Hey all, just wondering how you're preparing for interviews in 2026? I'm assuming system design plays a larger role and the bar is probably higher across all levels. Do I still need to grind leetcode?
Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
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Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#2be ready for zingers, like " what benefit do i get if i hire you for thousands of dollars a month, instead of paying a couple hundred for a few AI sessions?"
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#3be ready for zingers, like " what benefit do i get if i hire you for thousands of dollars a month, instead of paying a couple hundred for a few AI sessions?"
did someone actually ask you that?
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#4be ready for zingers, like " what benefit do i get if i hire you for thousands of dollars a month, instead of paying a couple hundred for a few AI sessions?"
did someone actually ask you that?
no, but i would make plans for an answer somewhat better than " i dont know, thanks for your time."
such as " hiring me will ensure that your AI sessions are few and limited to a couple hundred dollars expense, bare minimum, a human must prompt an AI or it does nothing. as a [professional] i have insight regarding structuring prompts, as well as fast response to code based remediation for incidents involving off the rails output, and abberant alignment adoption."
also: interviews can be more about,how you respond to being knocked off your footing, rather than gathering rote factoids about "you".
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#5I’m not preparing much because I have quite a few years of experience under my belt.
Basically I read the JD, find some stories from my work that I can tell, brush up the CV for a bit and then that’s it. I don’t prepare for LC interviews and if I get one I just decline.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
did someone actually ask you that?
no, but i would make plans for an answer somewhat better than " i dont know, thanks for your time." such as " hiring me will ensure that your AI sessions are few and limited to a couple hundred dollars expense, bare minimum, a human must prompt an AI or it does nothing. as a [professional] i have insight regarding structuring prompts, as well as fast response to code based remediation for incidents involving off the…
What about answering something like "I don't know but if the work can be done for hundreds on AI instead of thousands on me then I refuse to let you waste your money like that"?
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#7be ready for zingers, like " what benefit do i get if i hire you for thousands of dollars a month, instead of paying a couple hundred for a few AI sessions?"
Just tell them they will feel better about the money they spent on the ad.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#8Maybe AI-assisted coding? I just interviewed with Amazon and they are quite looking on how you use AI to finish a task with a wide scope. Leetcode is not the main part now though.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#9Maybe AI-assisted coding? I just interviewed with Amazon and they are quite looking on how you use AI to finish a task with a wide scope. Leetcode is not the main part now though.
I had just interviewed with Amazon and it was purely leetcode, with the exception of their leadership principle question. What role did you apply to?
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
#10My employer's process is basically exactly the same: leetcode, system design, behavioural; we just tell candidates not to use AI. Hiring is one of the scarier decisions a manager can make so I think they will stay pretty conservative. Personally my philosophy is that the interview is an information-gathering session, not a workday simulation. So it makes sense to test your fundamentals even if in practice you may be delegating them most of the time.