Hey, I’m Ilyas 👋
I’m a web developer, and this is a story about failing interviews for 18 months — and what finally changed.
If you’re a junior, mid-level, or self-taught dev who keeps getting rejected, this might help.
The 18-Month Loop
For a year and a half, my life looked like this:
Apply → wait → reject
Apply → interview → reject
Repeat
Stats:
1,000+ applications
~20–30 interviews
Mostly failures
It was exhausting. I was putting in serious effort, but results were close to zero.
What made it worse:
In 2021, I landed a remote US job in 3 weeks with almost no experience.
So why was I stuck now?
real screenshot from one my unsuccessful interviews from Turing.com
What I Was Failing At (Hint: Not Algorithms)
After dozens of interviews, I noticed a pattern.
I wasn’t failing hard problems.
I was failing basic questions:
“What are React portals?”
“Explain GET in HTTP”
I knew these things — but under pressure, my mind went blank.
That’s when I realized:
My problem wasn’t understanding. It was recall.
The Shift: From Studying More → Remembering Better
I didn’t need more tutorials.
I needed a way to remember basics instantly.
That’s how I found flashcards + active recall.
Instead of rereading docs, I tested myself:
small concepts
repeated often
until recall became automatic
This method has been around for over 100 years for a reason — it works.
My Interview Prep System
1️⃣ Ask Recruiters What to Study
Instead of guessing, I asked directly:
“What topics should I prepare for the technical interview?”
Many recruiters replied with clear lists:
- React fundamentals
- JavaScript basics
- HTTP
- Browser behavior
This saved me a lot of time.
2️⃣ Flashcards + AI (Carefully)
I used ChatGPT to generate 20–30 flashcards per topic.
Process:
- question first
- answer from memory
- then reveal
One caveat: AI can be wrong sometimes.
To fix that, I grounded prompts with links to official docs.
That's why later I built this tool 99cards.dev to address this AI problem.
Short sessions. Every day. High focus.
What Changed in Interviews
After a few weeks:
- I stopped panicking
- Answers came naturally
- I explained concepts clearly (not memorized)
In my final process:
- Passed 4 rounds
- Scored 95% on the technical test
- Got an offer: $5,500/month + paid relocation
For the first time in a long while, effort matched outcome.
The Second Breakthrough: Where I Found Jobs
About 6 weeks before the offer, I changed how I searched.
I moved away from:
- Arc.dev
- big job platforms
And focused on Telegram job groups.
Why Telegram?
1. Less competition
Smaller companies, fewer applicants.
2. Direct communication
Before applying, I’d DM recruiters:
I saw this role. Here’s my CV + LinkedIn. Am I a good fit?
- If yes → apply.
- If no → move on
This saved hours every week.
A Small Tool I Built Along the Way
While preparing, I ended up with thousands of flashcards.
I eventually turned them into a small tool: 99cards.dev — basically the same system I used, just organized by topic and some cool blows and whistles.
Nothing fancy. Just practical.
Lessons I Wish I Knew Earlier
- Failing interviews ≠ being bad at coding
- Passive learning doesn’t prepare you for interviews
- Recall > cramming
- Job search is a skill
- Fewer, better applications beat mass applying
If You’re Still Struggling
You’re not broken.
You’re probably just preparing the wrong way.
I also put together a free interview checklist based on my experience. You can download it right now if you wish.
8 interview checklists:
- HR
- Technical
- Behavioral
- Live coding
- System design
- Algorithms
- Take-home tasks
- Cultural fit
I hope this saves you some time and stress.
You’re closer than you think.
— Ilyas
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