Ace the Programming Interview: 160 Questions and Answers for Success

Appendix A

Preparing Your Cheat Sheets

Despite the name of this section, nothing is underhanded about preparing for an interview. Take advantage of the time you have available before the interview to think about questions you might be asked, how you would answer them, and what questions you will ask if given the opportunity. You should consider what you say when asked tough questions about (for example) gaps in your work history, why you've changed jobs twice in the past year, and so on.

Use the questions in this section to prepare your cheat sheets. Go through this list and think about how you would answer each question if you were asked it at a phone or in-person interview.

Some of these questions will not apply to you or your circumstance, so you can freely ignore those. Use the programming concepts section to quickly see whether areas exist in which you need to brush up.

Look in particular for questions that you might find difficult to answer during the phone interview. Make brief notes that you can quickly refer to during a phone interview. Remember not to write too much or you will tend to read your answer rather than speak it as you would naturally. You also want to avoid making notes that are cryptic or too brief. Personally, I find some of the questions listed in this appendix a bit clichéd and I (as the interviewer) would be unlikely to ask them at an interview. Many other interviewers have no such qualms and are likely to ask you (to pick a classic example) about your ...