What I Learned After My First Coding Interview

Choosing the programming career was one of the huge steps I made—since I came from the academe world. So when the software company called to invite me for an on-site exam, it racked me, I wasn’t able to sleep well for straight days as the idea of me coding in front of them terrified me. What if I wouldn’t be able to answer it? What if it’s something I am completely unaware of?

And then that day came and I was right. It was totally something I wasn’t expecting. Please note that I am only trying to get an entry-level kind of java programming job, so when they asked me to write a REST API documentation for the scenario they made, I was like, “Shit, I’m in danger.”

Nail-biting was never included in my mannerisms, but in that moment, you could imagine me doing that. I was expecting more of coding problems involved in hackerrank.com, where it mostly tests your logical thinking skills, utilizing the basic java utilities existing, such as rotating the contents of an array or recursion problems.

I tried to calm down and search for easy ways on how to create a REST API. I know how bad my situation was when I was searching for beginner tutorials on how to do it RIGHT ON THE DAY of my job exam. But I still read a few articles. Thirty minutes of browsing on the internet, I was already flooded with unfamiliar and hard to understand terminologies—something that would require me weeks to understand. And that’s when I found myself searching at the internet for ways on how to politely cancel a job application.

Around 11AM, I approached the hiring manager and asked him that I wish to discontinue the process for I have assessed that I couldn’t do what they’re asking. It took me a lot of courage to say those words. Especially for I thought my two-months preparation was enough for me to prove myself.

He was kind enough to ask me what went wrong. He even considered offering me a different kind of exam just to make me feel better. I declined. I told him that I have already put some thought of it. If that’s what they’re doing on the job and I couldn’t even do it on the exam, then it’s a sign that I wouldn’t make it on a day-to-day basis. I would only be a liability for them.

And this was when the tables were turned for me, as if the Corporate Gods had blessed me. He mentioned that this was questionable since I passed the online exam that they provided me a week ago, which was intended for mid-level programmers. “Are you sure you are applying for a mid-level programmer?” the hiring manager said.

That was the turning point.

I said no. I was just seeking for an entry-level one. A junior programmer position.

It was at that moment that a fog of confusion had been cleared. They had mistakenly tagged me at a mid-level position, instead of a junior one!

The hiring manager apologized for the mistake and kindly offered me another chance. Thank God. The heavy feeling in my chest dissipated. Honestly, I have already accepted my defeat right when I approached the manager, but it felt as if a helping hand reached out for me and told me it wasn’t over yet. I still have a long battle to overcome.

At 1:15 PM, we moved into a secluded part of their office and I brought my laptop with me. I thought he’s going to ask me to code, but instead, it was more of a test of knowledge. A question and answer portion, such as: What is the difference between a class and an object? An interface and an abstract class? Kindly differentiate sets, lists, and maps. And such. For which I can confidently say that I aced because it is where my level belonged.

I didn’t even feel nervous during the interview because the interviewer had been so kind all throughout. The articles I’ve read were right: a job interview is indeed just a conversation between people. It’s as if we were just exchanging knowledge we both know. When there’s something he had mentioned I didn’t know about, he would just say it’s okay, and that he’s just identifying where my knowledge level is, and if it qualifies the job I’m seeking. Interviews weren’t there to make you feel small, interviews were there to benefit both ways. You, most of all. It would make you reflect on yourself and assess if your skills would benefit the company you’re applying.

The point of this post is that it was my honesty that helped me in my situation. If I kept on pretending I know what I’m doing even though I actually don’t, it would only give me a bad impression on them. Having a deep understanding of where your skills currently stand is actually one that will make you impress the interviewers. And I owe it to that.

Disclaimer: as of the time of this writing, I haven’t got the job yet, but early morning today, I got an invitation for a final interview next week. Yay! I still have one more battle to win, so God bless to me.

To other job seekers out there, remember, honesty is the key. It would make you reach farther than you think.