That Survives the Follow-Ups
STAR gets you through the first answer. The follow-ups decide the round, and most people have not prepared for them.
Read The Behavioral Interview Answer That Survives the Follow-Ups
The Promotion Packet Nobody Taught You to Write
Your packet is read in a room you are not in, by people who have never seen your work. Here is the structure that survives that.
The Engineering Manager Interview Loop, From the Other Side
The EM loop rejects people with feedback about "scope" that nobody defines. Here is what each round actually scores.
Read The Engineering Manager Interview Loop, From the Other Side
From Senior to Staff Engineer: The Path Nobody Writes Down
Staff is a different job with a different unit of output, and that is why good engineers stall at senior for years.
Read From Senior to Staff Engineer: The Path Nobody Writes Down
How a Hiring Committee Decides Your Offer
The group that decides your offer never met you. What the hiring committee reads, how it votes, and why borderline packets fail.
Phone Interview Questions for Software Engineers
Two calls stand between you and the onsite. What the recruiter asks, what the engineer asks, and what gets people cut at this stage.
Job Offer Negotiation: What Is Negotiable Beyond Base Salary
Base is the hardest line to move and the one everyone fixates on. 14 things that are easier to get and often worth more.
Read Job Offer Negotiation: What Is Negotiable Beyond Base Salary
Salary Negotiation for Software Engineers
What is actually negotiable, what to say when they ask your number first, and why the recruiter is not your opponent.
The Manager 1 on 1 That Is Worth Having
Most 1:1s are status updates with a nicer name. Here is the structure that surfaces problems while they are still cheap.
Your First 90 Days as a New Engineering Manager
Nobody hands new managers the job description. Here is what the first 90 days actually contain, and the mistake almost everyone makes.
11 Resume Mistakes That Get Software Engineers Screened Out
Real lines from real engineering resumes, why each one fails a 20-second read, and the rewrite that fixes it.
Read 11 Resume Mistakes That Get Software Engineers Screened Out
The Software Engineer Resume That Passes ATS and Humans
A hiring manager gives your resume about 20 seconds. The parser gives it none. Here is the structure that survives both.
Read The Software Engineer Resume That Passes ATS and Humans
6 Questions That Pin Down System Design Requirements
The first 8 minutes decide the rest of the round. 6 questions that turn a vague prompt into a problem with numbers.
The System Design Interview Playbook
A procedure you can run on any system design question, minute by minute, and why senior candidates lose this round more than any other.
What Interviewers Actually Write on the Scorecard
The written notes decide the round. Here are the lines interviewers actually write, and how to give them something better to record.
The FAANG Interview Process: A Complete Guide to Tech Interviews
The recruiter screen, the phone round, the onsite, the debrief, the offer. What each stage measures, who decides, and where candidates lose.
Read The FAANG Interview Process: A Complete Guide to Tech Interviews
Software Engineer Job Search: The Hidden Market Is Referrals
Applying through the portal puts you in a pile of 1,000. Here is what actually moves a CV to the top.
Read Software Engineer Job Search: The Hidden Market Is Referrals
Software Engineering Mentorship: What a Mentor Can and Cannot Do
Mentorship is oversold and often misused. Here is what it actually changes, from someone who has run 100+ technical interviews.
Read Software Engineering Mentorship: What a Mentor Can and Cannot Do
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