My Recent Interview

I recently had an interview that, in my opinion, went well. I made some mistakes, but overall, it was solid, considering I only had a day to prepare.

How did I know it went well? Because I didn’t play humble or downplay my accomplishments.

From the start, they talked about the summer interns. Naturally, I mentioned that I had participated in the program, but I didn’t stop there. I took the opportunity to highlight that I was the only person in the program who managed two interns, and for my efforts, I received an award.

We then discussed the work I’d done on my previous project, where I shared concrete examples:

• I increased the components folder by 8% by building and maintaining reusable components used across the app.

• I reduced load time by 6% by upgrading React Router and implementing code splitting.

• I mentored interns while managing my regular workload.

I emphasized my contributions with metrics to demonstrate my impact on the project.

But, as with any interview, there were bumps along the way. I was asked about concepts I had some familiarity with but didn’t know in-depth. I answered to the best of my ability and admitted when I didn’t know the answer. And that's okay—if you don’t know, you don’t know.

Then came the technical portion.

Right away, I engaged with the interviewers by asking questions to clarify expectations:

• Does this function take props?

• Do I need to type the parameters?

• What will the function output?

I made sure to use the interviewers as a resource to guide me through the task. I also narrated my thought process, keeping them informed of what I was doing step by step. I didn’t stay silent—I kept them engaged throughout the exercise.

Once the interview ended, I couldn’t say for certain how it went since I hadn’t heard back yet. But I can offer one piece of advice: communicate during your coding interview. Ask clarifying questions. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, and most importantly, maintain confidence.

There’s no need to be humble during an interview, no need to downplay your achievements. This is your moment to sell yourself. Don’t hold back—after all, if you don’t advocate for yourself, who will?

Stay confident, speak up, and remember: interviews are your chance to shine!