How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
Hey all, just wondering how you're preparing for interviews in 2026? I'm assuming system design plays a larger role and the bar is probably higher across all levels. Do I still need to grind leetcode?
be ready for zingers, like " what benefit do i get if i hire you for thousands of dollars a month, instead of paying a couple hundred for a few AI sessions?"
I’m not preparing much because I have quite a few years of experience under my belt.
Basically I read the JD, find some stories from my work that I can tell, brush up the CV for a bit and then that’s it. I don’t prepare for LC interviews and if I get one I just decline.
My employer's process is basically exactly the same: leetcode, system design, behavioural; we just tell candidates not to use AI. Hiring is one of the scarier decisions a manager can make so I think they will stay pretty conservative. Personally my philosophy is that the interview is an information-gathering session, not a workday simulation. So it makes sense to test your fundamentals even if in practice you may be delegating them most of the time.
Maybe AI-assisted coding? I just interviewed with Amazon and they are quite looking on how you use AI to finish a task with a wide scope. Leetcode is not the main part now though.