Ask HN: How do you prepare for design interview questions? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you prepare for design interview questions?

3 pointssolarmist5 comments

I've been interviewing with several "A-list" companies and I've made it to the final in person interviews, but then I'm asked to design some system, like orbitz, monopoly, a cache for some web service or a library computer system, which is something I have very little direct experience with (my participation has always been second hand/passive in architecting), and I end up stammering and just not doing well on it in general. I'm sure my last rejection was primarily because of this.

So, interviewers, what are you looking for when you ask these questions?

And in general how can you prepare for these questions?

Also, any advise for in person interviews where I do well or good even, but not great. How do I get that little performance bump I need to get the offer?

1. Don't be afraid to show real enthusiasm. Stammering or not.

2. For the design question, they're looking at your architecture skills. You already have a list of these questions, so just try to solve them in your own time. Look at how existing ones are architected. Try to design them cleanly etc.

I suggest you read the book from the Heads First series "Design Patterns". It opened my mind when I read it.

Really? I generally stay away from the head first series, but they also use the head first design patterns in our undergraduate design patterns course here. Is it actually that good?

I do not like the whole series. But the design specially was very nice, i believe it does a good job on explaining design principles and patterns for begginers. (if you are not a begginer in the design world maybe you should read another book)

Of course it's publicity, but some of the "big names" they got to write promotional blurbs (what do they call those quotes that appear on the cover or inside the cover?) about the text -- and the degree of praise they contained -- were surprising, when I saw the book.

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