[accent]Now that your mobile app development skills and impressive mobile resume have landed you in the interview chair, it’s time to win the offer for this job! Take some time to prepare for your interview with tips just for mobile app developers.[/accent]
Be Honest and Take It Easy On Yourself
Nobody really “enjoys” interviews because in essence, they’re an exercise in judgment and critical evaluation. If you’re not the most eloquent or comfortable speaker, don’t let that freak you out. You’re not there to audition for a Broadway show; you’re there to speak openly and honestly about why you’d do the best job solving this company’s mobile development problems. Just prepare for the interview ahead of time, be yourself and the focus on what makes you a great developer.
Practice Your Responses
You can’t predict exactly what you’ll be asked, so it pays to practice answering the most common mobile development interview questions ahead of time. Practice talking about your coding and language expertise, the projects you are most proud of and what you’d like to focus your development on in the future. Other common topics include problem solving strategies, applications you’ve published, how quickly you adopt new technologies, architecture/platform preferences and current mobile industry trends.
Be Prepared To Show Off Your Published Work
At some point during the interview, you’ll have a chance to impress your interviewer with your published application. Your work should be easy to access and share, whether you are handing your interviewer a smart phone with the app queued up, or you’re sending them screenshots of the user experience. Be ready to talk about the highlights of your app, what makes it so valuable to the user and how successful it has been. If you’re not presenting your app in person, create a narration to accompany either the app or screen shots that accomplishes the same thing.
Let Them See Your Creative Side
You know mobile application development isn’t ALL about specs and algorithms, and your interviewer knows it too. Don’t forget to talk about your creative skills during the interview or you’ll miss out on a great chance to impress your future employer. Talk about how you focus on design and user experience elements in your work as well as the strength of your Java skills. Great mobile apps are both technically advanced and pleasing to the user so make sure your interviewer knows you develop with both in mind.
Use Examples Specifically Tailored To Their Needs
Since you’ve researched the company you’re interviewing with (you have done that by now, right?) you have an idea of what their mobile challenges and opportunities are. Why not use that information to your advantage in the interview by tailoring your responses and questions to their specific needs? Think about the business goals they are trying to accomplish and how you can translate that into a well designed mobile solution. It’s best not to steer the conversation specifically to accomplish this, but if the chance comes up organically to talk about how you would solve their problems, go for it!
Ask Your Own Questions
Last but not least, think about questions you want to ask your interviewer about the company, the culture, your role, etc. This proves that you’ve done your homework and you are genuinely interested in the role and becoming part of the team.
See? You just coasted through your mobile development interview with flying colors and all it took was a little preparation and creativity. Consider yourself that much closer to an amazing mobile application development job!
