In one of my recent interviews as a Senior Software Engineer, I realized that no matter how experienced you are, it's essential to understand what interviewers are looking to hear.
Before the interview, I did my research and discovered that they were interested not only in technical skills but also in problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and effective communication.
My train of thought coming to my next interview was that the human brain is a remarkable organ, often likened to a vast library filled with books of words, each representing a key to an entire world of knowledge. It possesses an incredible capacity to correlate words and concepts, allowing us to access these worlds of information effortlessly.
A single word can act as a gateway to a complex web of interconnected ideas.
In the high-stakes world of interviews, where time is limited, and attention is at a premium, the choice of words can make all the difference.
Interviews are intriguing scenarios where:
- time and focus are in short supply
- Your knowledge and expertise are crucial
- but the challenge lies in selecting the right words.
These words serve as bridges, linking your responses to the interviewer's own experiences and understanding.
When this connection occurs, it's like forging a meaningful connection in a limited timeframe, greatly boosting your success rate in interviews
In this context, think of your words as keys to unlock a shared understanding. Let's say you're discussing a complex data migration project. Instead of diving into the intricate technical details, try to use some of the words i wrote down in the following list (or create your own...)
- project success metric - daily active something… etc
- immutable / mutable
- “relational” / nosql
- consistency
- “blob database” - s3
- volume / scale - talk about data storage volume, data access volume
- “linear scale”
- partitioning
- index
- sorting
- pagination
- websocket when needed (streaming, pushes)
- cdn, edge
- bottleneck
- load balancing + lb metrics
- io / cpu
- data replication, avilablability, downtime
- storage data tiers - according to lifetime etc
- event bus
- “ACID requirements”
and overall good terms to put in your explanations:
good terms to. use
“good question”
“lookout for”
“tradeoffs”
“Horizontally scaled”
“offloading”
I know that for non-native english speaker using these terms is not natural.
How to come up with your own list?
Creating your own list is a simple process. Begin by delving into YouTube videos within your niche of expertise. Pay close attention to words and phrases that instantly resonate with you, clarifying complex explanations. These are the very terms you'll want to weave into your interview responses.
For me, these type of Videos were perfect - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6UZ7pVD-rQ&ab_channel=IGotAnOffer%3AEngineering
Some final words -
I believe the secret sauce of Great interviews is making sure your explanations "click" with the interviewer. It's not just about what you say, but how you say it. By choosing words that resonate with their experience, you're not only showcasing your expertise but also building a connection. So, when your words "click," your interview rocks!
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