The First Interview Stage

During your first interview, you’re likely meeting with a recruiter or the hiring manager themselves (especially if you’re interviewing with a smaller company). This is often a phone call, but can sometimes be a video interview as well.

The purpose of this interview is to get to know you more and confirm you’re qualified - for example, you do in fact have the number of years of experience they listed on their resume, or experience with specific programming languages

• Write down basic questions in advance. Write down any basic questions you have regarding compensation, general responsibilities, remote vs. in-person structure, or other big-picture questions you want to confirm.
• Be ready to answer basic questions about your resume: Review the resume you submitted before the call so it’s fresh in your memory. If the interviewer asks for more detail on a specific bullet point - you want to be ready to provide more context.
• Have your materials ready: Keep a copy of your resume, cover letter, and any notes you may need nearby. You can refer to them if necessary.

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Some common interview questions to prep for during the first interview stage include: 

1.     Why are you looking for a new position currently?

2.     What are you looking for in your next position?

3.     Is there a specific type of company or industry that you're targeting?

4.     What size of teams have you worked on?

5.     What is your ideal company size?

6.     What technologies and coding languages do you know?

7.     Are you interviewing with any other companies?

8.     What are your salary expectations?

9.     What’s your ideal timeline and start date for beginning a new job?