Interviewing as a recent grad can be tough!

It was the first week of September 2019, and I had already waited over a month for my final master's thesis results, combined with my overall semester grade, in order to find out what “my future” held post-academia. Compared to China, where I studied for my bachelor's degree for four years each year in late June, the streets and student dorms would be buzzing with joy, laughter, or a combination of both, sometimes accompanied by tears of relief that they had successfully cleared their final exams and were about to enter the next phase of their lives. New graduates dawned in graduation gowns on their way to diploma ceremonies with gifts and flowers in hand as they took pictures with classmates, some of whom have become great friends.

Graduation ceremonies are not common in Germany, and it did not matter to me much that I wouldn’t have a picture in a graduation gown holding my successfully completed Master of Computer Science degree. Although it would have been nice, however, the reality of applying this academic knowledge I had acquired began to fade any others that weren’t in the same category of thought. Job hunting for a full-time role was no longer a distant concept, instead, it was just one job application away.

I was happy and relieved to have received a passing grade for my thesis and an overall grade. One of the only signs that I had completed my master's program was the diploma certificate which I stared at for so long after opening the envelope that contained it, that if the light which is reflected from the diploma (object) and onto my eyes in order to see it had been any hotter than normal, my iris would have melted. I stared at that piece of paper for so long as though I was expecting the words imprinted on it to transform from “Master of Science in Computer Science” to "...now that you have completed your degree these are the exact steps you need to take to get the job of your dreams." -- No, I had not read any of the Harry Potter books yet.

Soon after I received my graduation documents, I began interviewing. It became clear to me after a few interviews that most people generally begin their career search a few months if not more before they graduate. The experience also provided me with a better understanding of which career path and industry I would most likely succeed in and would enjoy gaining experience in.

My interviews between the end of 2019 and the end of 2020 focused mostly on the tech industry (primarily companies in Berlin and Munich). These included interviews for junior developer and researcher positions. From the first 15-20 initial interviews I attended, at least half progressed to the second phase, which involved take-home coding assignments or live coding challenges.

The most nerve-racking interviews for me were the live coding ones because you are expected to code in an environment that simulates pair programming, but you are both members of the pair... and then there's the interviewer. Regardless of how many times I told my nerves to take a vacation somewhere far away from where I was taking an interview, they never seemed to get the message.

The majority of take-home coding challenges I received resulted in a second interview. Companies generally do this if the challenge is deemed to have been completed to the level required for the job being applied for by the code reviewer. My preparation and understanding of the topics for the job role were sufficient to maintain a smooth conversation while conveying my current skills and qualifications for the position. In spite of all this, I was not always able to find the “best” response for some technical questions. My experiences in technical interviews often left me wondering if I had interviewed too soon and whether I should have spent an additional month consuming How to Crack the Coding Interview 👀. However, without such experiences, I wouldn't have had first-hand experience of what level of knowledge was required for the roles for which I applied.

Early on, I decided to treat every job application and interview as a learning experience. During my interviews with many different companies, I learned what technologies are in demand today, and what types of industries and products exist. And on top of all of that, I got the opportunity to talk to some really talented people. So yes, technical interviews can indeed be challenging or easy depending on your technical background and experience right out of university, especially if you did not acquire some industry experience between your bachelor's and master's degrees (or as a part-time werkstudent*innen).

It has been my experience that each of us has unique experiences (you don't always have to have a specific educational background or skill to get an interview), and we each have something unique to offer. In spite of the fact that you have been unsuccessful in a couple of interviews, even with the company where you have always dreamed of working, keep persisting, because the role you would be hired for may not yet have been created or may have already been created, but you just need to be persistent in applying. In the end, you will succeed.

I joined a developer community in order to gain experience by working with other developers who were just starting out or already well along their developer path. As one learns the skill of software development, whether it is backend development, frontend development, or product design, these communities offer opportunities to gain knowledge that would be invaluable in the workplace. The environment is supportive, and you work together on challenging projects that challenge both your hard and soft skills.

I joined the Chingu developer community in February 2022, and the moment I realized (after just a few days of being a part of the community) what a treasure developer communities like Chingu are, I asked myself, "Why on earth did I not discover them as early as my first-year studying Computer Science, or at least two years ago when I started to learn to program?!!”. The knowledge gained in this community through pair programming activities and live technical discussions, just to mention a few is pure gold.

Explore career paths you are interested in as early as your first semester. Participate in conferences, on or off-campus events, or webinars organized by companies with values and products that appeal to you. Last but not least, ensure a continuous learning mindset throughout your career path as a developer, engineer, or scientist... learning never ends. #LifeLongLearner

Takeway (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑): Whether an interview leads to an offer or not just yet, they are a great way to learn about new products and the companies that advocate and build them. Choose to learn from each one.

Thank you for reading. Happy coding!