After much research, you’ve finally landed on the coding bootcamp that is right for you! Now it’s time to prepare for the coding bootcamp admissions process. Most coding bootcamps incorporate an interview process for all prospective students. Coding bootcamp interviews resemble job interviews, and that can sometimes spark anxiety as you prepare for this part of the admissions process.
It’s important to familiarize yourself with the frequently asked questions that coding bootcamp interviewers ask. Being prepared to answer these questions can significantly improve your odds of being admitted into a coding bootcamp. This article breaks down the six most commonly asked questions in a coding bootcamp interview and examples of how to approach these questions.
Here are some popular questions that coding bootcamps ask prospective students during the interview process:
1. Tell me about yourself
This is the most popular question used in interviews and is typically asked at the beginning of most interviews. Interviewers ask this question not only as an icebreaker to the conversation but as a means to get to know you. This question is an opportunity for you to make a good first impression by displaying how effectively you can communicate, create a genuine connection, and present yourself professionally.
The best way to address this question is through a formula developed by Lily Zhang, Manager of Graduate Student Professional Development at the MIT Media Lab: present, past, and future.
- Present: Discuss what your current role is and a recent accomplishment that you’re proud of.
- Past: Tell the interviewer how you got to your “present”, including any relevant work experience.
- Future: Describe your aspirations, and what you are interested in doing next in your career
Example: I began my career as a Sales Associate at T-Mobile, which helped me develop my customer service skills and piqued my interest in technical support as I helped customers resolve cellular issues. In my current role as Tech Support Specialist, I am responsible for providing technical, software, and hardware support and assistance to both internal and external clients. I have worked in this role for 2.5 years. While I have enjoyed my work, I am looking to further challenge myself in the tech field and I believe the way to do that is to learn to code.
2. What inspired you to learn to code?
This is the time to let your passion shine in the interview. Your interviewer is interested in knowing why you are excited about learning to code and what motivated you to make this change. Your level of interest can show how committed you are to dedicating time to your coding bootcamp. It is important that you are able to articulate why you want to make a career change by learning to code.
You should be descriptive in your answer and share a story about how you discovered code and determined that you wanted to dedicate time to learning it. In addition, it can be helpful to show how you have already begun to make an effort to learn to code on your own, including any video tutorials, books, blogs, or other resources you might have used to dabble in coding.
Example: I spent the bulk of my career working for civic organizations developing programs that helped people engage in their community. I recently had the opportunity to work with a tech organization on a project where I collaborate with developers on their team to create a web and mobile application. I found myself intrigued by their work and excited by what could be possible in the civic tech space. After wrapping up the project, I wanted to learn to code and began dabbling in free coding tutorials on YouTube. I quickly realized that I loved what I was learning, and I wanted to dedicate more time to learning to code and incorporate it into my career.
3. What experience do you have coding?
Whether you’re new to coding or have a background in programming, there is a coding bootcamp out there for you. It is important, however, to ensure that you are attending a coding bootcamp that will meet your technical needs. Some coding bootcamps offer programs for beginners to coding, while others provide more advanced courses to experienced programmers.
Interviewers ask this question to ensure their coding bootcamp is the right fit for you so it is important to be honest about what programming languages you know. Additionally, you can discuss any relevant projects you have worked on and share any areas you are interested in learning more about.
Example: I have taken several free online coding courses that have taught me CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. I have used these programming languages to build multiple websites over the years. I am interested in developing my knowledge in Python through this coding bootcamp.
4. What are your career interests?
The goal of this question is to understand what you want to learn during your time at coding bootcamp, and what you are interested in pursuing both short-term and long-term. Similar to the coding experience questions, interviewers ask this question to understand if their program and course offerings align with your career aspirations. For example, you don’t want to be stuck at a Data Science bootcamp if you want to be a Front End Web Developer.
Example: I want to become a Data Scientist. I am interested in learning Python, machine learning, databases, and SQL, which this bootcamp’s curriculum covers extensively. In addition, I look forward to learning more about data visualization skills and becoming AWS Machine Learning certified.
5. Tell me about a time you worked on a team?
Many coding bootcamps aim to create a collaborative and social learning environment for their students to learn in. Developers often work with technical and non-technical roles to complete complex projects. Interviewers want to understand how good of a collaborator you are. This is the time to discuss projects you have been part of or teams you have managed previously. When addressing behavioral questions such as this one, you should answer using the STAR Format:
- S ituation: Set the scene by describing the necessary details needed for your example.
- T ask: Explain what you were responsible for in the situation
- A ction: Share what specific steps you took to address the situation
- R esult: Close with the results of your efforts
Example: As a Marketing and Communications Associate, my job was to manage the company’s online brand, including the organization’s website. When I was interested in updating the website, I had to coordinate with multiple people from across our organization, including the Leadership team, IT, Operations, Marketing, and Customer Service departments. It was my job to get everyone’s input about improving the website, creating a plan to increase the functionality of our website, and executing it before the end of the fiscal year. Our clients received the website created positively, and our staff members reported feeling engaged and heard throughout the process.
6. How do you prioritize tasks and manage deadlines?
Interviewers ask this question to assess how you manage your time effectively, which is a crucial skill to have to navigate coding bootcamp and as a developer in the field. When answering this question, you want to be specific about how you manage your workload. You should convey that you are reliable and able to get work done independently in a timely fashion.
Example: I manage my workload by creating a to-do list. I document each of my projects, including their deadlines, and rank them by order of importance. This method allows me to prioritize which tasks I need to work on each day and maintain my workflow.
Ready to start your coding career?
Are you interested in finding the coding bootcamp that’s right for you? Check out Noble Desktop’s coding bootcamps. You can take in-person classes at Noble’s location in NYC or attend a live online coding bootcamp from anywhere in the world. You can also find other coding bootcamps in your area using Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool.