How to Perform Well
Learn some helpful tips on how to perform during a system design interview.
What to do during the interview
We stress that a candidate should make an effort to avoid looking unoriginal. The interviewer has probably asked the same question to many candidates. Reproducing a run-of-the-mill design might not impress the interviewer.
At the same time, an interview can be a stressful situation. Having a plan to attack the problem might be a good strategy. Depending on the candidate, there can be multiple strategies to attack a design problem. We suggest the following technique.
Strategize, then divide and conquer
We recommend including the following activities somewhere in the interview:
We need to understand the design problem and its requirements. To do this, we can put on our product manager hat and prioritize the main features by asking the interviewer refining questions. The idea is to go on a journey with the interviewer about why our design is good. These interviews are designed to gauge if we’re able to logically derive a system out of vague requirements. ...
