Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

General Discussion

Daniel Hyun
Daniel Hyun
330 Points

Where to get more technical interview coaching?

Preparing for a Google onsite right now, and I currently use this service called "Exchange" (https://exchangetheapp.com/), they connected me with a full-time Google SWE to coach me over 6 weeks to help me with System Design questions.

Exchange has been super helpful, so I'm looking for other interviewing coach platforms to supplement Exchange. Pramp is great I heard (lots of peer-to-peer interviewing), but are there any other platforms you guys might have heard of?

2 Answers

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,608 Points

Wow, you're already in a more specific coaching program than I knew existed until I read this question! You didn't say, but I'm guessing you might be using this service because you don't have much (or any) prior work accomplishments to cite and will be relying solely on recently-acquired skills, right?

Already having the advice of a current employee sounds great, particularly since I've heard Google's vetting process is a bit different from most places. But you might not need more of the same. Learning additional skills at the last minute for a specific interview probably helps most by improving your confidence. I've found that personality factors like confidence often count just as much in increasing your chances of being hired as technical knowledge does. I've actually gotten hired where I did not already have the technical skills (though admittedly not at Google) because of confidence in my ability to acquire skills quickly, and because they just really liked me.

For most of my career, I've found that three components contribute to landing a job in approximately equal portions. Technical knowledge is one third, prior experience another, and the last one is personal traits like confidence and good communications. So if you don't have experience yet, I'd suggest working on both of the other two equally to fill that gap.

Daniel Hyun
Daniel Hyun
330 Points

Thanks a bunch for the advice! Totally agree with you learning additional skills last-minute is a confidence booster. System design was an area Exchange helped alot with - the topic isn't well taught at my university.

Daniel Hyun
Daniel Hyun
330 Points

Although now that I think about it, "improving" your personality may be more challenging than improving your technical skills in the same time period. After all, personality is forged over months/years of experiences, not just a few days/weeks

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,608 Points

I agree, but your immediate goal is only those personality aspects that are likely to be pertinent during the interview.

Daniel Hyun
Daniel Hyun
330 Points

Steven Parker can you specify the personality aspects that are most pertinent for interviews?