Why I Study so Hard for Interviews and Why You Should Too

When I come home from the library at 12am, my roomates ask me where I’ve been.

“Studying for my interviews.” I reply.

“When are they?” They ask.

“5 days from now.”

They ogled at me in disbelief and shock. Actually, that’s the reaction I get when I tell most people that I spend 12 hours a day in the library at the school studying and preparing for my interviews.

Why am I preparing so hard for interviews? Why am I studying so far ahead of time? What can I study? What is there to even prepare?

As a CS student looking for a good job, there is a lot to prepare. I can’t even begin to explain to you. I can write an entire post on what to prepare, but for now I’ll just give you a quick summary in case you’re interested.

I basically spend 5 days preparing by studying all technical questions and concepts related to my field, study my resume and what I have to say about each topic, study problem solving questions, work on creativity, etc etc.

What most people don’t realize is that there is a lot to prepare, especially if you’re applying for a very successful company, like Microsoft, Google, or Amazon. These companies get offers from some of the most elite people, so during interviews, they can and will most likely ask some of the difficult questions you’ll ever see.

Statistics show that most students retain about 15% of what they learn from a school course. Then take into account that these big companies will quiz you on about 80% of the concepts you’ve learned in each of your courses. If you don’t prepare and review your courses, then you are walking in with a 15% knowledge.

But maybe you’re smarter than the rest. Maybe you really really paid attention in class, or did all your assignments, or bugged the prof thoroughly on any concepts you couldn’t quite grasp until you knew it inside out. Maybe you actually came out of that course retaining 50% of everything you learned instead of 15%.

Well congrats, now you’re walking into your interview with 50% of knowledge when they’re going to quiz you on 80%.

You’re taking the risk that other people don’t know more than you, because if they do, chances are they’ll be hired over you.

The reason why I study hard for interviews is for one main reason: I want the job and I want to be the best candidate out there. I’m going to maximize my chances of getting that job.

I want to get that offer, and I’m going to prepare until I am confident that I can convince the interviewer that I am the one who is most knowledgeable, who is the best fit, and who knows the most. The one who is able to analyze problems, recall old school concepts, and be creative on the spot when he is called to.

I realize that studying for interviews cut into school time. Your school marks will be affected especially if you’re like me and are dedicating 5 full days to studying for that interview.

But here’s why studying for interviews is much much more important than completing that assignment. The reason we go to University is so that when we graduate, we can land a higher paying, better job.

So goddamn, if you’re in school so you can get a good job, then when it’s time to get that job, forget about school. Go get that job! Drop your school priorities for that moment in time, and aim to prepare as hard as you can for those job interviews, so you can snag the job of your choice when the time comes.

If you want to have great marks to show off, then it’s a great idea to study for school and not worry too much about interviews. We’ve been taught that school is priority, and we should focus on getting the best marks, and learning the most we can. We’ve been told that our tuition is very expensive, so make sure to make the most out of your education. It’s quite the asian culture, to get the bang for your buck.

But in the end, where do great marks take you? So your parents can show you off at fancy cocktail parties? So you can boast to everyone about how smart you really are? So you can tell me that you’re better than me because you have a 90% average and I have 75% average?

Sure buddy, tell me that when I’m rolling in my money and my fancy cars while I work for the big shot companies because I spent my time studying where I should be studying. Who cares if you beat me in school? I got the better job, and achieved what I came here to achieve.

The truth is, school is in fact a priority. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you not to focus on school. I’m telling you to think about why you went to school.

You went to school to get a great job. You went to school to become a successful person in the future, with a stable income and a great career that you love.

I’m saying that, when potential employers are heading to your campus to scout potential candidates, you better get your ass out there. And when you are one of the lucky few to receive a job interview, study your face off until you can recite your entire course in your head. Study until you can teach everything you’ve learned to someone who has no clue about your topic, like your grandmother.

Put it all on the line, because this is why we’re all here. To get easier access to those otherwise hard-to-get jobs.

That’s why I’m studying so hard. I’m looking to gain an edge against other people. I’m looking to gain an edge against the brainiacs. To gain an edge over the ones who have the higher marks. I’m going to go into those interviews, and show them that marks doesn’t mean anything, and that I can get the job done.

By preparing for my interviews, I can show them that I understand all the concepts I’ve learned in school. That I know where I want to be in 5 years. And that I know why I’m such a great fit for this company and why I deserve that shot.

Because I studied hard.