Crack your next SDET Interview in 7 Steps.

Babu Manickam
5 min readSep 29, 2022

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Introduction

For the software test engineer position, SDET interview can be a defining moment in your career. If you don’t prepare for the interview, it could mean that your application is rejected and you’ll have to start all over again. The good news is that with some preparation, taking a few steps before your next SDET interview can help ensure success.

Identify the top 20 companies to apply

To help you identify the top 20 companies to apply to, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular employers. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should give you plenty of options to choose from when it comes time for your next job search:

  • Glassdoor — A site where employees submit reviews about their jobs and employers can also post their own. If a company is low on stars or has many negative reviews, this may be an indication that they’re not being proactive about keeping employees happy and engaged with the workplace culture.
  • Job boards — The most prominent job boards include Indeed and Naukri (which also offers some free services). These sites allow users to search for specific jobs by location or keywords like “SDET”. You’ll want to look at these sites daily until one catches your eye!
  • LinkedIn Recruiter — This tool allows candidates who are interested in working within your industry but don’t know anyone personally who has done so before (or even if they’re looking specifically for someone with experience similar than yours), then this would be ideal place where one could find out more about potential opportunities before committing too much time into reaching out directly via email communication only.

Find out their recent interview format

One of the best ways to get a feel for what they’re like is by checking out their website and social media accounts. You can find this information in the Leetcode as well.

You should also check out the job description and company blog. If there’s a lot of information about how they hire people, it may give you some insight into how they work with candidates in general (e.g., if there are no clear instructions about how to apply).

Pick a programming language

You need to pick a programming language that you are comfortable with. If you are not familiar with the language, it will be very hard for you to crack an interview. Instead of picking a language that is popular or most appropriate for your skill level and experience, focus on picking one that will give you confidence in your ability to learn it quickly.

For example: If someone is interested in learning Java but they don’t have any experience with either Python or C++ then they should consider learning Java instead because it has more resources available online than other languages (eBooks).

Sharpen your Data Structure and Algorithm fundamentals for interviews

Data structures and algorithms are the two key areas that you need to focus on when preparing yourself for an interview.

Data Structures: These are used to store data in memory, which helps the computer process it faster. For example, if you want to store a list of numbers in a computer, you would use an array (also called a linked list) or linked list. An array is like a table where each row has its own number and column. A linked list is similar but instead of having one number per row/column there can be many numbers per row/column!

Algorithms: An algorithm is simply a set of instructions telling how something should be done rather than what will happen once it’s done; for example “move from point A at time t1 until point B at time t2”. This can be very useful when working with computers because they’re able to follow these instructions without any prior knowledge about them required — just give me some code & I’ll figure out what happens afterwards myself!

Practice for the coding interview

Practice for the coding interview with Leetcode.

When you’re preparing for an interview, it’s important to practice with a friend or on your own using Platforms like Leetcode or HackerRank. This will allow you to get used to how the person interviewing you acts in real life and how they ask questions. It also gives them a chance to get comfortable with your answers before the actual test day comes around!

A great way of practicing is by using one of these programming languages: Python, C++ and Java (or any other similar language). If possible, try coding something up for each of these languages (even if only small tasks) — this will help ensure that whatever interview format they use is something that makes sense within those specific constraints. Make sure though not only do they understand what each step does but also why!!

Prepare for the framework design interview

The framework design interview is about your understanding of the design patterns and how you build framework from scratch. It’s not just about code, but also about how you think about designs and communicate with others. You can refer to refactoring.guru site to learn more about design patterns in detail.

Prepare for the behavioural interview

Once you’ve gotten the interview, it’s time to prepare. The best way to do this is by preparing yourself for what may happen during the behavioral interview.

  • Use STAR technique to organise your answers to behavioural questions. Situation: Share details about the situation that gave rise to the task Task: Explain what you needed to achieve or the problems you had to solve, focusing on the scope, severity or specific benchmarks or outcomes you had to hit Action: Explain what you did to meet your objectives, describing options you had and how you made decisions Results: Describe the outcome of your actions and what you learnt

Negotiating the offer package

You can negotiate the offer package by making a few small changes and you need to prepare for before your interview is salary negotiation.

  • Don’t accept an offer immediately if it’s too low. If they give you a salary below market value, don’t just take it; negotiate upwards!

Following these steps should help you crack your next SDET interview.

If you follow these steps, your chances of success at the SDET interview are high. If you need help, please reach out to testleaf.com for details.

Conclusion

You should now have all the plans and tools you need to crack your next SDET interview. Now that you’re well-equipped with a thorough research of companies and their interviews, it’s time to start practicing!

Start preparing by following the steps above and systematizing your preparations so they become second nature.

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Babu Manickam
Babu Manickam

Written by Babu Manickam

Author, Speaker, Mentor and Coach - Test Automation & DevOps

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