Technical Interview Preparation
Preparation matched to your level: knowledge, thinking out loud, system design and concrete stories.
This program is planned and not scheduled yet. No date, price or cohort has been announced. If you register interest, we contact you when it is scheduled or to discuss an individual format.
Objective
The preparation aims to give you a systematic approach to technical interviews at your level: checking Java, Spring and SQL knowledge, explaining a coding problem out loud, structuring a system design interview and answering behavioural questions with concrete stories. It is preparation; it does not guarantee a job.
Who it's for
- People preparing for first interviews for a junior Java role
- Engineers preparing for interviews to move to a middle level
- Those preparing for system design and leadership questions in senior backend interviews
- Those who struggle to communicate their knowledge clearly in interviews
Who it's not for
- Those who have only just started learning backend; a training program fits better first
- Those looking for a guarantee of finding a job; no preparation can offer one
- Those who want to memorise answers; the preparation rests on understanding and explaining
Prerequisites
- At least basic working experience with Java or backend (a personal project counts)
- A decision on your target level (junior, middle, senior)
- A first version of your CV or GitHub profile
- Readiness to set aside regular time each week for preparation
What you will be able to do
What you will be able to do
- Find your gaps in Java core, Spring Boot and SQL and build a preparation plan
- Solve a coding problem while explaining your thought process out loud
- Approach a system design interview with requirements, estimates, components and trade-offs
- Answer behavioural questions with concrete stories in STAR format
- Explain your own project in terms of architecture, decisions and lessons
- Simplify your CV and GitHub profile so they show real achievements
No education program can guarantee employment or a promotion.
Curriculum
Curriculum
- 01
Target level and gap analysis
Understand interview expectations by level and see your actual knowledge state.
- Junior, middle and senior interview expectations
- A diagnostic question set
- Prioritising gaps
- An individual preparation plan
- A preparation journal and tracking progress
Hands-on lab: Answer diagnostic questions and produce a gap map and a four-week preparation plan.
- 02
Java, Spring and SQL fundamentals
Explain frequently asked topics by mechanism rather than by memorisation.
- Collections, equals/hashCode and immutability
- Concurrency: threads, locks, executors
- Spring: bean lifecycle, transactions, proxies
- SQL: joins, indexes, transaction isolation
- JPA: N+1, lazy loading, flush
Hands-on lab: Record a two-minute spoken explanation for each topic and self-assess it.
- 03
Coding interviews
Solve a problem while thinking out loud, with test cases.
- Clarifying questions for the problem
- From brute force to an optimal solution
- Explaining time and space complexity
- Edge cases and test examples
- Handling yourself when you get stuck
Hands-on lab: Solve six given problems while explaining aloud and receive written feedback.
- 04
System design interviews
Turn an open question into a structured design discussion in limited time.
- Clarifying requirements
- Back-of-the-envelope capacity estimation
- API and data model
- Components, scaling and bottlenecks
- Stating trade-offs openly
Hands-on lab: A 40-minute mock and written feedback on two design questions, such as a URL shortener and a notification system.
- 05
Behavioural questions and STAR stories
Prepare concrete, verifiable stories from real experience.
- STAR structure: situation, task, action, result
- A story bank: conflict, failure, leadership
- Making your own role clear
- Drawing lessons from failure
- Answering vague questions
Hands-on lab: Write six STAR stories from real experience and rehearse them aloud.
- 06
Presenting your own projects
Explain a project in terms of architecture, decisions and lessons.
- A short project pitch (two minutes)
- Justifying architectural decisions
- Responding well to a question you cannot answer
- Improvement opportunities in the project
- Anticipating demo and code questions
Hands-on lab: A presentation plan for one project and a list of ten likely questions with answers.
- 07
Mock interviews and written feedback
Practice under realistic conditions with structured feedback.
- Interview formats: phone, technical, panel
- Simulating a mock interview
- Written feedback: strengths, gaps, next steps
- Repeat mocks and progress
- A habit of post-interview review
Hands-on lab: Two full mock interviews and a correction plan from the written feedback for each.
- 08
CV and GitHub review
Bring profiles to a state that shows real experience honestly and clearly.
- CV structure and concrete outcomes
- Presenting achievements without exaggeration
- GitHub profile: READMEs and repository hygiene
- Choosing and presenting projects
- Consistency across LinkedIn and other profiles
Hands-on lab: A written review of your CV and two repositories, and a revised version.
Practice assignments
- Diagnostic questions and a gap map
- Six coding problems, explained aloud
- Two system design answers and written feedback
- Six STAR stories
Portfolio deliverables
- An individual preparation plan
- A STAR story bank
- A project presentation plan and a Q&A list
- An updated CV and GitHub profile after review
How learning is assessed
- Mock technical interviews with written feedback
- Structured feedback on system design answers
- Review of STAR stories and the project presentation (recommendations, not a certificate)
Tools and technologies
- Java 21
- Spring Boot
- PostgreSQL
- IntelliJ IDEA
- Git / GitHub
- Excalidraw / draw.io
- Note templates
- Mock interview rubrics
Level progression
- Before
- Core knowledge at your target level and at least one project of experience.
- After
- The matching level program or a career roadmap, to close gaps found in interviews.
- Length and format
- Length and format are not set yet; the program is planned and not scheduled.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this program available now?
No. It is planned and not scheduled. No dates or prices are announced. You can request a consultation.
Will this get me a job?
No. No program can guarantee a job or an interview result. This is preparation, not a guarantee.
Which levels is the preparation for?
Junior, middle and senior. Content and questions are adapted to your level, and the format is agreed in a consultation.
Do you make us memorise interview answers?
No. The focus is understanding mechanisms and explaining your thinking clearly, not memorising ready-made answers.
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