Book excerpt: Having Trouble with the Technical Interview? Are you contemplating a job change? Are you ready to begin the interview process? Is this your first interview experience? Perhaps you have been through this process multiple times. Do you find the programming interview process intimidating and overwhelming? Don't let fear and apprehension keep you from performing at your best during your next coding interview. A Technical Interview Preparation Framework During my years in the software engineering industry, I've been on both sides of the technical interview table numerous times. I have interviewed hundreds of Java developers and software engineers. I've played key roles in improving the software engineer hiring and recruiting processes at some large organizations. I've conducted the coding or programming interview, the generic technical interview, the core Java interview, the case interview, and the problem-solving interview. During this process, I've discovered that not all programming interviews are created equal. There are numerous coding and non-coding questions that can be used to help indicate the quality of a particular software engineering candidate. Leveraging those experiences, I will outline a framework that will help you understand the ideal time to change jobs, provide guidance on which organizations to seek out or avoid, and then guide you through the preparation and interview process in a way that will help you best represent yourself when it is time to showcase your talents and skills. Preparation is the key to a successful coding interview. This book will help set the expectations on what things an interviewer looks for in a technical candidate. Interview Questions and Answers There are a number of questions that you should have answered prior to your next interview. You need to understand what motivations are driving your job search. You should know what kinds of questions an interviewer is likely to ask you, and what level of importance is applied to your answers to various questions and question types. While a Java developer would expect to see core Java questions, and a .Net developer would expect to see core .Net questions, there are a host of other topic areas that are important to the interviewer. You will find the following included in this book. Questions you should ask yourself when thinking about a job switch. Questions to ask your interviewer to help determine the organizational health of your potential employer. Characteristics of a great software engineer. Essential software engineer skills and competencies, both coding and non-coding related. The types of interview questions you may encounter. Checklist to help you prepare for your next interview. Interview questions you may be asked, and what the interviewer is looking for in your answers. Questions you should ask your interviewer, and the answers you should be looking for.