Most of us have been there. That technical interview we prepped for, and even got super excited for, didn’t go as well as we hoped. I’ve been in this position more times than I would even like to admit.
I failed the first technical interview I had during my senior year of college. At the time, it was the most embarrassing moment for me. It was a wake up call that I had to do much more than just regurgitate some information I read in a textbook or looked up on Stack Overflow. I had to really understand the programming concepts.
Since then, I’ve bombed plenty of other interviews. The good news, however, is that it was never the end of the world. Even better news is that I’ve always learned something to help me do better the next go round.
It’s normal to feel discouraged during times like these, so here are 5 tips for getting over failed interview blues:
Don’t sulk in your feelings. It’s easy and completely normal to be down about not doing so well at the interview. But, don’t linger too long in feelings of defeat. Show yourself some grace by acknowledging your feelings and then move on. If it helps, give yourself a time limit to ponder the experience. After the time limit is up, dust yourself off, and do something you enjoy to get your mind off things.
Identify areas of improvement. After you’ve given yourself some time to reflect, sit down and ask yourself what you could have done differently. Was there a common coding question that you missed? Did the white-boarding session trip you up? Were there specific programming topics mentioned that took you by surprise? Take some time to assess where you could have done better and then work to improve that.
Continue practicing. Once you’ve identified areas of improvement, it’s time to put in the work to get better. Google any problem that you missed and study the solutions. There are numerous ways to solve many of the coding problems you come across, so try your hand at as many solutions as you can. Next, review any of the concepts that tripped you up and make sure you have a thorough, high-level understanding of them. If your brain drew a blank when asked about scope in JavaScript, then make extra effort to study the concept. Find as many resources that explain the topic and study, study, study! Finally, practice explaining your answer. Understanding what led you to a solution is just important as the solution itself. I’ve gotten answers to coding questions right, but then totally flopped at explaining how I got there. So make sure you can effectively articulate your steps.
Thank the interviewer. Don’t forget to reach out to the interviewer to thank them for the opportunity. Even though this round didn’t go so well, you’d still do well to leave the door open for future opportunities. This may even be a good time to ask for feedback. Spoiler alert: Don’t be surprised if you don’t get a response. It’s actually quite common to not get feedback even when you ask for it, but on the off chance that you do, you might find it to be very useful.
Keep going! After multiple failed interviews, it can be really hard to muster up the confidence to keep going. So, it’s important to always look for the silver lining in the situation. Some of the most important lessons I learned went way beyond coding. They were lessons on how to take failures in stride. With every interview I’ve done, I’ve learned something new and gained interview experience. This has empowered me to continue learning and seeking new opportunities. So let each failure motivate you to continue pursuing your tech career goals.
Like this post? Tell me what you think! Drop some tips you have for overcoming failed interview blues in the comments.