Welcome to the software engineer's technical interview survival guide. Using a mock interview with the classic FizzBuzz question, we cover various tips and strategies for high-pressure problem solving.
Thanks to @ThePrimeagen for collaborating!
#programming #interview #softwareengineer
🔗 Resources
FizzBuzz Question leetcode.com/problems/fizz-buzz/
Coding interview en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coding_...
How to get a Tech Job • How to Land a 100K/yr ...
How to Learn to Code • How to Learn to Code -...
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🔖 Topics Covered
- Technical interview tips
- What are software engineer interviews like?
- How difficult is a coding interview?
- Failing a technical interview
- How to prepare for programming interview
What an amazing video :)
The man himself
THE MAN THE MYTH THE LEGEND HIMSELF
FIRST TRY BTW
@@HacksoreDEV yayaya
Blazingly correct :D
When the first question turns out to be a warmup, and the REAL question is a 4-D dynamic programming problem 🙂🔫
The first one was a joke
Yooooo im preparing for interviews by following your website
didnt expect this crossover
using your site
Or you're asked about CS theory at interview, but you're hired and your actual day job is writing Java 5 test cases for the com.megacorp.EnterpriseFrameworks.Factories.Bullshit.BullshitFactoryFactory.BullshitFactory.Collections.SomethingAlreadyImplemented - which was written in 2009 and hasn't been touched since.
Here I am an experienced dev at a top company and I got super flustered on my coding interview for a job I applied to. I feel like you do a bunch of studying, get the job, then forget literally everything you studied and have to start from one all over again. No one even uses these sorting algorithms anymore without documentation right there in front of you. It’s 90% architectural understanding 10% algorithms
Same here. Seems like every tech interview or skills assessment is just some way for them to score a gotcha question. Of all the development I've done, I have never had to come up with a brand new algorithm doing x, y, z and sometimes a if x and z are not divisible by the square root of 7 and it's a Tuesday all in 15 minutes. It's like asking a building contractor to show you how to make a hammer, nails and a saw from scratch on the spot.
@@ccampau to be fair, making you fail on purpose is a good way to judge how you handle not knowing or not being able to solve something. If every question was like that then it'd be sketchy, but one curveball isn't gonna ruin the interview. If it does, you're better off not working for said company anyway.
I went into a argument with 3 other devs. It was regarding: "Find the minimal value in this list of 10k elements" They just did list.sort()[0] I wondered if they were idiots (without saying the word idiot). Algorithm-understanding has its place.
it is pretty retarded in my opinion but is the standard of the industry because code interviewers have no clue on how to interview so they jump to the low hanging fruit, "algorithms" and then they justify it with random nonsense like "oh, I wanna know if you can ask questions before coding or you will make the company waste time"
No. The interviewer doesn't actively help you. In fact if you don't answer the question in 120 seconds, he presses a button which releases lions on you.
We need more collabs between you two. Best 2 KZheadrs in tech hands down
I think he meant best dev KZheadrs. For me there's a clear distinction between tech device reviewers and software developers, but they both are called tech KZheadr/tech Twitter 🤔
what about Ben
@@NithinJune good point, he’s up there. Although I always felt like his content lacked the depth that Fireship and Primeagen have
And funny ones, too
Mental outlaw pretty good too
This is legitimately one of the funniest videos on your channel. I couldn't stop laughing. Very informative too, of course.
imo java for the haters was funnier
@@ZuriPOL ofcourse🤣
7:49 😂 😂 😂
im in hysterics
Weird to see you here i knew you were a programmer but didn't know you were suscribe too
I've been in tech for over 13 years and somehow so far I had only 2 tech interviews, while the rest sent me some tech-test/task to do at my own time. 1 of the interviews was essentially an "ABCD test", so nothing special, but when I was not sure of the answer for whatever reason, I voiced my logic in choosing one over the other and interviewer appreciated it (his words). Got that job, but I turned it out for another one (which is mentioned in next sentence). The other 1 had a proper task that I needed to code, something about counting possible combinations of tossed coins, that you need to flip after initial toss or something like that. I barely remember what I did, but I was talking quite a lot, while coding, explaining everything. I remember that it had 3 conditions which were required to be tested and by the end of the time limit 1 of them was partially failing, but I still got the job. Only to be laid off 9 months later 😅
Word
@simbiat so we have to practice talking out loud?
why were you laid off?
So, the real question is, did you use that coin flipping algorithm in your 9-month job? Did you solve tickets and issues and added features to the company's software by using the algorithm? Did you connect and query the database for information using the same algo?
@@higherpurpose1212 nope. never used it even once. nothing similar even. and I did not have access to DB (only though some UI features, that essentially returned JSON).
I wish interviewers were more like Primeagen. In most interviews I did, the interviewers made clear they didn't want to be there by giving half-assed questions without a clear objective and getting pissed when you ask something. Occasionally, the planets align and you are interviewed by someone who doesn't see you as a rival, but as a fellow developer who is going through the same process they once did. Remember: Interviews can say a lot about the company you are trying to join. Great video as always!
At 6:09 the first condition is actually going to print out just the index, instead of FizzBuzz.
Ok great, I thought I was an idiot for a min there.
I saw the same
Hm, mistake or byte? 🤔
It is probably a Fireship sarcasm or maybe he is a bad programmer.
Yeah, just wanted to comment on this as well :D
01:20 - Stop Caring too much 02:56 - Can ask the interviewer for questions as he/she wants you to succeed 03:20 - Think out loud and explain your thought process as you code 03:30 - Say Something (unless its shit so just stfu) 03:47 - Explain what you're doing any why as you code. 04:05 - Ask clarifying Questions / Keep Composure 04:54 - Express your passion for code 05:01 - Avoid Majic 05:29 - Don't be too clever 05:58 - Never Believe The Internet 06:22 - Never Mind, Always Believe the Internet 07:00 - Don't say Blazingly Fast (Use BigO notation to express "How Fast") 07:12 - Study Time Complexity 07:43 - Enjoy your job by centering a div or someshit
Explain what you're doing as you code* Avoid Magic* Enjoy your job* How did you edit this post and you still have spelling mistakes?
I just don't understand why people always have something to complain about. It's just a freaking typo but you can still read it.
Thanks.
am i job?
@@gianclgar 😂😂😂
beginning my job search and interview prep process right now. this video definitely made me feel better! I really appreciate the casual, comedic approach to such a daunting topic :')
This is great stuff. Really most technical interviews aren't just about how smart you are, it's about how you ask for help and deal with stressful deadlines.
After 40 years in IT, I had my first technical interview a month ago. It was a lot simpler than what I’d feared. Hashmaps did come up though which seems mandatory.
Depends on the company and the role. It can be easy to medium to very hard depends on whether the company wants junior developers or someone working on something very algorithmic. Personally I have gotten various degrees of difficulty. I would say Amazon was the hardest so far from the FAANG. Microsoft was easy but I lacked communication skills.
Hashmaps are also the only advanced data structure I've actually used in a real-world codebase as well
What is hashmaps? is it spread on bread
@@MilanDrazic hash you smoke but on js toast
How long did it take you to get “40 years” of experience? 🙃
I just got laid off from my software job and am going back into the job market. I've kinda been freaking out about it for the last couple days since it's been 4+ years since I've interviewed. This video was timely and had much needed levity and some very solid tips that bear repeating: slow down, talk it out, and study Big O Notation! Love your content, keep it up!
I'm sorry to hear that man. I think you'll be just fine. Maybe big tech is slowing down a little, but there are several other companies still hiring like crazy right now.
@@joseyo93 I've got opportunities for what I do, it's just fighting the impostor syndrome long enough to succeed in the interview. Thanks for the vote of confidence though 👍
hey man, i know interviews are scary, but honestly as long as you be confident (even if you have to fake it) its gonna be okay! good luck to you dude, i believe in you.
Big O Notation, I've found, is hardly ever actually discussed/cared about in actuality. You'll talk about "is this efficient enough", but you're not going to be saying "It's O(n*log(n)+1) and we need to make it O(n)". So don't stress it.
Man why are you freaking out? If you have been working constantly for last 4 years as dev, then you will be set for interviews. Unless you go for like principal/senior role and you have to do like design patterns etc. Technical stuff you use all the time, but when it comes to design, algorithms and data structures these are not used on daily basis.
I used co pilot during a tech interview. they didn't care as long as I was explaining my intent first. but also we weren't coding leet code type of problems. I was implementing at a much higher level than co pilot could be useful for. They even said they were impressed by it and how it drastically sped up the coding allowing me to focus more on the implementation and architecture of the feature
Whoa, that's probably your best video! immense quality on all aspects.
The one day where I felt I failed as a programmer was when I had an interview and was told it was going to be just a simple talking interview but it turned into a huge high speed technical interview. I didn't prep at all and at one point froze like a deer in headlights. I am not proud of that day.
That's not your fault frankly.
We've all been there. I think we have to go through that pain to become better developers. Fail upwards.
i'm only speaking anecdotally but my tip is to never trust when they say "simple talking". In one of my interviews I was asked to talk about my favorite classes, ended up baiting me into explaining super technical terms and I almost choked
I still feel the emotional damage from my failed interview 🙈 usually I'm very confident in what I do and what I know and being capable of. But that day, after the interview, I considered switching jobs altogether
@@attackemartin That feeling is your ego getting destroyed. We all have the same reaction, no human enjoys being rejected especially like that. I remember my first interview, and I legit got FizzBuzz like in the video. It was for a junior frontend role and I was like, "what the fuck is this shit". I had no idea what modulo was either. Got completely obliterated and was depressed for a good few days. Joined CodeWars a few days later and made sure it wouldn't happen again (bombing so hard I mean). That feeling you felt is your ego, you HAVE to learn how to deal with it when things go bad. Keep moving forward and be consistent.
Fusion of programming experience, logic deduction, js capabilities, video production skills, and story-telling potencies - leading to a high-quality, edifying, gratifying, and satisfying experience. Thanks much.
@ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ The truth told - just.
This is extremely accurate. I would really value fireship to do a serious or series of technical interview videos.
this happened blaaazingly fast! Great to see the two of my favorite creators together!
First Joma dropped a video about tech interviews some days ago, now you, life is clearly preparing me. Thanks.
Stay strong brother we're in this together
@@Illmare Thanks, kind stranger! Good luck in all future and life!
@@justanotherhotguy You're welcome. Remember to use hashmap BTW
God damn, I love meditating
@@bobDotJS USE A HASHMAP!!
Man you're the best, well edited videos, no useless stuff, subtle amount of comedy. 🔥
Man you have such a good sense of humor! And you do the internet memes implementation like boss! One of the best out there.
You have no idea how much I love your content and approach at teaching. I hope I get a front end dev job soon. Keep the great content going strong
I have given more than a few interviews and this is how it exactly goes.In my previous job the interviewer asked a question whose solution was a heatmap algorithm but I ended up working on angular there. No algo, no nothing.
Classic example of interview not actually assessing your ability to do the job they need you for. I hate those interviews.
@@dyanosis I'm starting a new job and I'm so happy they tested me on React and graphql lol
I give a lot of machine learning interviews.. the one piece of advise I can give: Don’t fake it. It’s very hard to trick an organization into thinking you know a subject when you actually don’t. If you want to pass ML interviews, study ML frequently and consistently, not to pass interviews, but to grow a valuable skillset. Companies will then seek you out.
One question, they don't ask questions like in thw video in ML interviews right? What kind of questions do they ask?
@@ouo5634 I can’t say what we do at Lyft, but broadly, companies test statistics and probability theory first. So the book “All of Statistics” is a great place to start. Outside of that.. there are a million probability puzzles out there. Things concerning decks of cards, flipping coins, spinning a roulette wheel, etc..
that's fine and reasonable for most devs, the core problem is always leetcode, which you can "fake" it somehow. Though tons of ppl I had known said you just need to understand the pattern, but 100% of them are just spending tons of time to hard memorize all the patterns and solve 200+ lc questions, and hope they will get the same types of questions during the interview. In fact, this trick is 100% working so far whether I like it or not.. You could say its a fair game, but the truth is that it will cause the bar higher and higher as more ppl jumped into this game. It's just like there is always someone accepting a lower salary than you in order to get the job. It's bit of cliché I guess.
So for ML interviews Statistics and Probability seems like a must and apart from ML algorithms how much do you guys (as an ML interviewer) value DSA, like a full grind or is it not that valuable for ML?
there is a huge advantage for employer side because it doesn't require high abilities from the interviewer to setup the meeting. The interviewer just need to build thing upon that leetcode question. When it comes into the type of interviews you mentioned, it actually required the asker has a lot of insights from many aspects. There are so many times the interviewers(they are software engineers) have no idea what they are talking about, randomly use some technical terms, don't know how to continue the talk because they are just more junior than you when the topic is out of their boundary.
Your videos are the best. I love how you mix fun and memes all while helping us learn new things.👏🏽
I loved that time I went on a job interview series with 5 rounds, being upfront beforehand that I didn't know C++ particularly well, and they assured me that it was not an issue, and that I could code in any language. I assured them I would get up to speed quickly if I got the job. I go through all the motions, do pretty alright in all of them, using Java where necessary. Then comes an e-mail, oh, by the way, we'd like you to have another final round with two of our more senior developers, and it will be in C++. Medium complexity task coupled with unfamiliar syntax made it a complete mess for me. I simply got stuck and had no way of completing the task.
I totally adore how informative and hilarious at the same time both of you are. Thank you!
Thanks Jeff for the amazing tips! Your content is always dead on. Keep 'em coming!
Every tech interview I've had, haha. The performance anxiety is real, where I overthink the issue and despite talking out loud, I start to forget what math is and go into "maybe if I keep clarifying and talking about the issue and stuff that could go wrong, that will be enough"... But sometimes I get lucky and my brain reboots fast enough to actually get the problem worked on. Some people will be naturally (or prepared) more comfortable or at least comfortable enough to be good at it. This video helped me feel it's not just me at least, though iffiness of being able to pick myself back up might be a just me issue.
Always a pleasure to see ThePrimeagen in a collab.
It's wonderful to see you two together. Big fan of both ♥️
1000% correct! Stop caring is the best advice. It really has helped me many times!
I feel better cos I just did fizzbuzz. I feel good cos you used an easy example and showed even experts may sometimes initially stumble on easy qns.
Please make video on your journey as a developer and the ups-downs you faced. btw love watching your video and it inspires a lot 👍🏻
the collab I never knew I needed
Some of those tips are valid for every interview out there not just tech. So good that I wrote them down.
Just created a summary for myself about what was mentioned: 1) Break Down the Problem: Start by breaking down the problem and creating a flow diagram or writing pseudocode. This helps manage anxiety and provides a strategy to solve the challenge. 2) Ask Interviewers Questions: While interviewers can't give you answers, they want you to succeed. Ask clarifying questions to ensure you understand the requirements. 3) Take Your Time: Before diving into coding, make sure you fully understand the requirements. Investing time upfront prevents mistakes and the need for corrections later. 4) Think Out Loud: Explain your thought process and decisions as you work through the problem. Interviewers want to understand how you approach problem-solving. If you're not comfortable talking while coding, consider explaining your thinking periodically. 5) Ask for Clarification: If you encounter difficulties during the code challenge, ask the interviewer for help or clarification. Don't let frustration affect your composure. 6) Avoid Language-Specific Tricks: Focus on fundamental computer science principles and operations that work across different programming languages and environments. Avoid relying on language-specific shortcuts or tricks. 7) Study Time/Space Complexity: Understand and analyze the time and space complexity of your code. Explain how efficient your solution is and how it performs in different scenarios.
I love your videos man I promise when I get hired ill donate my 1st salary to you for you to create more videos like this I Love you man!
Last time I was in a live coding interview, I padded out the time by writing unit tests. You can never go wrong with them. Writing them gave me the time to work out what to do next, as well as earning kudos from the interviewer. I got the job. I turned it down.
were you padding out an unit test ? how was it ?
Give me a job bro. I need it
That's low key brilliant 😂
This video is so so good men two of my favorite KZheadrs in just one video blazingly amazing! 🔥
Banger, keep the quality content going. 👊🏻
7:50 - LOL!!! Thanks for the healthy chuckle.
Seeing as I just landed my first proper interview and now have to do a technical interview in a few days, this could not have come at a better time for me
On point and entertaining, nice to have channels like yours!
Really loved the collab, the video passed blazingly fast
I feel like a programming god for thinking about doing it modulo way and not the first way you solved it :D
I've barely ever used modulo but I remember it solely because of this problem lmao
I think at 6:49 it should just be: out = "Bazz" for the last modulo as otherwise you will get FizzBazz or BuzzBazz combinations as well :)
The crossover we didnt know we needed, until now. Blazingly amazing!
It’s only getting better. I wouldn’t even know all the good stuff that exists in js if I didn’t watch your channel
My two favorite KZhead programmers in one single video!? Christmas came early this yeah, damn.
Now all we need is a video of how to actually GET to the technical interview and things will be golden!
Great colab! Would love to see more!! 👏🏻👏🏻
Entertaining and educational! Kudos man! That was awesome!
“I blacked out, is this heaven?” 😂😂😂😂😂
A video on ATS-friendly resumes would be a great addition!
At this point I just looked up the standard AST friendly template and copied it completely. RIP to the work I spent making a pretty resume last year
really great ending. You earned this like honestly :) Thank you!
I can identify very well with this feeling, the tutorial hell and the anxiety. Awesome video :)
I had my final interviews with Amazon last Friday, definitely felt like the video. I'm going to talk with the recruiter today to get an update on that 😱
I've known people who interviewed with Amazon for various technical roles. As much as *FIVE HOURS* cumulative interview time. Fuck that. I've been through the hiring process at other high profile megacorps and it was about 60-90 minutes interviewing total before I got an offer. And most of the questions I was asked were sensible ones regarding the technologies and the concepts, not banal riddles like "Jenny has four teacups and her grandfather served in Vietnam. Calculate how many cats there are in Albuquerque".
Yes, it was a total of five hours just interviewing for me, much more studying for that and they said no today 😕
@@xhenryx14 let us know
@@xhenryx14 There is always next try!
@@kalesantosh true, now the period to reapply at Amazon is after 2 years
Great video! Quick question: At 6:06, shouldn't the first if statement be logging "FizzBuzz" instead of the number i?
yea, and also, he should write && !== 5 after the mod3 aswell as write && !== 3 after mod 5 in the 2 first else if statements, otherwise it just be writing fizzbuzz fizz buzz when a number is dividable by 5 and 3
@@daymenpollet4202the extra != checks are not necessary because he's using "else if", not "if".
@@daymenpollet4202 That's not correct/necessary. Technically it won't hurt, but it's redundant. The else-if will only be entered if the number isn't divisible by 3 AND 5. You don't have to check again whether the number is not divisible as the combination case has already been checked against. If both aren't divisible and you enter an else-if to check whether the number is divisible by 3 for example then it's already known at that point that the number can't also be divisible by 5 otherwise the initial if statement would have been true. Also as soon as one if/else-if evaluates to true no other else-if or else will be evaluated, so again no need to check for the inverse. This is easily verifiable. Just run it and see.
Outdone yourself again. Happy for every new video you make!
Your videos are just amazing, funny, informative and so dope. Thank God for people like you ❤❤
I didn't think you'd include the hiring freeze part at the end. Fireship always makes the funniest tech videos! The lesson here is to practice your tech interview skills only AFTER you've confirmed that the company isn't in a hiring freeze. 😂
Yea, I gave and cleared the Amazon Assessment a few months ago, only to wait 3 months for an interview, only to find out they might have froze hiring's for this year. 🤡 Always Check people.
7:20 I bursted on "look at this graph" Hahahaa
I wish I watched this before my interview today. Welp..now i'm prepped for the next one ;) Great video!
the timing on your uploads are so on point
Almost everytime I've done an interview I'm nervous going in but then you start talking with the employer and you see that they are pretty chill (all of the ones i've met anyways) and almost all that nervousness goes away.
I passed a technical interview 2 weeks ago! My first time doing a whiteboard interview also, and I got an offer!😁
Good stuff as always! Your advices is one of the main reasons I swapped to the tech industry and started a KZhead channel myself. Regards :)
Man , Jeff, this was hilarious and assuring at the same time, I get that, the ovewheming exploding nerves when you're pt on a spot, when I can process step by step, I am able to solve, needed that assurance, these tips will help a lot, do more of these, and needless to say I am a fan of your wit :)
The thumbnail is brilliant 😂
🤖
The sudden change from answering about Big O notation just to able to change button's colors got me. Unfortunetly, so accurate!
1:44 It's a peak comedy when you witness Fireship depicting the anxiety from interview memories with memes and his usually calm voice getting cracked XDDD
This is the best one so far for me too..! Amazing video...❤
Finally! A FizzBuzz question I studied last night, I can finally understand your video!
Wow, I legit thought about the modulo operator first instead of the type conversion trick! That means I would be just a LITTLE less anxious in the interview. Nice!
same here!! feeling a little less like an impostor lol !
If you get clever right away. They might think you're smart enough for the bigger step. And eventually will put you in a corner.
The tricky that always works for me is to think I'm solving a problem with friends. The pressure really goes away, specially if you find the space to throw some bad jokes and laughs.
It's a great tip because I used it on my first screening interview and it works! Tomorrow I have a tech interview and hopefully it helps me again.
@@katjafed How'd it go?
@@ewilso22 It was OK but they chose another candidate
fantaaaaastic :D. love your videos man!
This video was too spot on. All jokes aside these are some fantastic tips and I highly recommend people practice this approach before diving into interviews.
5:30 C developer with 50 years of experience 😄😄😂😂
8:07 This literally just happened to me. Got a job with an Apple contractor, and 10 minutes *after* finishing all of the onboarding, I got an email saying they rescinded the offer... again, after I already was legally their employee
Did you at least get a severance package?
"stop caring" I think that's the most valuable advice I've ever got wtf
This is hilarious! And the production value is next level!
Had such an interview a month ago and it crushed my confidence through the ground. I'm a frontend dev since over 10 years, but this interview had left me feeling I just started to know what HTML is, although I know my stuff. I don't think these interviews are the right thing for those jobs. Let people program a thing in x days and code review the result together
damn 5 seconds in he's already spittin facts
WOW! not so nervous about the technology interview! thanks :)!
This was so funny! And always wonderful to see Prime!
I started streaming myself coding on Twitch, and I think that helps me program while I feel like I'm being judged, even when there's nobody watching lol It also helps me talk about what I'm doing, it's like I'm rubber duck debugging without a duck, but with real random people...who may not even be there, but I like to pretend that the "1 viewer" that shows up in my phone isn't really myself
What's yout twitch?
This is awesome. More like this please.
this is just an amazing video, boosted my interview confidence for real.
I have a question, is it me, or when you do the condition, both being correct (number divisible by 3 and 5) shouldn't be console.log('Fizzbuzz');?
Yep, that is wrong and it's odd that he kept it like this
What you can ALSO do is - become an interviewer. No one wants to do them because they’re tedious, not coding, and come with a lot of paperwork afterwards, but that’s why it stays broken. There aren’t many good interviewers with a desire to fix the system. I’ve made it a point to do as many as I can at my company and ask better questions. I.e. (develop a program that can update a file on N different hosts) instead of (literally any leetcode question)
I can confirm that some experience on the other side of the table is very eye-opening. I've noticed so many things I used to do wrong in such interviews. I did like conducting those interviews too, so "noone wants to do them" is a bit of an exaggeration.
This is good dam correct ! I felt the struggle last Friday
Mann 😂😂😂😂 this is fun to watch!!! Keep up the good work
Totally accurate. I will never forget my first interview where I was asked If I know how a keyboard works and If I can add 2 numbers in C. Beautiful video.
How many years it was ago?
@@pemifo260 3 years ago
This video is truely a masterpiece - every video of yours i watch gets better and better oh man
I always come back to this video. Thank you my guys, the tech interview is such a cause of anxiety
I just had a technical interview for a power electronics company. Let me tell you, it was the most gut wrenching and cold sweat inducing 3 hrs of my life.
Felt. I did a Google internship tech interview a couple weeks ago now. Still waiting to hear back. That 2nd interviewer was out to get me I swear. Hopefully you land the job :)
3 hours is pretty long for a tech interview. as a programmer i can't remember ever going for longer than 2 hours (assuming we're talking about a single sitdown)
6:48 i am not sure if this is correct solution. Based on the question and logic used in previous solutions for 21 it should print out 'Bazz' but we get 'FizzBazz' here.