How to nail the technical interview for your remote job
đŹ Preface
Since joining Toggl as a mobile software engineer, Iâve helped the company hire 10+ engineers from a growing pool of candidates. The team is 100% remote, which means our hiring pool is, well, the whole planet. This also means that all of our communication takes place over the internet. Our hiring interviews are no different. The popularity of remote work means itâs crucial to nail the interview.
During my time at Toggl, Iâve sat through countless interviews, both good and bad. I can offer you some practical tips on how to prepare and make sure that you blow your interviewer away!
đ¨đ˝âđť Make sure your software wonât stab you in the back
Since thereâs already a lot of physical and digital distance between you and the interviewer (video latency, possible language barriers and the fact that youâre not in the same room to read body language), you need to make sure that nothing else gets in the way during the interview times.
Two hours before the interview, make sure to restart your computer, as this fixes 99% of the tech industryâs problems, check for OS updates (weâre looking at you, Windows đ) and test your camera and headset in the platform that youâll use for the video call.
While most interviewers probably expect some minor disturbances, these problems might make you even more nervous which can significantly affect your ability to function during the interview.
đť Do a recap of your developer environment
It doesnât matter how senior you are: writing a Hello World from scratch, in the environment and technology youâll use for the test, will make you more productive when doing this in front of the interviewer â a bit like when you rehearse before doing public speaking.
This will also ensure that you donât waste your time fighting environment errors, which can be perceived negatively. I know computers are hard and sometimes they act up, but the last thing you need during an interview is to fix configuration problems instead of showing your skills!
đŻ Donât see the interviewer as your enemy
A common misconception during interviews is the assumption that the interviewer is trying to trick you. If that were the case, why would the company be hiring in the first place? The interviewer is another human being, like yourself, and theyâre looking for the best people to fill the position.
The very fact that you were invited to the interview should already mean something. Maybe you have a kick-ass resume or you nailed some kind of online test; it doesnât matter! Remember you are being interviewed for a reason and donât let that imposter syndrome kick in.
đ¤ Not knowing things is not a problem
When you join a remote team you need to learn how to trust people. This means you should never be afraid of saying: I donât know. I canât stress this enough. If a person says they donât know the answer to a question, thatâs completely fine. If they make things up just to pretend they know the answer, that alone tells me not to trust that person and is a huge deal breaker.
This also extends to using a new, hype framework/architecture versus working with what you know. If youâre given the freedom to choose, show what you already know then mention your knowledge of the other method. This will let the interviewer know that youâre not oblivious about technology without making you look like a liar.
đ Communicate, communicate and then communicate some more!
Another indispensable pillar of remote work is communication. It doesnât matter how good of a developer you are; if youâre unable to communicate, youâre not a good fit for a remote team.
Before you even consider writing your first line of code, make sure you correctly understand the interviewerâs requirements and expectations. Remember: theyâre not your enemy!
Do they want you to complete in time regardless of code quality? Or maybe they want you to show how youâd build a real-world application. Is performance more important than code readability or the other way around? Knowing what interviewer expects is key to impressing them, so make sure you get it right!
During the interview, explain what youâre doing as youâre doing it. This will show that youâre able to communicate and helps the interviewer understand your thought process. If youâre doing something in a less than optimal way and plan to refactor later, let that be known (as long as you have the time)! Donât be shy. Remember, the interview is the only way to show that youâre a good fit!
đ´ Understand that remote work is still work
Please, donât mention things like: âI just wanna work from a beach in Baliâ or âI need this job because I wanna focus less on workâ. To be clear, itâs okay to have those aspirations! Work-life balance is important. If working from home can help you with that, you should look for a remote job! However, you have to remember that remote work is still work, and itâs still a job interview.
The interviewer wants to know how you can contribute to the team and the company. If you only focus on the remote part and forget the work part, itâll sound like you only want to relax and not get anything done.
Instead of focusing on the benefits of remote work, mention any prior experience you have working from home. Show the interviewer that youâre self-motivating, organized, and not easily distracted. This will get you a lot closer to your goal than saying you want to be in one of those stock photos of people drinking margaritas on a beach!
đ Wrapping up
These are the tips that helped me hiring new people and getting myself hired. If you feel like something in this article is wrong (or if you have something to add) feel free to contact me!