Advantages of Mock Interviews

The benefits of participating in mock interviews are numerous:

• Engage with actual leaders and recruiters who can help enhance your communication skills for internship interviews.
• Receive constructive feedback on your strengths and areas for improvement.
• Enjoy the opportunity for an informal discussion post-interview.
• Familiarize yourself with common questions asked in internship interviews.
• In tech fields, prepare for technical questions—this gives you insight into the types of inquiries specific companies may pose, allowing you to refine your responses for the real interview.
• Reduce anxiety since it’s a practice session, enabling you to polish your introductory and "elevator" pitch (a succinct overview of who you are, what you do, and your professional aspirations).
• If recruiters appreciate your performance in the mock interview, your chances of being contacted for a genuine interview significantly improve; in my case, I interviewed with Mastercard, and both recruiters took my contact information, with one even providing their business card.

Time to Ace the Real Interview

Once you've submitted your resume and completed several mock interviews, you’re ready for the real deal! How should you conduct yourself? Which companies conduct technical interviews? Here’s how to prepare:

Typically, the initial interview is with the company’s HR representative, focusing on questions about your background and personality. Expect inquiries like: Who are you? Why did you choose to study Computer Science? Why did you apply to company X? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Following that, interviews may involve managers or directors. In the tech sector, it’s common for interviews to include questions about prior projects utilizing specific software or programming languages.

A fantastic resource for researching potential interview questions is Glassdoor. This platform also provides insights into salaries and reviews from current and former employees.

Here are some typical but not overly technical questions you might encounter:

• What types of software have you worked with?
• Can you describe a situation where you needed to collaborate with peers to achieve a goal?
• Tell us about a time you dealt with a large database and the challenges you faced.

To prepare effectively for your interview, conduct thorough research on the company, ensure you're familiar with the programming languages listed on your resume, reread the job description, and investigate the role's responsibilities (LinkedIn is excellent for this!).

Engage with others in your field. Here are some websites I recommend for job searching and interview preparation:

• Power To Fly — A job platform focused on IT roles for women.
• Tech Ladies — Similar to Power To Fly, aimed at supporting women in tech.
• Elpha — A networking platform for women seeking job opportunities.
• WayUp — A resource for students and recent graduates offering job postings, tips on interviews, and more.
• MiraJobs — A site for job listings from organizations committed to diversity and inclusion.
• VanHack — Technical job opportunities in Canada and Europe.
• Glassdoor — Provides company information, salary insights, potential interview questions, and employee reviews.
• WomenWhoCode — A job board for one of the largest organizations supporting women in technology.
• Brazilians in Tech — Focused on Brazilian women and underrepresented groups, with content in Portuguese.
• LeetCode — A platform for technical interview preparation, including practice interviews.
• Gainlo — Offers simulated interviews to help you prepare.

If you know of other websites that provide similar services, please share them in the comments! I hope this guide assists you in finding the internship or full-time position you desire.

If you need assistance with crafting your resume, enhancing your LinkedIn profile, preparing for interviews, or negotiating your salary, feel free to book a session with me here.

The accompanying photo is from the film "Hidden Figures," which narrates the inspiring story of three remarkable women at NASA in the 1940s who overcame obstacles to make significant contributions to their fields.

This article was originally published on my website, HelloMariWorld (RIP) in November 2016, and on 24th July 2017 on my LinkedIn.