How IT Freshers Should Prepare for Technical Interviews

For many IT freshers, preparing for a technical interview can be daunting because it is often their first experience in dealing with this type of interview. However, if you follow the correct approach to preparing for your technical interview, you will find the process to be much less stressful. The information presented here outlines how to effectively prepare for a technical interview in the IT industry. The goal is to demonstrate technical competency and the ability to understand and apply information technology principles, theories, and practices through a clear demonstration of confidence when responding to the interviewer. This guide will show you the best way to develop a positive attitude toward your new career in IT and practice skills necessary to effectively respond to questions asked during your technical interview. In addition to providing step-by-step guidance on developing the skills necessary to perform well in a technical interview.

Confirm That You Are Aware of What Freshmen Tech Interviews Evaluate

New hires misunderstand that assessments of programming ability only occur during technical interviews; this is somewhat correct. Companies want to assess how you digest/OOPs/DBMS, et,c and whether or not they have been committed to memory. Companies also evaluate your ability to generate solutions to problems by observing how you approach a problem and reduce it to a solvable form. Your project experience, error-handling experience, and tool usage (i.e. Git, VS Code, Postman, SQL) are also evaluated during a Technical Interview. Your communication skills are very important (this does not mean that the candidate must speak perfect English; it just means that the candidate needs to be able to communicate what they think and how they do things). Also of concern to Interviewers is how willing and eager you are to learn. If you have a portfolio with Project Experience, are willing to learn, and have a basic understanding of the Tools, you will stand out from other candidates. Be aware of these factors to better prepare for Technical Interviews than simply memorising everything.

 Get a Grip on the Core Technical Disciplines

If you want to ace your technical interview, you need to know the core technical disciplines that are usually asked by almost every tech company. These are the technical fundamentals of IT, and they determine if you are going to be a good candidate for the technical position. Below are the most important areas of knowledge in technical interviews:

 Basic Programming Knowledge: Basic programming concepts that a candidate must know if they would like to have this position include, but are not limited to: variables, loops, conditionals, functions/functionalities (for example, creating a function for each type of data), arrays/tables/lists, strings and exceptions/errors.

The candidate's success in the interview will not necessarily depend on his or her ability to demonstrate advanced programming skills, although at a minimum, the candidate will need to demonstrate an understanding of basic programming logic (for example, how to write code to create an application) and be able to complete and deliver simple programming tasks.

Master the Core Technical Subjects Every Fresher Must Know

For job interviews where Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is a key focus of the position, the interviewers will evaluate the candidates on their ability to define and explain specific important terms associated with OOP (e.g., Class, Object, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction, Encapsulation, Constructor, Overriding, Overloading, etc.) and demonstrate a robust and deep comprehension of all of these OOP concepts.

Job interviews with respect to Database Management Systems (DBMSs) will involve an assessment of the candidates' ability to write simple SQL commands (e.g., SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY) and a basic understanding of SQL Queries, (i.e., basics of the database), and the definitions of Primary Key, Foreign Key, and Normalization.

Low-Level Data Structures/Algorithms Testing: In addition to all of the above skills, low-level data structure testing requires advanced data manipulation and knowledge of common low-level data structures (e.g., stacks, linked lists, trees, etc.) and basic algorithm design.

Computer Networking Fundamentals

Computer Networking is another critical area of knowledge for a technical candidate. 

Create Robust Projects, Develop Your Coding Skills, and Utilise Tools Like a Pro

 Your technical interview will be much easier if you have at least two or three quality projects because they serve as your "experience substitute."  Recruiters inquire:

•  What issue was resolved by your project?
•  Which technologies did you employ?
•  What difficulties did you encounter?
•  How did you correct mistakes?

 Genuine responses demonstrate maturity and self-assurance.  Start with easy tasks such as:

To build up your portfolio, create projects of the following types:

# Entry-level projects to establish your coding ability: To-Do Application, Login System, Portfolio Website, CRUD Application

# Intermediate-level Projects: E-commerce Mini-Site, API-Based Project, ML Prediction Model, Dashboard Project (Tableau or Power BI)

In addition to this, forthe  enhancement of coding skills, Freshers shouldn't try to solve 500 problems but should focus on learning to resolve the basics of logic like Palindrome, Factorial, Pattern Recognition, Array Operations, String Operations, and simple algorithms.

Industry Tools you should be familiar with:

• # Visual Studio Code (Coding)
• # GitHub (Upload Your Projects)
• # Postman (API Testing)
• # MySQL/PostgreSQL (Databases)
• # Selenium (Testers)
• # Basic Cloud Tools (optional)

By using these tools, you will develop practical experience and will also be able to respond to practical interview questions based on your practical experience with these tools.

Create Astute Interview Techniques: Communication, HR Skills, and Mock Interviews

 Start by conducting practice interviews. You can record yourself responding to standard questions or ask a friend or trainer.  This eliminates speaking anxiety and boosts confidence.  Practice using plain language to explain ideas.  For instance, Businesses value clarity over definitions found in textbooks.

What new knowledge did you acquire? Simply be confident, organised, and clear in your communication; flawless English is not necessary.

Another wise piece of advice is to always respond in steps.

Companies assess 4 aspects of candidates during the interview: MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions), coding ability, SQL ability & actual scenarios in their field.

Here are Tips for Preparing for Each Aspect:

Practice: 

Multiple Choice Questions - (Aptitude & Technical). 

- Basics of DBMS

- Basics of Network

- Basics of Operating Systems

- Simple aptitude (Numbers, Patterns, and Logical reasoning)

Practice: 

Simple Coding Questions & Their Logical Completion:

- Reverse a String,

- Identify Duplicates, 

- Count Vowels,

- Print Patterns,

- Fibonacci Series, 

- Palindrome,

- Sortation Procedure.

Companies want to see your logic, NOT advanced coding skills.

Practice:

SQL Queries/Statements:

- SELECT Statements

- JOIN

- GROUP BY 

- WHERE & AND/OR

- LIMIT

- Basic Subqueries

Companies are going to ask SQL questions during every interview process! This includes testing, analyst, and developer roles.

Practice:

Scenario Questions

Example: 

- "If your code does not work, how are you going to debug it?"

- Each of these questions will test your ability to solve problems through the use of your previous experiences in hands-on work you have done on real-world projects to provide answers to create an effective technical interview experience, and also the methods you will utilise to prepare for the technical interview. 

Conclusion

In summary, a successful technical interview can be achieved through the use of appropriate preparation before you begin.

Being prepared for a technical interview helps you to build upon the skills you already possess to identify and utilise the job market (e.g. job posting, requirements, what employers want) in addition to having the knowledge necessary (e.g. where to find jobs on the web, how to prepare for and do the interviews and effective communication). 

The hires an employer makes for his/her organisation need to display an ability to take initiative, continue to learn and develop, as well as solve basic problems. A successful technical interview can be completed through proper preparation.