Full stack web developers are often compared to a ‘Swiss Army Knife’. They’re highly valued as versatile professionals who can quickly bring innovative ideas to life while tackling many other facets of the complex development process.
Therefore, the role requires a broad spectrum of skills & knowledge of various tools and technical know-how. So, if you want to rise above the noise in this space, you need to know your stuff.
Most recruiters use coding exercises or use-case evaluations to assess the competency of a candidate. You will most likely need to ace an interactive coding session as well as a take-home assignment.
And, while there is no “cookie-cutter” approach to evaluating a full-stack developer, here are some useful full stack interview tips to help you prep and progress in the following rounds,
1. Call Screening
During the initial screening process, you can expect a trivia quiz with technical questions. This initial filter will generally cover fundamental academic concepts & practical domain knowledge to assess your suitability for the role.
2. Live Coding Session
In this exercise, you will be expected to solve problems in real-time. This test is typically taken online using your IDE through a shared screen or via a shared text editor. You can expect a mix of real-world tasks and programming challenges that require you to write a function or class to achieve a specific goal.
3. Take-home Assignments
This is a practical exercise that needs a day or two for completion. You may be expected to develop a basic application or complete a tech stack task-specific to your potential employer. In this test, you need to pay close attention to the code quality.
4. Find and Fix Errors
In this test, you will be given a code segment from which you would need to identify potential issues like syntax errors, performance issues, logic problems and missed edge cases. This practical test is somewhat similar to code reviews.
5. Whiteboard Session
This in-depth interactive session often leans more towards the academic side. It focuses on fundamentals and algorithms but can also include practical concepts.
6. Use Case Evaluation
This can be a part of the interview process where you will be asked to create an essential website in a few days. Your work will be evaluated in totality, not just in terms of design, code or your ability to follow instructions.
You will also be assessed for your skill to solve the company’s problems. For instance, you may be expected to connect the dots between the given project and the company’s business needs and goals. The interviewer will also determine if your design, layout, and functionality mimic the existing framework and product.
7. Loop Interviews
More common in established firms, loop interviews are a series of one-on-one sessions with your potential peers and manager. These interviews test your knowledge and competency to determine if you are the right fit for the organization.
It is most likely to be a combination of the formats mentioned above along with talk-centric discourse. Here, you also have the opportunity to ask questions, understand your role and get a feel of the place where you desire to work.
8. Interview with the CTO
As an essential component of your Full-Stack Developer interview tips and tricks to keep in mind, a final interview process will help assess your technical capability along with soft skills. It would be a combination of adaptability, ability to work as a team, openness to change, hunger for growth and communication.
Given the tough competition and massive variation in formats, it is essential that you know how to ace a full-stack technical interview and prepare for it in advance. As a general rule, SMBs and start-ups lean more towards practical skills and test candidates on language specifics of the technology stack they use.
Big companies are more likely to subject you to academic-style assessments. You can check out various online FAQs or watch instructional videos on how do I prepare for a full stack interview. But suppose you want to crack the interview in one go with full confidence. In that case, you can enroll for a hands-on full stack developer training course to show how prepared and proficient you are.
A full-stack web development course at LearnAtRise will equip you with comprehensive knowledge in all the aspects of the development process from front-end to back-end and debugging to testing. Practical experience coupled with on-the-job training and guidance from industry experts will arm you with all the technical know-how you need to excel in the professional world.