Sunday, March 17, 2024

How To Prepare For Faang Interviews

Don't Miss

Get Proficient With Required Tech Skills

Study plan to crack FAANG job interviews | MAANG interview preparation guide

This is indeed the most crucial phase of interview preparation youre required to get a stronghold over all the required tech skills or subjects for the FAANG Interviews.

a) Programming Language: Firstly, what you are required to do is make yourself familiar with the programming concepts. Companies often ask various interview questions based on the programming languages, especially the basic or core concepts. You can pick out any of the standard and relevant programming languages like Java, Python, C++, etc. as per your preference or domain requirements and get your programming fundamentals thoroughly cleared with it.

b) Data Structures & Algorithms: Having proficiency with DSA skills is a must to crack FAANG interviews. Not only FAANG companies but almost every big tech company focuses on candidates Data Structure & Algorithms skills during the interviews. From basic Data Structures like Arrays, Strings, Stack, etc. to advanced ones like Tree, Graph, etc. to Analysis of Algorithms, Searching / Sorting, Dynamic Programming, etc. you need to cover everything comprehensively.

c) Core CS Subjects: You need to know that youre often asked numerous questions based on the core CS Subjects like Operating Systems, Computer Networks, and Database Management Systems during the tech interviews. Hence, you must prepare yourself well with these subjects and understand all the important concepts clearly to do well in your upcoming FAANG interview.

1 Master The Coding Interview: Faang Interviews Zero To Mastery

Zero to Mastery is a platform by the well-known instructor Andrei Neagoie. A former senior software engineer, hes worked everywhere from Silicon Valley to Toronto.

The Zero to Mastery platform is video-based. So that means youll watch a series of videos and work on all programming outside of the browser.

Now lets take a closer look at Master the Coding Interview: FAANG Interviews.

Get Used To Writing Readable Code

The pressure of getting something done quickly will tempt you to take shortcuts. Dont do that.

Use good variable names and split chunks into functions. Write idiomatic code. If needed, add a comment or two. It will help you, and it will help the interviewer evaluate you.

Splitting the code has another benefit you can tackle things in order of importance. Most interviewers wont care if you leave boilerplate functions unimplemented. Ive had interviewers that completed some of my methods while I was writing the core part.

You wont have linters or formatters to help produce readable output. Its on you to get this ingrained as a habit. Doing it naturally means you wont have to focus on it, which leaves space to focus on other meatier parts of the interview.

Recommended Reading: System Design Interview Url Shortener

Today We Showed You The Best Faang Interview Books

But 3 stood out among the rest:

Best Overall

So regardless of your needs, we think these are the best FAANG interview prep books of all time.

FAANG interview preppers are also reading:

  • Is The Algorithm Design Manual a good book?

    The Algorithm Design Manual is one of the best FAANG interview books on the market. Author Steven Skiena uses relatable stories to accompany and reinforce concepts. The book is separated into two sections. First, youll learn about methods for designing and analyzing algorithms. Then, youll learn about algorithmic resources and implementations. The Algorithm Design Manual is heavy with color illustrations. There are over 100 new algorithm problems. In addition, there are up-to-date links to learn about the best implementations in C, C++ and Java. Keep in mind that this is a 700+ page textbook. So its best for students that learn best in an academic setting. To learn more about the Algorithm Design Manual and other FAANG interview books, be sure to tune into todays post.

  • Also Check: How To Prepare For A Project Manager Interview

    Phase : Learn The Realities And Competitive Landscape

    FAANG  The 5 Roadblocks Keeping You from Landing Your Dream Job Offer ...

    If I wanted to tackle Big Tech, from another country, with less than a year of industry experience, and 15+ years in an unrelated career, with no Computer Science degree, I needed to have a very clear view of the realities, especially the competitive landscape.

    This means there was room for informed hope, but no room for dreamy-eyed, pie-in-the-sky magical and wishful thinking.

    Hard truths . Hard realities. Hard work.

    I had to fully internalize and appreciate the following:

    Don’t Miss: How To Create A Professional Portfolio For An Interview

    Grokking The Coding Interview Is One Of The Best Courses For Faang Interview Prep For Learning Coding Patterns

    When our team sat together to brainstorm on ideas to make the interview process easier for candidates, we realized quickly that one skill helped us the most when we were preparing for coding interviews: the ability to map a new problem to an already known problem.

    Design Gurus, one creator of Grokking the Coding Interview

    A Faang Preparation Plan

    Its critical to develop a FAANG preparation plan. This way, when you are called in for an interview , you are ready. HR will not go easy on you.

    Knowing how to hack the interview process can help you to get the job of a lifetime. When you look at how long to prepare for FAANG interview, it should be several months. Its well worth it in the end.

    Steve Jobs once said, The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.

    Also Check: Java Programs Asked In Interview For Automation Tester

    How To Prepare For A Faang Job Interview

    Are you planning to pursue a job in one of the FAANG companies? Do you know someone who is planning to pursue a job in the tech industry? Yes? Then, this article is for you!

    To give some context, FAANG is an acronym that refers to five American tech giants: Facebook Inc, Amazon, Apple Inc, Netflix, and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. Tech companies are undoubtedly one of the most valuable entities in the world. Why is that? Well, there are a couple of reasons. In almost every aspect of our lives, technology plays a massive role, from the tools we use to study, work, play, shop, and interact with one another. Even organizations rely on technology to operate and market their products and services.

    From a financial standpoint, investors are increasingly investing in FAANG. These tech titans have emerged as the biggest stocks on the Nasdaq. Amidst one of the most difficult economic downturns with the pandemic and antitrust investigations, the combined revenue of these tech titans grew by a fifth to $1.1 trillion. Clearly, tech companies made huge profits, with a combined market cap of approximately $8 trillion.

    So, if you are considering a career in the tech industry, then this article will get you prepped to the T for some common and unique questions that Big Tech firms might ask.

    Write Down Answers To Commonly Asked Behavioral Questions

    He cracked MAANG interviews in 10 companies including Amazon, Facebook, UBER, Microsoft

    Unlike coding and system design interviews, you wonât have to write or draw solutions and answers. However, writing responses is a good way to organize and structure your thoughts.

    The STAR method cannot be used for all types of behavioral questions identifying relevant events and explaining them on the spot is hard to do. Noting down key points to be covered can keep answers relevant and prevent you from rambling.

    In the next section, weâll be covering some behavioral interview questions and how to answer them use these to practice answers and prepare yourself for the interview.

    Recommended Reading: What To Say In An Interview

    Technical Interview Panel At Faang

    The technical interview panel varies with the size of the company. Here are the most common mix of people in the interview panel for FAANG and larger tech companies and startups and smaller ones.

    FAANG and Large Companies:

    Technical interviews at larger firms typically include a panel of HR staff, a recruiter, and a member of the engineering team. The interviewers in these companies want to cover a lot of ground in a limited time, so they usually have a formal list of questions, some of which may be tricky. Make sure youâre prepared and open to face all kinds of questions that come your way and handle them with a calm, relaxed, and confident demeanor.

    Startups:

    In startup land, itâs highly likely that a firm does not have a fully functional human resource unit. Therefore, the interviewing panel will include member of the engineering team, CTO, and/or a senior developer.

    While this applies to both kinds of companies, in startup interviews especially, you have the liberty to steer the conversation instead of passively answering the questions as the interview processes are often less rigid.

    Related read:FAANG vs. Startups: Which Is Better for Software Engineers?

    Ask What You Should Know

    If, when you land the interview, the company doesnt give you details on what youre expected to know for the position, its perfectly OK to ask them and it will make your prep more focused.

    You should ask what you are going to be doing, Matathias said What are you going to be using, for example, for your design interview?

    Read Also: Software Engineering Manager Technical Interview Questions

    Examples For Meta Analysis Questions:

    • You launched a new feature that determines whether a recipient read a Facebook message. What metrics would you collect? How would you know the feature was a success?
    • You are PM of FB Events, and you saw an overnight drop in RSVPs by 10%. How would you go about determining what happened?
    • What are the success metrics for Facebook Live at the growth phase?

    Q4 Tell Us About A Time When You Were In A Leadership Role What Was It About And What Were The Results

    14 Best FAANG Interview Books in 2021 [Get a FAANG Job]

    This question is relevant for those applying for senior-level positions. As is made clear from the question, it is included in behavioral interviews to understand how you will do in a leadership role and if you have what it takes to be in one.

    As you prepare to answer this behavioral interview question, remember that:

    • Your leadership skills are tested with such questions, so you must approach the answer with the necessary mindset.
    • One pro tip here is tying your answer to the job description. They are probably looking for particular skills, and you can emphasize those through your answers.
    • As a leader, youâll be expected to keep whatâs best for your team your top priority. So answer accordingly.

    Read Also: How To Crack Amazon Sdm Interview

    Coding Interviews Have Moved Online

    Coding interviews are about writing a small program. Typically its an algorithmic challenge. Traditionally, youd do that in person, writing your code on a whiteboard.

    Nowadays, most interviews happen remotely using some online editor. Its a pretty significant improvement, as coding on a whiteboard is quite uncomfortable. Still, dont expect much more than simple code highlighting. You dont get to compile or run your code.

    Thus, the very first thing to do is to get familiar with the environment youll be using in the real interview.

    Understand Your Prospective Roles Responsibilities

    Behavioral questions typically focus on key soft skills and interpersonal principles needed for your prospective role. Identify key requirements for the role youâre applying for. Prepare corresponding instances from your past roles that showcase these specific skills.

    This really is the key to a good behavioral interview preparation strategy.

    Read Also: How To Interview An Attorney

    Working For One Of These Large Companies Has Many Benefits:

    Big rate: You may be making changes that affect millions to hundreds of millions of people. This can be rewarding as you feel you are making important changes. Culture: Each of these companies has a different culture, so you can choose the one you like best. Pay / Profit: These companies pay more than non-FAANG companies.

    With knowledge and dedication, you can achieve the highest levels of compensation you can get in a small company. Part of the wage gap is because most of these companies are located in the Bay Area.

    You will get very high technical salaries compared to other areas in the Bay Area, NYC, and Seattle, but the cost of living in these areas is also high. However, I have found higher pay and opportunities in these companies far more than the cost of living.

    Over time you may gain the repetition of what you would gain in small towns. Benefits: Frequently available free or discount lunch on-site, passenger benefits, shuttles, and many other companies you find.

    These companies want to make sure that all your health needs are taken care of so that you can focus your time on doing your best job. Stability: You will know that your paycheck will arrive the next day and if there is a retrenchment or shot, a split is involved to get compensation while you get another job.

    Coding Interview Prep For Big Tech And How I Became A Google Engineer

    How to prepare effectively for the FAANG companies while working | Seminar GeeksforGeeks

    When I changed careers from lawyer to software engineer at Google, I published 10 big ideas that helped me make that massive transition. Since then Ive had a ton of questions from people asking me questions about:

    • How I taught myself new skills
    • How did I know that learning to code at 37 was not too late
    • How I prepared for big tech coding interviews
    • How I analyzed and minimized the risk of career change
    • How I worked out that software engineering was right for me
    • What languages I focused on
    • Whether being a FANG/FAMGA software engineer is right for everybody

    Note: I think FAANG/FAMGA is limiting, and prefer to refer to big techsince there are many highly prestigious companies other than the usual 4-5 everyone obsesses about.

    Also Check: How To Stop Being Nervous For An Interview

    What Makes A Faang Interview Such A Tough Nut To Crack

    Is it because of the seemingly boundless number of topics to prepare for? Or Is it perhaps because of the time-constrained environment in which candidates are expected to solve complex coding questions at breakneck speed?

    There are many interview prep courses or schools that can help you prepare to crack technical interviews.

    This Is One Of Our Favorite Faang Interview Courses That Focuses On The Python Programming Language

    And by practicing these common problems, youll be able to grow as a programmer and ace the technical interview.

    Codecademy is an interactive learning platform that also includes some video-based learning. So that means youll be doing all your work in the same browser with the added benefit of videos.

    Recommended Reading: Excel Test For Interview Sample

    Improvement Is The Guaranteed Result Of Preparation

    Preparing for technical interviews, especially the challenging ones, steer you on the path to becoming a better software professional with improved coding, problem-solving, and behavioral skills. You become more confident at taking and cracking interviews.

    Therefore, your technical interview preparation plays a pivotal role in your professional prospects.

    After all, to be prepared is half the victory.

    If youâve put in the effort, you must know that youâve gained an incredible experience in your professional life irrespective of the results. So, make sure that you pat yourself on the back.

    Interview Kickstart offers a comprehensive technical interview preparation course to software engineers with over 95% success rate. With over 70 instructors, coaches, and interviewers from top tech companies, weâve helped thousands of software engineers and developers land their dream jobs.

    To know more about how we can help you nail your next tech interview, register for our FREE online webinar hosted by one of our founders and get all your questions answered.

    Data Structure And Algorithms

    14 Best FAANG Interview Books in 2021 [Get a FAANG Job]
    • Youâre expected to solve the assigned problem using the most efficient algorithm.
    • The developed code should be functional, and the time allotted to develop a code is around 40 minutes.
    • If you can write a functional code in one attempt and in under 40 minutes, your chances of getting through to the next round will increase.
    • Usually, one or two rounds of the FAANG interviews focus on testing your data structure knowledge.

    Recommended Reading: How To Reschedule Amazon Job Interview

    Phase : How I Chose My Learning Resources

    I know everyone thinks there is a secret magic bullet out there. Some blog, video, resource, tutorial, podcast, PDF cheatsheetsomethingthat will unlock the entire secret and make us instantly learn things.

    Nope.

    Ill bang on about this till the day I die information is a commodity.

    Learning is hard, but its made much harder because there is too much free information.

    We all fall into the trap of thinking there is some missing piece of information. There isnt.

    Why? Because no matter where you live, what language you speak, what color your eyes, skin, or hair are, what gender you identify with all resources are going to teach you things that work. Theyre all the same at a very fundamental level.

    They have to be, because thats how computers work.If you and I write an identical function in JavaScript or Python or Java, we are going to get identical results. Thats how computers work theyre deterministicalgorithms.

    But life is most decidedly not deterministic. Identical effort, grades, skill, intelligence will not produce identical results.

    Again, I had to teach myself tolearn. I had to teach myself to shift my attention away from resources/blogs/websites/courses and put my attention on building solid mental models, identifying relevant skills, drilling down on concepts rather than code implementations, applying what I already knew in new ways, reasoning, problem solving, and communicating my reasoning while I reasoned.

    More articles

    Popular Articles