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Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

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Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#41
I recently had my first interview for a programming internship that I was applying to. It was over the phone, and I more or less "froze up."

I haven't had a lot of formal CS education - most of what I know has been self-taught. However, I'm looking for a way to prepare for interviews in the future. I have tried coding on the whiteboard, reviewing sorting algorithms, reading interview blogs, going over data structures, etc.

However, the interview was nothing like I had expected. It was not about prior knowledge (which was lucky for me) - and rather about thinking on the spot. What stopped me from doing my best during the interview was a combination of the anxiety and time pressure that I felt looming over me.

It would be great to get some advice on these types of phone interviews and how to stay calm during them. Knowing ways to reason through or tackle programming problems that are new to you (and can seem intimidating) would also be helpful.

If anyone's feeling especially helpful, it would even help to have some practice coding sessions over the web.

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#42

Well, since you helped me to find an awesome webhost last time, I figure I'll bite on some more generosity. :) I have a product that will be completed soon. I do not plan on selling this product through my site, but I do want to drive traffic there before and after release. I have kept myself socially detached on the Internet in the past and I do not have a Facebook and only recently embraced Twitter and G+. I am slo…

I've done something similar to this in the past. If you want to use mailchimp (which I would recommend), I pasted some example code for you at https://gist.github.com/1488819 . It uses jquery and the ketchup plugin for validation, found at http://demos.usejquery.com/ketchup-plugin/ . Let me know if you need help with getting it working.

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#43
Hey Mike

Could you (or anyone) take a quick read of this intro post? It's simply designed to collect some emails so when I launch, there's people to email etc. I'm wondering, well, if it sounds weird, or if it is convincing enough to get people to sign up. First "sales" letter I've really written.

Password is "a"

http://blog.minecraftsaver.com/2011/11/introducing-minecraft...

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#44

Hi, I love these helpful offers. :) I'd like to add to the generosity and offer a few things. - Detailed user feedback on your site/startup/app - A resume re-write (I used to be a technical resume writer) - Discuss your ideas/startup options on Skype, brainstorm some possibilities. I'm happy to help in anyway I can! I'm my user name on gmail.com Thanks all - Happy Holidays!

Helen, would love your feedback on http://www.uencounter.me - thanks.

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#45

I recently had my first interview for a programming internship that I was applying to. It was over the phone, and I more or less "froze up." I haven't had a lot of formal CS education - most of what I know has been self-taught. However, I'm looking for a way to prepare for interviews in the future. I have tried coding on the whiteboard, reviewing sorting algorithms, reading interview blogs, going over data structures…

You can work on your problem solving/programming skills online on a number of sites: * http://projecteuler.net/ * http://www.topcoder.com/ * http://www.spoj.pl/ * http://online-judge.uva.es/problemset/

As for keeping calm during the interviews, it would help to try to keep the frame of mind that you are just having a normal conversation with another person. Take a breath before giving an answer. This should also give you a few moments to compose an answer in your head. If you feel you need more time to think you can use a phrase that will buy you a few seconds like "That's an interesting question..." or "Let me think about this a bit", etc.

Finally, get some practice. Have conversations with people as frequently as possible. These don't have to be technical conversations, any situation where you get to practice framing your thoughts into clear, concise sentences will help. If possible also go on more interviews. Practice makes perfect. Don't get down on yourself if you do not get the job(s). It is usually not due to a deficiency on your part. Maybe the interviewer had a bad day. Maybe you sound/look like a person that the interviewer hates....

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#46

I run http://www.feedsapi.com and I loose too many customers on my funnel for the trial premium between the subscription step and the paypal payment step,( which is free to start: Users enter their datas and click on the submission button, but don't proceed to paypal, which is the next step). How can I fix this? I'm already runnning a multivariant test on my form to tweak the call to action text. Any advice? Thanks f…

Sure, here are my thoughts: - First thing I can tell you is that when you redirect to Paypal, you don't redirect to a localized version of Paypal. I was sent to the German version, for example. Probably going to turn off many of your visitors who aren't German-speaking. - Second, WHY are you asking for Paypal credentials if you're not asking for money. To most people, the perception is Paypal == monetary_transaction.…

Thanks for the help Mike, I will try to update the paypal landing page, wasn't aware of that. We indeed "turn short rss feed into full text rss feed" , that's the main title (yellow)

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#47
post #42

Well, since you helped me to find an awesome webhost last time, I figure I'll bite on some more generosity. :) I have a product that will be completed soon. I do not plan on selling this product through my site, but I do want to drive traffic there before and after release. I have kept myself socially detached on the Internet in the past and I do not have a Facebook and only recently embraced Twitter and G+. I am slo…

I've done something similar to this in the past. If you want to use mailchimp (which I would recommend), I pasted some example code for you at https://gist.github.com/1488819 . It uses jquery and the ketchup plugin for validation, found at http://demos.usejquery.com/ketchup-plugin/ . Let me know if you need help with getting it working.

Thanks for the code. I looked at MailChimp and the only reason I didn't go with them was to keep yet another service out of the stack. I'm not one to remember things easily so sprinkling bits and pieces of my structure around on different services is really limiting for me. That being said, I'm starting to see the value in using something like MailChimp and if I can't accomplish what I want in a few days with just PHP/Python, I might head there.

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#48

Hi, Some time back I started working on a DIY learning solution for Computer Science. It is based on the concept of peer based social learning. The website has courses which are a collection of material, forums, and activities. Participants consume the information, ask/answer questions, submit responses to activities, and even review other participant's responses. There are no certificates, but whatever a participant…

This is a great idea in a really crowded market. I browsed through the site and tested some functionality. Thoughts: - The site is quite text heavy. This is probably not a big issue for those highly-motivated to use the site, you're going to discourage use from the casual crowd...which seems to be a big attribute that your site promotes. Casual, self-paced learning. Right? - The various functions don't seem to be tie…

Hi Mike,

Thank you very much for your excellent feedback and for giving your time and effort. You have made very important observations. I will address all these concerns as I move ahead with the development.

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#49

I recently had my first interview for a programming internship that I was applying to. It was over the phone, and I more or less "froze up." I haven't had a lot of formal CS education - most of what I know has been self-taught. However, I'm looking for a way to prepare for interviews in the future. I have tried coding on the whiteboard, reviewing sorting algorithms, reading interview blogs, going over data structures…

Let's put the "interview" part of this aside. I think the biggest problem here is anxiety. There's a lot riding on the outcome of this conversation and that makes you choke. I suffer similarly and, agreeing with the other reply, practice is what it takes! There's a particular frame of mind that you can develop which turns these "interviews" into just another conversation. For me, the easiest way I was able to achieve this was by doing a lot of interviews.

Go to college job boards and blanket apply to everything. Learn what they are looking for in their hire and try your hardest to come across as that person. You don't have to lie. But applying for a job which you're not qualified (even remotely) will do a few things for you:

a) Most importantly, you don't care if you fumble. Enough rounds of not caring will become habit-forming after some time. The goal of these interviews is not to get the job. (A job offer will always help your ego, but you'll also learn how to say "no" and politely decline opportunities which aren't inline with your goals....another really helpful skill.) The primary goal is to help you stop caring about the outcome and focusing more about the conversation and providing value to the interviewer. They could be asking you about programming languages which you're not familiar with, but what's to stop you from sharing your interest in learning new languages and offering relevant anecdotes that communicate the value that you suspect the interviewer is looking for. (The skill here is reading people and understanding conversation flow.)

b) You'll improve your awareness of what companies are actually looking for in a developer. You'll learn where to best focus your time... what technologies, what tools are they using, what algorithms they are interested in, etc... Job descriptions aren't always reflective of what they are really looking for and talking with companies directly will help flesh these details out for you and give you a better professional roadmap than any university could give you.

c) You'll also learn that being a good developer isn't just about knowing algorithms and tools. Really good software engineers know how to put systems together in non-obvious ways. Being able to design solutions around impossible problems is a skill EVERYONE needs. Interviewers will constantly try to challenge you to understand your methodology and approach to solving these problems. "How many gas stations are optimal in a city?" "What is the optimal placement of a parked elevator in a 10-story building?" "What if there are two elevators? How does your algorithm change?" These questions can be tough, but practice will be the equalizer you need to really do well.

Some people might feel like this creates a lot of overhead for interviewers and is bad form. I completely disagree. But that's another conversation altogether. Hope this gives you some food for thought. Follow questions are welcome.

Re: Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings.)

#50
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to surround yourself with the sort of people whom you want to emulate. And no matter where you are, there's sure to be a community of programmers who are interested in getting together and talking about their trade. Colleges are obvious hotspots for this sort of activity, but also consider approaching some local tech companies for possible internships (even if they aren't looking for any). Seek out people on…

Thanks, I might be interested in moving to South Florida. I'd love to hear about those opportunities.

Sent you an email. :)
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