How to prepare for a technical interview
A technical interview tests how you think and explain, not encyclopaedic knowledge. Here is a plan for a few evenings of preparation.
Interview stages in IT
- Recruiter screening: experience, expectations, English. See how to pass a screening.
- Technical interview: questions on your stack, a walk through your experience, sometimes live coding.
- Take-home task: not everywhere; agree on the scope before you start.
- Final talk with a manager or the team: values, work, conditions.
What to review
- The fundamentals of your language and framework: how things work under the hood at your level.
- Databases: indexes, transactions, typical queries.
- Architecture for middles and seniors: how you would design a service you know.
- Your own projects: you must explain every line of your CV with confidence.
How to talk about projects
Use a simple pattern: what the task was → what you did yourself → what the result was → what you would do differently. Interviewers like the last one: it shows you learn from experience.
Practising with AI
The best preparation is a mock interview out loud. AutoApply has a free "AI interview" tool: it builds a prompt with your stack, level, CV and the job text. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, and the AI asks questions one at a time and reviews your answers at the end. More in mock interview with AI.
After the interview
Write down the questions you struggled with and work through them the same day. After a few interviews you will see what to review first.
FAQ
Is it fine to say "I do not know"?
Yes, if you then reason out loud about how you would find the answer. Making things up is worse.
How long should I prepare?
A few evenings are usually enough if you work with the stack every day. After a break, longer.
Read next
- Mock interview with AI: how to practise with ChatGPT: How to run a mock interview with ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini: a ready prompt, practising by voice, reviewing your answers, and the mistakes that make AI go easy on you.
- How to pass a recruiter screening: What an IT recruiter asks on the first call, how to answer about salary, English and why you are looking, and how to prepare in 15 minutes.
- How many applications it takes to get an IT job: How many applications to send a day, how to measure your job search funnel and what to do when nobody replies. A practical approach without myths.
- Jobs for a Java developer: search and automatic applications: Java developer jobs in Ukraine: a sample CV and cover letter, interview questions, what employers want and automatic applications on Djinni and DOU.
Practise for interviews for free
AutoApply has the full "AI interview" tool: a prompt for your job with your stack and CV. Plus automatic applications on Djinni and DOU, cover letters and a CV builder. All free.
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