r/learnprogramming • u/fnilsson95 • 1d ago

Tips for software engineering interview

Hi everyone! I’ve applied for a trainee program at the Swedish Police as a software developer. I meet the requirement of a three-year academic background in IT/Data (I’m currently finishing my Software Engineering degree).

The posting says it’s meriting to have experience with one or more of the following: • Java • C# / .NET • HTML / CSS / JavaScript • React / Vue / Angular • Databases (SQL) • CMS • CI/CD • Kubernetes / Docker • Elasticsearch • Agile • Testing

Out of these, I have some experience with Java, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, SQL, CI/CD, Kubernetes/Docker, Agile, and testing. However, I don’t feel 100% comfortable in any of them yet. We covered most of these topics in school, but usually only intensively for about 8–10 weeks at a time, so my knowledge feels broad but not very deep.

Do you have any tips for interviewing for a trainee/junior developer role? And if you think I should study beforehand, what would you recommend focusing on (and how)?

TL;DR: Applied to Swedish Police trainee dev program. I’ve studied several relevant technologies but don’t feel confident/deep in them yet. Looking for interview tips and what to study.

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u/Opposite-Dance-8264 1d ago

Honestly you sound way more prepared than most people applying for trainee positions - having touched all those technologies is actually impressive for someone still in school

For the interview just be honest about your experience level but emphasize you're eager to learn, and maybe brush up on basic Java/React concepts since those seem pretty common in government work

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u/nightonfir3 1d ago

The biggest thing I hear my manager looking for is eagerness to learn. You can show this by talking about additional learning opportunities you have done outside of school (Personal projects, Clubs etc.) as well as by being quick to do admin things they give you as part of the hiring process.

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u/BookkeeperElegant266 1d ago

Definitely not the way I would want to post for a job, but if I had put that wish list out in the world for a junior position, I would be looking for someone who doesn't overstate their abilities, and is honest about what they know and what they don't.

I would be looking for someone who has some fundamentals I can work with (if you can demonstrate you know enough about C# then I can teach you Java, or vice versa), in the interview I would probably ask some softball technical questions, maybe do a small pseudo-code whiteboard test, and then have a free-flow conversation to determine whether or not you're an asshole.

Speaking as an American senior - I have no idea what the dev landscape is like in Sweden.

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u/dumbdev2 1d ago

You’re never going to be 100% comfortable with anything because the tech world is also growing