Ace the Programming Interview: 160 Questions and Answers for Success

It's your dream job. You're qualified. Here's how to seal the deal There's more to acing a job interview than correct answers. This down-to-earth guide, written by a programmer who has been on both sides of the desk, covers it all. Learn what your resumé should include, what to expect from the interviewer, how to answer tough questions, why spelling matters, what to wear, and even ways to gain confidence. From preparing a phone interview cheat sheet to code-writing best practices, language quirks, and testing, this complete reference empowers you to ace that interview and land the job. Understand how the hiring manager sees the interview process Learn what to research before the interview Be prepared for social and behavioral questions Get tips on communicating effectively and establishing rapport Master the most common problems interviewers present Conquer quirks and idioms of JavaScript, C#, Java, Perl, Ruby, and T-SQL Study the open-ended questions that test a programmer's experience

Introduction xxiii Chapter 1 Hiring Programmers: The Inside Story 1 Chapter 2 Handling the Phone Interview with Confi dence 29 Chapter 3 In–Person Interviews 39 Chapter 4 Negotiating a Job Offer 53 Chapter 5 Programming Fundamentals 63 Chapter 6 Code Quality 109 Chapter 7 The Usual Suspects 157 Chapter 8 Quirks and Idioms 193 Chapter 9 Testing — Not Just for Testers 245 Chapter 10 The Right Tools 265 Chapter 11 Notorious Interview Questions 303 Chapter 12 Programming Wisdom 351 Appendix Preparing Your Cheat Sheets 395 General and Behavioral 396 Programming, General 397 Programming Concepts 397 Work History 398 Questions to Ask, If Given the Opportunity 399 Index 401

Edward Guiness is a software developer who has been both interviewer and interviewee over his long career. He has been programming since before the birth of Windows 1.0. In 2012, Edward founded SocialCoder (socialcoder.org), a volunteering organization for programmers, designers, and other technical people.