How to Prepare for an IT Interview: A Practical Guide

An interview is more than just a check of your technical knowledge - it’s also a demonstration of how you communicate, how well you prepare, and whether you’ll fit into the team. Here are a few tips to increase your chances of success.

Do your homework

• Review the job ad again. Focus on the required technologies and competencies, and be clear about where your strengths are and where you have room to improve. Prepare specific examples of when you’ve used those technologies.

• Research the company. Check their website, GitHub, LinkedIn, and tech blogs if they have them. Do you know what projects they’re working on? What stacks they use? Who’s on the team?

• Prepare your own elevator pitch. In just a few sentences, be able to summarize who you are, what you do, and what you’re good at.

Schedule your interview professionally

• Reply to emails within 24 hours. This communication already shows how reliable you’ll be in future collaboration.

• If you need to reschedule, immediately propose an alternative date.

Online interview? Prepare just like for an in-person one

• Dress neatly - even in IT, it’s better to look professional.

• Test your internet, microphone, and camera in advance. There’s nothing worse than spending half the interview fixing technical issues.

• Use a neutral background (a virtual one is fine). Headphones are okay, ideally small earbuds so they look discreet.

• Join a few minutes early. Reliability is just as important in projects as it is in an interview.

Punctuality is essential

In the IT world, projects often run in iterations with sprints and milestones. Showing that you can meet deadlines starts with something as simple as arriving on time for your interview.

Communicate clearly and concisely

• Stay on topic.

• Avoid one-word answers like “Yeah, I did that.” But don’t turn it into an hour-long lecture either.