Rethinking Technical Interviews

I'm joined today by Brian Pulliam. I've personally engaged Brian as a career coach. In this discussion we'll talk a bit about coaching, and about how you can set yourself up to become a much better candidate in your job search as an engineering leader.

Introduction to Career Coaching:

• What is a career coach and how they differ from a manager or mentor.
• Brian Pulliam shares his journey from tech to becoming an athletics coach.
  • "I was in tech for about 26 years...being an athletics coach with my wife...I sought out my own career coach."

The Value of Career Coaching:

• How a career coach can provide objective, unfiltered feedback.
• The benefits of having an advocate without conflicts of interest.
  • "As a career coach, you know, I'm self-employed...no conflict of interest, maybe with your own boss."

Strategies for Career Growth:

• The importance of optimizing your career path like you would optimize code.
• Using career coaching to navigate sticky situations and grow professionally.
  • "We optimize for memory, right? We optimize for CPU...coaches can help you learn how to optimize."

Interview Tactics and Mindset:

• The value of authenticity in interviews and presenting your true self.
• Why technical proficiency isn't the only factor in landing a job.
• How asking the right questions can set you apart from other candidates.
  • "The person who starts writing code right away...is almost certainly not perceived as a senior developer."

Preparing for Market Fluctuations:

• Understanding the cyclical nature of the tech job market.
• How to prepare for job changes even when you’re happily employed.
• The analogy of tech hiring seasons and being ready for winter.
  • "Tech has hiring seasons...the challenge with the hiring seasons in tech...they are of indeterminate length."

Building a Resilient Career:

• Insights into maintaining career readiness and job security.
• The importance of continual learning and adapting to market demands.
  • "Test your ability to get a new job when you don't need a new job...the power you have when you go into an interview and you are happily employed."

Real-life Examples and Lessons:

• Brian’s personal experiences with layoffs and career transitions.
• Practical advice on leveraging your network and resources.
  • "My very first job out of school...I got laid off very unexpectedly...26 years between layoffs."

Preparing for Interview Questions:

• How to handle unexpected questions by paraphrasing.
• Preparing for common interview questions derived from company values.
  • "You should convert every single one of those core values into a question that starts with tell me about a time when you demonstrated X."

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