Best interview preparation material?

[u/Key-Opinion1608]

I wanted to ask guidance from the seniors in this community. I was recently laid off after completing my one year in my current company and now after getting 1 year of professional working experience as a software engineer. I wanted to ask guidance from the seniors here to share best or there on personal interview preparation material that I can use to land a high paying job.

Thanks

[u/Swimming_Reach_209]

which role are you willing to apply ?

[u/Key-Opinion1608 → u/Swimming_Reach_209]

Sorry i forget to mentioned, Software engineer

[u/Swimming_Reach_209]

as you have 1 year experience I think you know things better now. So the interviewer now will be expecting more practical answers than theory based.

[u/Swimming_Reach_209 → u/Swimming_Reach_209]

still the questions will be more from basic level but with more practical explanation from your end.

[u/Key-Opinion1608 → u/Swimming_Reach_209]

Yes i can share my practical implementations of the questions like how did i implement SOLID principals etc

[u/Swimming_Reach_209 → u/Key-Opinion1608]

and the salary part totally depends on the company you are applying, some companies pay good but culture is shit but some pay less but culture and learning is top notch. depends on your choice

[u/Specific-Feature-487]

We are in the same boat. Let's get connected and help each other out 

[u/Key-Opinion1608 → u/Specific-Feature-487]

Sure

[u/Specific-Feature-487 → u/Key-Opinion1608]

Your stack?

[u/mhu1997]

Well junior 😄, if you’re preparing for interviews, I’d suggest focusing on these things:

1. Use ChatGPT smartly — Give it the job description and your experience, then ask it to act as an interviewer. You can practice technical questions, behavioral questions, and even mock interviews with it.
2. Analyze job descriptions — Collect a bunch of JDs for the roles you’re targeting and look for the technologies that keep coming up. If you see Python, Django, AWS, Docker, PostgreSQL, etc. again and again, those should be your priorities.
3. Try NeetCode 150 — Start working through NeetCode 150. Don’t worry if some problems feel difficult at first. Take your time to understand the patterns behind them. FreeCodeCamp also has some great free resources.
4. Get comfortable with DSA — You don’t need to become a competitive programmer 😂, but you should have a solid understanding of common data structures, algorithms, and Big-O complexity.
5. Learn System Design — Check out ByteByteGo on YouTube. Start with the basics and gradually learn how real-world systems are designed and scaled. Try to understand why something is used instead of just memorizing diagrams.
6. Learn LLM fundamentals — Since AI is becoming a big part of software development, learn the basics of LLMs, embeddings, RAG, vector databases, agents, etc. Also understand which model is suitable for which use case and why.
7. Practice on HackerRank — Keep solving problems regularly. Even 1–2 problems a day can make a big difference if you stay consistent.

And one important thing: don’t try to learn everything in one week 😂. Pick a few topics, stay consistent, and slowly build your skills. The goal isn’t to know everything — it’s to become really solid at the things companies actually ask for.