MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

ABSTRACT: Programming interviews are the primary means through which tech companies evaluate internship candidates. These days, many of these programming questions are becoming increasingly difficult, and anyone new to the process may be overwhelmed. Questions of how to prepare for certain companies or even where to begin are common among students. This guide acts as a crucial starting point for undergraduate students looking to succeed in these interviews. The guide starts by mentioning a variety of resources that can be invaluable, including platforms like Leetcode and also Cracking the Coding Interview. The guide then breaks down common categories of programming questions, like graph traversals and dynamic programming, and explains a systematic process for working through these problems. The next section gives important tips for choosing the right programming language and explains how to prepare with this choice on Leetcode. In addition to these technical tips, the guide explains how to behave during the interview. Often, interaction between the interviewee and the interviewer during the programming portion is a crucial part of demonstrating one’s thought process but can also be where students struggle the most. The guide closes by mentioning what to do if you get stuck. There is no sure-fire way to have a perfect interview, but the guide’s technical tips along with strategic practice improve chances for success.
WC: 218

READER’S PROFILE: I imagine a reader skeptical of the idea that those who have a programming interview very soon would find any benefit from preparing for it.
READER’S RESPONSE: I do not see how using Leetcode, which has thousands of programming problems on it, and reading the long textbook Cracking the Coding Interview can help me with my programming interview in one week. I have programming experience and maybe just going with what I know would be better than preparing. Although, this breakdown of the categories of programming questions is helpful to remember. These tips for talking to the interviewer will be useful too, especially if I get stuck and need to talk to explain where I am in my thought process. Even though I may not be able to prepare as in depth as the guide suggests, these tips should still give me an edge in my upcoming interview.

PROBLEM STATEMENT (Hasn’t Changed): Many computer science undergraduate students aim to get internships for the summer and struggle in the technical programming interviews. These students need a comprehensive yet brief guide that explains both the behavior and technical portion of the interview to maximize their chance for success.
VOICE: Closeness with reassurance in the intro and ending, neutral and procedural in the beginning
CITATION: Natural language citations and referral links

You have such a good plan here, K. I understand that you could share on a more general campus CS/DS user group in Piazza. Would you be interested in that?

What a practical and humane guide for you, and readers.