hi dina, kalau interview programmer dia tanya apa ek?

assalamualaikum

i sudah berkerja sebagai seorang programmer selama 3 tahun dan sudah bertukar tempat kerja sebanyak 2 kali. so proses pertukaran kerja ni cam biasa la mesti lah ada proses interview kan. so mari sini i kupas and share sikit pengalaman and what to expect, what to prep for interviews as programmer la ye. i mahu mulakan tahun baru dengan post yang berilmiah cehhh hahaha.

sebelum tu, disclaimer sikit yang pengalaman i is based on my role as a full stack web developer. mungkin some programmer roles mcm devops, app dev etc might have different styles of interview so mcm biasa la refer saja, this is not the ultimate source of truth.

okay so bila kita mencari kerja ni yang pertama mestilah update CV dan send application kerja. jika ada rezeki, i might be discovered by a recruiter from a recruiting company. they usually will call me first, ask about my expected salary, other compensation packages, benefits, revisit my experiences at the current/previous company and then they will let me know that they're scheduling an interview. the invitation will be sent via email.

so my first interviews in my experience were with head of departments, technical leads, senior managing partners and senior software architect. and say out of 15 interviews that i attended, only 1/5 will ask deep technical knowledge. the rest prefers to let me ramble about my past experiences, give me some possible scenarios to see how i propose to solve them and ask questions based on my past projects.

so let's break stuffs down:

  part 1 - verbal technical interviews  

i pernah melalui around 15 technical interviews dengan style yang berbeza beza. tapi yang semua company mesti bagi i adalah theory questions. sometimes relax relax, sometimes drilling, back to back punya style. so i always prep myself the night before utk cari cheatsheets mcm "Angular interview questions", "NodeJS interview questions". i will go through the notes and match with my experience. honestly, jangan terlalu rely on the internet answers sbb sometimes interviewer akan tanya, "how do you apply this in your code, where do you use this in your code" bla bla so mcm kena tau juga sedikit sebanyak.

if they really are drilling your technical knowledge, they would ask stuffs like (in angular terms), "explain how you utilise angular lifecycle hooks", "when to choose to use reactive or template-driven forms", "tell me all the ways you know to center a div".

if they are more chill, they might just ask your experience. for example, i have experience developing a searchable directory for car workshops nearby to customers on the road. so they would ask how i utilise Google Maps API, how do i handle fuzzy search, how do i insert myself in UI/UX design process, how hard was the project for me as a beginner. so the interview became more like a chatting session.

my honest tip would be to just say you don't know if you really don't know. i got away with it most of the times. i will lace my lack of knowledge by saying "i'm not really sure about this, but i'll make sure to educate myself before i join in." etc. 

  part 2 - "tell me about yourself"  

be charming when you are given a room to tell your interviewers about your skills. be humble and honest that what you are saying is of course, to dazzle them. assure them that your confidence in delivering these information is on par with your technical abilities. try to use reactions to show them how challenging your tasks were, how happy you are when you were able to solve the problems. let them know all the good words and praises your superiors have given you. let them know how much you volunteered to do something you haven't tried before. 

be enthusiastic. show how much you are willing to learn on the job. assure them how independent and resourceful you can be if given tasks out of your comfort zone. let them know all your soft-skills that doesn't really apply to your job, but you can do. let them know that you are comfortable working in teams. tell them that you understand that no job is easier than the other but you are up to every challenge.

be truthful about your expectations. let them know if you are a family person and if you would love some balance in work. let them know if you are concerned about schedule of deployments, your responsibilities, the organization of the project. let them know if you might need support and ask if you will have a buddy to help you go thru understanding the project. and of course, if their answers don't satisfy you, let them know your concerns, but say that you will try your best to accommodate. 

be expressive when you are given the audience.

  part 3 - technical assessment  

so sekiranya mereka berpuas hati dengan verbal technical interview i, i selalunya akan tanya, "will there be a technical assessment?". kalau tak ada memang bersyukur alhamdulillah hahaha. tapi kalau ada pun tak apa.

so some of the assessments that i have been given were:

#1 project-based assessment: 

this is my favorite type of assessment. background is, they will for sure ask you to code something in language that they have described in the JD (thus ensure you apply for jobs that fits the skills you have) or you can also just swing with what knowledge you have but ensure that you can guarantee them that you know how to map from a syntax to another.

as a web developer, my assessments are always the same. to create an app with CRUD operations. it can be either a product inventory or user management system. any theme could be so long as you can create an entry, read (display the entry on the UI), update the entry's data and delete them whenever you required. you have to do it in the most optimized way possible which means that if you want to demonstrate an update operation, you may want to know if the app requires you to allow autosave or save in bulk on submit etc. 

understand your assignment. if you are applying for a front-end position, focus more on the look and feel. optimize your input textboxes, scrollbars, responsiveness, colour, fonts. make use of fake back-end or ready made APIs you can find online. if you're applying for back-end position, maybe demonstrate caching, clean structure of classes and functions, best iteration methods etc. if you're applying for a full-stack, meet in the middle. don't do everything for every end. minimize on the aesthetics of the UI and also minimize on any extra back-end tools like you don't have to build a swagger for your assignment.

#2 algorithm assessment

this would be my least favourite assessment of all. but i do know some websites for algorithmic practices/challenges (hackkerank, codewars, leetcode). these kind of assessments relies on your knowledge on the binary trees la, which i don't practice lol. they will just send an email to you with a link to the assessment and it's going to be timed and usually they will give you around 2-3 hours to solve a set of questions. and usually these kind of assessments also allows you to pick whatever language that you are comfortable with because they just wanna assess your problem-solving skills.

#3 live coding

honestly, i was surprised to ever be tested to code live. my experience was to do it on stackblitz and lasts around 15 mins because i think they want to test your ability to think fast and critical thinking. my experience was they just know that there would be more than 1 way to do solve a problem, but which one will you choose and if you are able to think fast in a critical situation. masa i kena live coding ni, memang betul betul spontan sebab it was right after my verbal interview.

my advise for live coding is to not let your sweat stains be shown haha. relax your muscles, and google if it's permitted. because as a programmer, you can always look up for stuffs on the internet and it will never be exactly as what the assignment requires so usually the interviewer just want to assess your understanding of how coding works and if you can apply a solution to your problem. 

  part 4 - what to ask your interviewers?  

here are some of the questions that are in my prerogative, are important to ask and be clear off and will definitely help you decide if the work suits you or not. some answers might accommodate you so always revisit if you can take it or if it's a big factor that will make your job hard to accomplish.

1. how many people will be in my team? - i usually will not go for small teams where only 1 person is responsible wholly on a stack. for example, i cannot be the only front-end developer in a team because i may need to take a break some time and i wouldn't want to be disturbed during it. a comfortable scrum team for me will have around 6-7 developers, a balance between back and front end developers. if your role is a full stack, try to probe which stack are you going to be more focused on.

2. what is the working arrangement? - i prefer max of 3 days wfo but this is very personal to your own preference. you can ask how flexible if you need extra days to work from home or if it's possible to always have a seat if you prefer to come to office everyday.

3. will a laptop be provided? - i will always try to avoid working on a personal laptop since i don't want to be liable if any code or documentation is released from my laptop. i will also usually ask if they can provide me a mac because i am more accustomed to work on mac. but not getting a mac is not a deal breaker for me so long as it is a high-powered machine suitable for programming and if the process of replacing my laptop if it has technical issues is short and easy.

4. what is the nature of the project? is it public facing or used internally? what is the deployment cycle? which tool are you using for code versioning? do we have proper documentation to learn about the project?

5. what is the project management tool that the company/project uses? - i have a personal preference towards projects that practices agile. i will also ask some follow up questions about how development tickets or bugs are being handled, how much will we work hand in hand with our product owner, what tool is used to track the progress of ticket development, how do you measure the complexity of the ticket etc

6. how would you describe the work culture in the company? - do you have team building events? do you offer pair programming or buddies for people who's starting up? do you have a learning or certifications platforms to upskill? what is the relationship between the department and the HR? 

7. how appraisal works? - how is my performance going to be rated? what is the measurement? how often is the checkpoint session? 

8. how can i dazzle you in 6 months? - what are the expected outcome of me joining the company? is there a target that i can hit to ensure that my performance is above average. let the employers tell you what they expect to see with you as a part of the team.

  part 5 - wow the interviewers really bought my presentation. now the HR calls me?!  

congratulations. if the HR reached you back, it's highly likely that your interviewer really likes you and is assigning the HR to set a deal with you. for me, i have a set of questions that i will also ask the HR and this will helps me in deciding if the job works for me.

1. is this a permanent role? - if not, how is a contract employee going to be assessed to be qualified to convert the role to a permanent position?

2. how long is the probationary period?

3. what is the offered salary? what are the perks that comes with it? how about the medical coverage? how about my dependents? what are the extra perks that i can enjoy as an employee?

4. what is the average bonus percentage? when is the payout? 

5. what is the average percentage for salary increment? when is the new salary effective?

6. what is the job grade that i'm joining? - what is the expected deliverables for my grade?

  part 6 - signing the deal  

if you are satisfied with all the answers provided in the HR round, it's time to verbally confirm to them of your acceptance and readiness to review your offer letter. 

i know that all these questions might seem overwhelming and of course it is. that is a lot of questions coming from an interviewee to an interviewer so i don't always ask ALL the questions. i pick and choose depending on the situation. sometimes, i just reworded some stuffs so it doesn't sound like i'm asking a lot. treat this as a guide to probe as much information upfront as possible to avoid a lot of shocks when joining. remember that work is work, it should not affect your mental health so it's important to really know the nature of the job before jumping into it.

the questions to the HR are as important. you wouldn't want to fall sick and know that your company doesn't actually offer medical benefits and don't allocate any medical leaves for you, or you missed out on 5 months of public transport costs that you can claim because HR never told you until your colleague showed you. the key is to probe as much fact as you need.

however, remember that there is a thin line between being too cocky when asking too much, might make you sound too demanding so pick and choose your priority questions and do word them correctly. take notes of every answer for your questions. let the interviewer do most of the talking after every question so that you don't ask questions that they are already covering. show them respect.

sekian, my tips. all the best for your job hunts and interviews for the new year!!!

Thank you for reading this entry :D

oh my god i don't have any photos in this post lol

sofia ep 4: happy 1 year, sayangku

assalamualaikum, sofia anak ibu :')

your arrival made me a mother, and apparently it's not just a title. it's an honor. to get to see a small human grow from phase to phase, from just laying around, to smiling, to blinking, to sitting, to babbling, to crawling, to standing and to whatever phase you will do next. 

i will tell myself that i would want to write a letter to you for your every birthday but i didn't make it past 5 months writing love letters for my relationship with bapak so this letter might be the only one i ever write and that's because your first birthday is a special occasion and i would give you the world if i could.

as you grow up, you will find that the world is so fascinating and there's just going to be way too many toys that you'd want to play, too many friends that you'd want to make and too many places that you'd want to go. and i know that you'd want to experience all this so i wouldn't hold you back so long that you don't ask for RM200 toy or a business class plane ticket to Antartica. but i want you to know that i'd be longing for you to be close to me and thus i will play your toys with you, i will introduce myself to your friends and after all your adventures, my arms would be the place that you'd wanna rest at.

but what i'm requesting next bigger than that. as you grow older, you might feel like you'd be telling your friends more about the crush you're having. you might shy away from telling me if Robert Downey Jr. is the epitome of a handsome man. you might be scared to tell me that you lost my tupperware and you will have these conversations with other people than me. thus, i will be coming to you and tell you about my how bapak and i ended up together, then you'll tell me you have a crush on the kid sitting behind you in class. i'd show you all bapak's hairstyles that makes him look handsome and you'll show me all the posters of hollywood guys that you like. and i won't be buying expensive tupperwares so you can always lose the cheap ones and i will never be mad at you.

i want you to have conversations with me and build our own imaginary world where everything is flowers and butterflies. i want to be the first to know if your heart is broken because only i have the glue to stick your heart back together. i want to be the first person you tell when you figured out your interests because only i have the determination to support you along any paths. i want to be the person you ask to accompany you to watch horror movies with even though i'm getting goosebumps in shock watching the jumpscares. i want to be the person you ask to accompany you to go see siti nurhaliza singing live because you'd know how i admire siti nurhaliza. i want you to be the one you want to hug after a long, sad, gloomy day and after a long, happy and joyful day.

please know that no matter how big you get, it's me who will always long to feel close to you.

it's always going to be ibu loving you <3

semoga panjang umur, anak ibu. 

this is you reading my entry when you learned how to use the internet later haha i love u

Thank you for reading this entry :D

sofia ep 3: sofia's second quarter on earth!

assalamualaikum

next week sofia will be 1 year old, and i am so happy to see how much she has grown for the past six months. i am officially a clingy mother than cannot not look at her pictures every hour of every day in the office. a child is truly a blessing.

before i give birth to sofia, i drowned in a pool of infinite tiktoks about mothers training their kids to do stuff as early and as frequent as they can to ensure rapid development of skills. i agree to those activities. but as a working mother, i sometimes find it hard to do all that because i'm only home from 7pm and we all go sleep at 9pm -- i have a short 2 hour window to spend time with her. early on, i did put aside my exhaustion to help her do tummy time, do all the crawling exercises, guide her to sit upright and i do all these as early as when she was 4 month old. and i think that sofia is built differently because she definitely did not enjoy all that stuffs at all. she was either crying or i can see her in agony. but i do know that she tries, because she usually lasts a few seconds. but my motherly instinct cannot watch her like that so kinda decided to stop, make peace with myself and let nature run its course.

by doing that, i started to appreciate more of her growth and i try to not keep track of her capabilities vs other kids (while having a lot of people around me being concerned about her). i tried to always refer to sofia's paediatrician to check if there's something alarming or if we have to get her checked. my mantra is to just let her take her sweet time, with ibu always on her side to encourage her, as long as she grows healthily :D

i learned that if you want to encourage the kid to start crawling, you can start by doing tummy time as early as the baby can handle. when she started to get used to laying on her tummy, she learned how to roll over so quick! some ways that i tried to get her rolling is to play some high sensory videos or putting her favorite toys at a place where she has to stretch and eventually roll over :D

i foresee sofia might share the same interest in luffy as her father hmm

one thing that i love and i sincerely hope that this specific behavior stays-- she loves to babble! i am delusional but i take what i can get when i hear she cries 'eeeyboooo' when she's hungry, asking to be fed or just wants to cuddle with me. i mean, what mother wouldn't let down tears of happiness hearing their kid calling out her name right!! and she babbles every time, every day. i love all the small conversations we have, all her noises. luckily for hazim, her most fluent word to say nowadays is "bapak" ~roles eyes~

i really do hope that sofia grows up knowing that i'd give up everything for her to always make conversations with me <3

i am a tv-mother lol. i mean, i planned to not expose sofia to screens (managed to gatekeep her from mobile phones still tho haha) but to be honest, it's hard. i'm lucky she's in school for one third of the day because then i can work without having to leave her occupied by the TV. i think by being at school, she develops a very friendly behavior around other kids, most probably because she's used to having a lot of friends at school. i try my best to play with her toys when we're both home so i feel like at least for now, she's very into developing her own skills by playing and interacting with different types of toys.

i dont shop for me i shop for her hehe

by playing with toys, she slowly developed the ability to sit upright either on the ground or on the chair. manifesting for strong and healthy backbone!

can easily bring her to eat out and do grocery runs together :')

our next best interaction is her bites. when she first grew teeth, truth be told it got me scared as hell to feed her we almost resort to stop breastfeeding. but she has this charm that, whenever she bites me, she smiles, as if it's her way to play with me and subhanallah no pain man, no pain haha. her smile really melts me. now she has 4 teeth, 2 at the top and 2 at the bottom (sorry for my lack of knowledge of what these teeth are called T_T).

my manja baby, please stay manja pleasee

eee menunjuk gigi hihi

while i'm ashamed to admit, i didn't had the chance to properly cook after sofia's here because i got occupied with work and focusing to play with her at home and it was not until early november that i found my groove and is able to fit meal prepping into the schedule. but but but, i always cook for sofia since day 1 that she can start eating. and to be honest, preparing her meals have been the highlight of my weekend because she likes my cooking! i mean, she's getting rounder and chubbier. the teachers always says that she loves loves loves to eat and she has a certain behavior and sounds that she makes to get me to feed her. next stop is to try and let her learn to self-feed.

at 11 and half months old, she finally woke up one day and decided to show her mom that she can crawl! i mean, i've been scared and anxious for 4 months because every kid around her seemed to be able to crawl at a younger age. but as soon as i saw she did it, all of my bad thoughts went away, i've stopped comparing her to everyone and i was just so elated! sofia, please know this that i am so happy and you are the one who made me happy <3

dear sofia, please know that your arrival is the best thing that ever happened to me (on par with me having your father by my side hehe). i promise to always encourage and cheer for you, be proud and happy of every small and big milestones and be your #1 supporter, forever and always <3

Thank you for reading this entry :D

psa: covid might be on the rise again so please mask up my good fella