No preparation

This is a fatal mistake interviewee make. Especially when they pass the screening stage, some may assume they are ‘good enough’ and can wing the final technical stage or whatever stage they are on. 

Prepare as much as you can!

Arrogance

This is basically being a jerk or rude especially when an interviewer corrects you. The interviewer may be wrong, they are human after all, but you should point it out in a polite and courteous manner. Don’t make it sound like you know better or they don’t know anything. This is not taken lightly and even though you may ace the technical interview, you will be flagged as rude, disrespectful and arrogant and no one wants to bring that type of person into the company. 

Be nice!

Coding Silently

Like I mentioned in part (1) some technical interviews involve whiteboard challenges. Where the interviewee codes the solution of the given problem on a whiteboard while the interviewers watch. Here you are expected to explain what you are doing as you do it otherwise it beats the point of this type of interview. The interviewers need to understand your thinking process and being quiet doesn’t help. 

Panicking

This happens all the time, but it’s advisable to keep it in control because panicking may lead to forgetting and disorientation hence more panic and then it’s just downhill from that point. The worst that could happen is not get the job and that’s an outcome every interviewee needs to understand. But you did make it this far and not getting the job does not mean you can never apply for others again. 

When you don’t get the question right the first time, take a deep breath, and slow your thinking then look at it again. As I said, you made it this far so you’re a likely candidate for the position. No need to feel like you are failing just because you didn’t get it right. Also, your interviewers are watching how you’d handle high-pressure situations because companies face them all the time and they need to have teams of people who can handle them gracefully and appropriately. 

Breath, you got this!

Not knowing about the company

It’s good for your interviewers to know they are hiring someone passionate about the company’s mission and values. Not showing enthusiasm during your interview shows that you may not be a good culture fit for the company. Culture fit is whether you are a good fit for the company, whether you can work well with others. In many cases, you may have a lot to offer technically but you don’t seem passionate, this is a reason the hiring team will choose not to hire you and go for the less qualified person with more passion for the company’s product and mission. 

Don’t fake it though!

All the best:) and thus comes the end of my 3 part series on tech interviews.

Related:

Part 1 : Types and stages of tech interviews

Part 2 : How to prepare for tech interviews