The coding FAANG interview is one of the most dreaded parts of the job search process for aspiring software engineers. While technical skills are critical, you also need to showcase your communication abilities, thought process, and problem-solving approach. This guide will provide non-technical tips to help you confidently crack the coding interview at companies like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google (FAANG).

Why FAANG Interviews Are Challenging

FAANG companies receive an overwhelming number of applicants every year. To hire the best talent, they design rigorous coding interviews to thoroughly assess candidates’ skills. Here are some reasons why FAANG interviews can be tricky:

• Questions test your knowledge of computer science fundamentals. You must have a solid grasp of data structures, algorithms, OOP concepts, system design, etc.
• Problems are intentionally vague. You need to ask the right clarifying questions.
• Interviewers want to see your thought process. They evaluate how you approach the problem just as much as the final solution.
• Time limits add pressure. You’ll have to think and code efficiently under a time crunch.
• You’ll face 2-8 consecutive interviews in one day! Fatigue sets in so you must stay sharp.

With preparation and practice, you can develop strategies to tackle the FAANG interview gauntlet. This guide will equip you with non-technical tips to shine.

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Step 1: Research the Company Values and FAANG Interview Format

• Learn about the company’s culture, mission, products, business practices, and values. This shows alignment and passion.
• Study their engineering blogs and tech talks to gain insights into their technical priorities and projects.
• Look up their coding interview process. How many rounds? What types of questions? Time limits? Expected difficulty levels?
• Talk to employees to gain insider tips. Utilize your network or LinkedIn to connect.

Thorough company research prevents surprises during the interviews. You’ll seem knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Step 2: Perfect Your Story and Resume for the Role

• Clearly identify your technical experience, skills, and quantifiable achievements. Numbers and specifics demonstrate impact.
• Craft an engaging resume summary/intro that highlights your specialties. What makes you stand out?
• Prepare a story to convey why you’re interested in this company/role. Connect it to your background.
• Review the job description. Align your resume bullets and interview talking points to their requirements.
• Remove irrelevant entries. Tailor content for each application.

A focused resume aligned with the role signals you did your homework and are qualified. Reflect on your background so you’re ready with meaningful stories to back up your resume during the interview.

Step 3: Deeply Understand Data Structures and Algorithms

• Study computer science fundamentals like arrays, hash tables, stacks, queues, trees, graphs, sorting, searching, recursion, dynamic programming, bit manipulation.
• Master time and space complexity analysis. Calculate Big-O notation for solutions.
• Learn common algorithms like breadth-first search, depth-first search, Dijkstra’s algorithm. Analyze the trade-offs.
• Implement data structures and algorithms from scratch. Fix bugs and optimize.
• Use visual tools like whiteboards and sticky notes to reinforce concepts.

Data structures and algorithms form the bulk of FAANG coding interviews. Solidify your knowledge so you can discuss them fluently.

Step 4: Practice Mock Interviews with Friends

• Ask colleagues to conduct practice interviews. Take turns being the interviewer and interviewee.
• Simulate the real interview setting. Use a whiteboard, strictly enforce time limits, ban outside resources.
• Try questions from LeetCode, Crack the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews.
• Record mock interviews to review your code, communication, body language, etc.
• Ask for blunt feedback on areas to improve. What questions tripped you up?

Regular practice interviews prepare you for the intense pace and pressure of FAANG sessions. You’ll gradually get faster at thinking through problems.

Step 5: Master Quantifying Your Experience

• Quantify accomplishments on your resume and in interviews. Share numbers, percentages, and specific examples that highlight impact.
• Prepare STAR stories – Situation, Task, Action, Result – to illustrate how you drove key projects and initiatives.
• Know the details of your work. Be ready to dive deep into your biggest achievements.
• For system designs, estimate numbers like users, requests per second, data points required. Make reasonable assumptions.

Having cold hard numbers and details will convince interviewers that you successfully handled significant work. Vague, inflated claims ring hollow.

Step 6: Anticipate Behavioral and System Design Questions

FAANG interviews often include behavioral questions about your past work and collaborative skills. Be ready with examples:

• Tell me about a challenging technical problem you faced. What was the situation? How did you approach it? What was the outcome?
• Have you ever experienced a disagreement or problem, with a coworker or someone, in your team? How did you approach and resolve it?
• Share an instance when you encountered failure or made a mistake. What lessons did you gain from that experience?

To evaluate your proficiency in architecture there might be situations where you will be requested to:

• Design a common system like Amazon Prime Video, Uber, Instagram. Consider requirements, constraints, components, tradeoffs.
• Analyze the scalability and reliability of your design. Where are bottlenecks? How will your system perform with increased load?

Anticipate likely behavioral and design questions based on the role. Have illustrative examples ready to demonstrate your experience.

Step 7: Prepare for Coding Questions

Dedicate substantial time to practice coding interview questions:

• Start with simple problems involving core data structures like arrays, strings, linked lists. As you gain speed, move to more complex topics.
• Verbalize your thought process as you code. Explain your approach, highlight tradeoffs, analyze time/space complexity.
• Write clean, readable, well-commented code. Variable names, indentation, and style matters!
• Ask clarifying questions if the problem is unclear. Don’t make assumptions.
• Test your code thoroughly. Catch edge cases and bugs.
• Be respectful if stuck on a problem. Ask for hints and work collaboratively with your interviewer.

Sharpen your coding skills so you can efficiently write solutions while explaining your approach. Communicate effectively if you get blocked.

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Step 8: Prepare Questions to Ask at the End

Always have thoughtful questions ready to ask your interviewers:

• What do you enjoy most about working here?
• What makes someone really successful in this role?
• What are some challenges facing your team right now?
• What are the next steps in the interview process?

Smart questions demonstrate your interest in the company and role. It also gives you helpful insights.

Conclusion

With diligent preparation, it’s possible to confidently tackle FAANG coding interviews. Study core CS concepts, practice constantly, refine your personal stories, quantify achievements, anticipate likely questions, and you’ll be ready to ace the technical and non-technical aspects of the interview. Use this guide to perfect your approach and land your dream job at leading technology companies!