Hiring interns often comes with a common assumption: they are still learning, so expectations should be low. While that is partially true, what I learned while interviewing backend interns at Vyska Technologies Pvt. Ltd. reshaped how I think about preparation, fundamentals, and what “potential” actually looks like in engineering.
The interviews themselves were straightforward. Backend system roles. Entry-level expectations. No trick questions. No excessive theory. Just conversations around how systems work, how developers think, and how problems are approached.
Yet the outcomes varied drastically.
Some interviews were genuinely impressive. Not because the candidates knew everything—but because they understood enough of the fundamentals to reason through unfamiliar questions. They could explain how authentication works at a high level. They knew why passwords should never be stored in plain text. When they didn’t know something, they admitted it clearly and tried to think through it logically.
These interviews felt less like evaluations and more like early-stage engineering discussions. You could see curiosity at work. You could see learning happening in real time.
And then there were the other interviews.
A noticeable number of candidates appeared underprepared in ways that went beyond gaps in experience. Some had backend technologies listed on their resumes but struggled with the most basic concepts of authentication. A few did not know that hashing is a one-way process. Others could not articulate the difference between authentication and authorization, despite applying for backend system roles.
To be clear, this is not about memorizing definitions or expecting production-level expertise from interns. This is about fundamentals.
If you are applying for a backend role, understanding how user credentials are handled, why security matters, and how trust is established in a system is not optional knowledge. These are the building blocks of real-world engineering. Without them, everything else—frameworks, libraries, tools—rests on shaky ground.
What stood out most was not the lack of answers, but the lack of preparation. In many cases, it was evident that the interview was treated as a formality rather than an opportunity. In a time where documentation, tutorials, and examples are freely available, being unfamiliar with core concepts is often not a resource problem—it is a mindset problem.
On the other hand, the strongest candidates did not try to impress. They focused on clarity. They explained concepts in simple terms. They asked questions when something was unclear. They showed that they had taken the time to understand why systems work the way they do, not just how to use a framework.
That distinction matters far more than most people realize.
From an employer’s perspective, interviews are not about filtering out people who do not know enough. They are about identifying individuals who can grow into responsibility. Technical depth can be built. Curiosity, honesty, and preparation are much harder to teach.
This experience reinforced a belief I now strongly stand by:
We do not expect interns to know everything. We expect them to respect the fundamentals and take learning seriously.
For students and early-career developers, the takeaway is simple. Focus less on collecting tools and more on understanding systems. Build small things. Break them. Learn why they fail. Walk into interviews prepared to think, not perform.
And for those on the hiring side, these interviews are reminders of our role beyond selection. Every conversation is an opportunity to reset expectations and guide the next generation of engineers toward what truly matters.
Real-world engineering is not about how many technologies you can list.
It is about how well you understand the foundations everything else is built on.
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