4 Skills & Tips You Need To Ace Tech Industry Interviews
Technical Skills
1 – Software Development
When it comes to tech industry jobs, software developers and engineers are regularly the most highly compensated group of employees at a company. Here are some of the most in-demand programming languages (along with some software development skills) that developers can learn and gain experience with to help them secure a software development position in the tech sector:
- C++/C/C#: The C family languages are perhaps the most widely used programming languages out there. You may find C skills being listed as requirements for many software engineering or development job postings. They are well known for their capability to develop powerful, flexible, and fast programs and are widely used by most tech companies. Experience with one, or all, of the C languages, can assist any aspiring software developer in acing their interviews.
- Java: Java, an Object-Oriented language developed in 1995 by Sun Microsystems, has long been one of the most popular programming languages for tech companies. In fact, the language is used extensively to build enterprise-scale applications that can be run on many different platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS, etc). If you’re looking to become a software developer, having Java skills on your resume will prove to be a valuable asset.
- Python: Python is a high-level, interpreted, and general-purpose language that can be used in functional, object-oriented, and structured programming paradigms. It’s well-known for its emphasis on readability, extensive whitespace, simple syntax, and its comprehensive standard library. Like Java, it can be used to great a wide variety of applications and is used in nearly every large tech company.
- Ruby: Ruby is another general-purpose language like Python. It, too, can support several programming paradigms when being used to develop applications. It was created by Yukihiro Matsumoto through the blending of aspects from his favorite languages. Ruby is beloved for being beautiful and practical and is usually used as a scripting language for web applications.
- Testing & Debugging: Not only do aspiring developers/engineers need adequate programming skills, but they also need some experience with testing and debugging their code. If you can demonstrate to your interviewer, both by using your resume and through your interview answers, that you can debug your code well, you’ll have an easier time getting tech job offers.
- Agile Methodology: While some programming skills are necessary for any software development position, experience with the Agile development methodology will improve your odds of acing your tech interviews. Agile is an iterative development methodology in which the requirements and solutions to software development evolve throughout the development cycle. Agile methodologies, such as SCRUM or Kanban, are commonly used by development teams in today’s tech companies. Experience with them will only serve you well in your software development interviews.
2 – Mobile Development
With the right skills, some software developers may find that part of their development portfolios involve mobile development. Many tech companies today have mobile products, and thus, need mobile developers on their software teams. Luckily for developers, the vast majority of mobile devices are powered with either Android or iOS.
- Android (Kotlin): By and large, almost all Android apps are actually developed with Java. While it’s technically possible to develop Android apps using C or C++, it usually isn’t done. If you’re interested in professional mobile development with Android, you should gain some experience with using the Android SDK. There’s also another programming language, Kotlin, that has recently become popular with professional Android programmers. Having some Kotlin skills on your resume will definitely help you stand out.
- iOS (Objective-C & Swift): The other giant of mobile development is Apple’s iOS. The two programming languages applicants should have on their resumes if they’re looking to work with iOS are Objective-C and Swift. By and large, Objective-C is the language that is used for iOS and OSX. Swift, however, is a language that was developed by Apple that can be used to make iOS development much simpler.
3 – Web Development
Web development skills, like software development, are also in high demand at most tech companies. There are many different skills candidates can learn to find employment as a web developer. Some of the most lucrative of which are:
- HTML/HTML5: HTML skills (specifically HTML5) are a must for any aspiring web developer, as the markup language is the foundation of the modern web. Not only is HTML fundamental to the modern web, but it’s also the first stepping stone on which most other web development skills are based on.
- CSS: Like HTML, CSS is another fundamental web development skills that all aspiring web developers need to have to secure a job offer at a tech company. CSS is a “style-sheet” language, meaning it is used to present web pages written with markup languages like HTML, (think color, fonts, spacing, layout, etc). As the name suggests, CSS is used to stylize your web documents.
- Javascript: Along with HTML and CSS, Javascript is another fundamental skill in web development. In fact, the three skills together are often referred to collectively as “front-end design.” Javascript is a scripting language used on almost every website and used by almost every company. Therefore, JS skills on your resume will be welcome, and most likely necessary, for modern web development jobs.
- jQuery: jQuery is a popular Javascript library that can be used to simplify the use of Javascript on web development projects. It essentially makes complicated Javascript tasks possible with much fewer lines of code. While jQuery is not as fundamental as the previous three skills, experience with jQuery can help aspiring web developers stand out in their job interviews.
- PHP: PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that is commonly used by web developers. The language is accessible for newcomers, but still offers powerful features for more advanced web developers. Along with the previously mentioned web development skills, working knowledge of PHP is a welcome addition to all developers’ resumes.
4 – Data Science
Data Science is another lucrative field for aspiring tech workers. Data scientists, especially those working on AI/machine learning, are also among the highest-paid tech workers. The field will continue to expand well into the future given the advent of big data. All tech companies are continually looking to leverage data analytics and artificial intelligence to improve their business operations. With some data science skills on your resume, you shouldn’t have that much difficulty in attaining a lucrative job in the tech sector.
- Business Analytics: In the end, companies can collect all the data that they want, but it isn’t of any use to them if they can’t analyze it. If you have a background in mathematics, statistics, or engineering, you may already have the skills necessary to be a business analyst, and you’ll find that these skills are welcome at every tech company.
- Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning: In recent years, artificial intelligence and machine learning have become a huge part of the tech sector. Not only that, but the field is poised to become even bigger as time goes on. Needless to say, nearly every tech company will love to see AI/machine learning skills on your resume.
- SQL: SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a programming language specifically used to communicate with databases. Given that databases are extensively used by almost every tech company in one way or another, they’ll need data engineers with SQL skills on their teams.
Now, of course, there are many more tech skills out there that can land you a lucrative job at a tech company. Whether it be product management, UX design, or cybersecurity, there are a plethora of in-demand skills. However, these are some of the most popular and evergreen that is sought after by nearly every tech company.
