Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Ace Technical Interviews
Transcript
- Lucas: So, a 2025 survey from Course Report found that 62 percent of bootcamp graduates say the technical interview is the single most stressful part of the job search. Luna: That tracks. I remember my first technical interview — I froze on a whiteboard for what felt like an hour. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what we're digging into today: three concrete strategies to help bootcamp grads actually ace the technical interview, not just survive it. Luna: First one? I'm guessing it's about whiteboarding practice. Lucas: Yeah, but with a twist. Most people practice on a laptop — they type code with autocomplete, run tests, iterate quickly. That's fine for take-home assignments, but in a live interview you're usually standing at a whiteboard with a marker. Luna: Totally different muscle. You have to talk through your thought process while drawing lines. Lucas: Right. So my suggestion: buy a small whiteboard or use a window with dry-erase markers, and practice solving problems out loud. Record yourself if you can. The goal is to get comfortable with the awkwardness of thinking on your feet. Luna: I used to time myself — ten minutes per problem, no cheating. If I got stuck, I had to talk through it even if it was dumb. Lucas: That's smart. And the second strategy is about telling a story with your portfolio projects. A lot of bootcamp grads have one or two solid capstone projects, but they struggle to explain the technical decisions behind them. Luna: Like, 'I built a weather app' — that tells me nothing. I need to hear why you chose React over Vue, or how you handled API rate limiting. Lucas: Exactly. So before the interview, write down for each project: what problem it solved, what two or three technical tradeoffs you made, and what the measurable outcome was. If it's deployed, mention usage stats. Luna: Even if it's just a side project — say 'I refactored the database queries and cut load time by 40 percent.' That's gold. Lucas: And the third strategy: nail the behavioral questions using STAR — Situation, Task, Action, Result. But bootcamp grads often use examples from their previous career, which is fine, but they forget to connect it to engineering. Luna: Right. If you were a teacher, don't just say 'I managed a classroom.' Say 'I implemented a new grading system that saved 10 hours per week, and then I adapted that workflow to my coding projects.' Lucas: That's it. Bridge the old skills to new context. Interviewers want to see that you're reflective and can translate experience. Luna: One more thing: what about when you're stuck on a whiteboard? That panic is real. Lucas: I've got a trick. Before you even start the problem, take a breath — a slow three-second inhale, hold for two, exhale for four. It forces your nervous system to calm down. Then repeat the problem back to the interviewer to buy time. Luna: Works. And it shows you're listening. So the three strategies: whiteboard practice, project storytelling, and STAR with a bridge. Lucas: Plus the breathing trick. That's the bonus. Luna: Good. I think a lot of listeners are probably in the middle of their job search right now, and this advice is exactly what you'd get from a good career coach. Lucas: If this episode was useful, the way we keep the show ad-free and focused is through listener support. You can buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — all lowercase. It's a simple way to say 'hey, this helped me,' and it keeps the podcast independent. Luna: Yeah, every little bit helps us keep putting out specific, actionable episodes like this one. Lucas: So to wrap: technical interviews are stressful, but they're also learnable. Practice the whiteboard, tell a real story about your projects, and use STAR to frame your experience. Luna: And next time you get a tough question, just breathe. Lucas: Exactly. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time on The Career Change Podcast.