John Sonmez

An interview is your opportunity to highlight your strengths. With programming interviews, this means showcasing your technical prowess and illustrating your ability to be a part of a team. You don’t want to inundate your interviewers with questions about their concerns with the company, so you should do some interview prep so that you have some answers already in your pocket when you come to the interview.

Programming interviews can be intimidating. Luckily for you, there are plenty of great websites for information not just about how to solve a wide variety of programming puzzles but also about how to find jobs and even get your résumé and cover letter written by certified professionals.It was hard to select only ten websites to recommend the job-seeking programmer, but these ten sites will give you the tools and information you need to succeed in your next programming interview.

It may seem logical that you should find out what kind of questions the company will ask you before your programming interview so that you’ll be prepared. Most people, though, ignore this opportunity because they’re . . . optimistic that they can answer any question an interviewer asks. Don’t rely on your ability to think on your feet.

Hopefully, your programming interview ends with a job offer. Once the company gives you a salary amount or benefits package to consider, you need to begin job negotiations and give a counteroffer — even if the company’s offer gives you more than what you expected. ©Shutterstock fizkesWhy? A company that’s invested enough time and effort to interview you and make an offer is always going to come up a little bit low and leave itself a little bit of wiggle room to negotiate the job details.

Your phone screen and/or in-person programming interview will likely include some non-technical questions — better known as ones designed to test your “soft skills.” You need to prepare for these questions ahead of your programming interview because if any of them take you by surprise, they will harm (or end) your ability to get hired.

There are plenty of great books for information not just about preparing for your in-person programming interview, but also about how to solve a wide variety of programming puzzles. Here are ten books you should consider reading to get a leg up on your programming interview. ©Shutterstock/GaudiLab Cracking the Coding Interview Gayle Laakmann McDowell, owner of CareerCup in the San Francisco Bay Area, has published six editions of her best-selling book, Cracking the Coding Interview.

Mock interviews are great interview practice, especially when it comes to programming opportunities. Programming interviews often come with their own set of particular questions and assessments so it’s a great idea to do some interview prep work.Sometimes, it makes sense to impose yourself on your friends to help review your cover letter and résumé, and help you with mock interviews.

Salary negotiations can be a bit of a last hurdle in landing your programming dream job. You may have the warm and fuzzies about a company, but if they can’t come close to your expected salary, it may be a no go for this programming job.First you’ll want to conduct some research to learn about the average salary for the position you’d like to expect.

If you’re applying for a software development job, always presume that many of your fellow programmers will apply for that job, too. Here are ten ways you, and not just your résumé and cover letter, can stand out to your potential employer and get you an interview. Have a professional headshot Use a professional headshot, taken by a professional photographer, as your profile picture on all of your social media profiles.