Overcome tech interview anxiety: The power of mock interviews and feedback sessions

If interviewing at a top-tier tech company makes you nervous, you’re not alone. Most software engineers struggle to overcome tech interview anxiety, especially when they’re interviewing with some of the best companies in the world. 

Plus, the interview process for software engineers can be challenging to navigate, especially if you’re from a nontraditional background and don’t have a lot of practice in technical interviews. 

That’s why we’re big proponents of mock interviews for job seekers.

What’s so great about mock interviews?

There are so many ways to prepare for an interview, and practicing coding problems is just one of them. Interviewers assess your ability to communicate well, whether or not you’re a cultural fit, your problem-solving capabilities, and more on top of your technical skillset. 

Mock interviews can help you sharpen your skills in many areas, including

• Improving how you communicate during a technical interview
• Clarifying your personal story and having a good answer for the “tell me about yourself” question
• Presenting well on a phone screen or a behavioral interview  

At Formation, we recommend a holistic approach to preparing for interviews. Participating in mock interviews with an experienced interviewer can closely mimic what you’ll tackle in a real-world job hunt. That added experience is a confidence booster and might be just what you need to land your dream job. 

How helpful the session is depends on who’s interviewing

During a mock interview, the interviewee interacts with an interviewer—often a peer, mentor, or professional coach—who plays the role of the hiring manager or technical assessor. 

Who conducts your mock interview is critical for success. A more experienced interviewer can provide insightful feedback based on their deeper understanding of the industry, job role, or the skills being tested. 

An experienced interviewer is also more likely to create a realistic simulation of an actual job interview. They can bring nuances and challenges they’ve seen or used in real interviews. If they’ve been there before (or, better yet, have been a hiring manager themselves), they can simulate the pressure of real interviews. 

There are many different kinds of interviews (behavioral, technical, algorithms and data structures, system design, etc.,) and expectations are different for each role, so it’s important to decide what type of interview or topic you want to practice, then choose a partner who can help in that specific area.  

When you’re choosing someone to help you with mock interviews, look for these five traits:

👉 Someone who’s been there before. Look for an interviewer with experience in the tech industry, specifically in companies of similar stature and culture as the one you’re preparing for. They should understand the technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and coding standards expected at top-tier tech firms.

👉 Someone with excellent technical skills. Choose someone with a strong technical background and up-to-date with the latest technologies, programming languages, and software engineering practices. Ideally, they should be proficient in the technical areas you are likely to be tested on, such as data structures, algorithms, system design, or specific technologies relevant to the role you're applying for.

👉 Someone with a lot of interview experience. Preferably, select an interviewer who has experience conducting technical interviews. Experience in interviewing means they can provide a realistic interview scenario, pose challenging problems, and give you a sense of the pacing and pressure of an actual interview.

👉 Someone who can provide solid feedback. A good mock interviewer should give clear, constructive, and detailed feedback. They should point out your areas for improvement, highlight your strengths, and offer actionable advice on enhancing your performance. Check if they can provide insights into your problem-solving approach, coding style, and communication skills.

👉 Someone familiar with the company and culture. It’s beneficial if the interviewer has insights into the company culture where you’re interviewing or similar organizations. Understanding the soft skills and attributes valued by the company can give you a competitive advantage. That’s why Formation’s Fellowship program includes mock interviews with Senior+ level engineers and hiring managers from top-tier tech companies. 

Harnessing feedback to overcome tech interview anxiety

Receiving feedback isn’t easy. Stay open-minded. Soak up all information, criticism, and insight from your partner, and turn it into actionable steps to help you practice and improve. 

After you have a few mock interview sessions under your belt, turn the feedback into actionable steps for improvement. Here’s how. 

• Look for recurring themes or patterns in the feedback you received. Common areas for improvement include technical proficiency, problem-solving approach, communication skills, time management, and overall confidence. 
• For each area identified for improvement, break down the feedback into distinct, actionable steps. Be as specific and concrete as possible. 
• Establish measurable goals for each actionable step to track progress and ensure accountability. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). 
• Dedicate time each day or week to work on the identified areas for improvement. 

Sometimes, just the exercise of going through the interview process repeatedly helps relieve some anxiety. Building your “interview muscle” through lots of repetition gives you a solid foundation to fall back on during the real thing. 

The more we do something, the less scary it gets.

Need more? Get holistic interview prep with Formation

The Formation Fellowship gives job seekers everything they need to land their dream roles—including mock interviews with experienced software engineers and hiring managers from top-tier tech companies. If you’re having trouble navigating your job search on your own, apply here and get unconditional support from a team of engineering mentors, technical recruiters, career coaches, and more.