Asking for tips from the hiring manager before a technical interview?

manpreet Best Answer 3 years ago

So I applied for this company (for entry-level software development position) and have already talked to the hiring manager (who does not have any technical expertise). We set up a technical interview with some of the team members for the specific team I would be working for (this would be the Senior software developers). I am trying to get all the tips I can leading up to this interview. Here are some questions I have:

• Would it be smart to reach back out to the hiring manager and ask her for tips?
• Would it be smart to track down the senior developers on LinkedIn and ask for tips?

My guess to the second question would be no. But just wondering. Thanks.

manpreet 3 years ago

If they were to give you tips it would give you an advantage on the technical interview. Although you went through the effort of asking, unfortunately this is not usually how it works.

The best thing to do if you want to contact the hiring manager is so email them and ask

What is involved in the technical interview? What should I expect? Do I need to bring anything?

This would help you prepare and reduce the chance of any major surprises (should they reply).

Would it be smart to track down the senior developers on LinkedIn and ask for tips?

You could track them down, but I do not recommend contacting them and saying I'm going to have an interview what tips can you give me. This just makes it sound like you're looking for an easy way into the company without completing the necessary steps that every other candidate needs to go through. Best place to look for tips is places like glassdoor where you can see what previous candidates have said about them and their interview process (assuming they've had similar posts in the past).