As a junior developer it can be pretty hard landing a job interview at first, let alone pass all the necessary stages to actually get the job. Sometimes you can even lose some of that motivation you had when you sent your CV, just because it took the technical interviewer a whole week to check that project you've submitted.
In this article you will learn how you can use the time you have between interviews for productivity.
Mindset.
When waiting for an interview or even after passing one stage of an interview we usually spend a lot of time thinking about how it went or how will it be. "was I good?", "did I pass?", "will it work?". These thoughts are usually a symptom of overthinking or overplanning. not only in interviews but in all encounters in life if you try to plan the conversation you will soon realize that everything goes in a way you did not expect (good or bad). So if your next meeting is unpredictable, trying to plan or worry about it is a waste of time, especially when you know you're putting your 120% to it anyway.
Be Present.
As you should be fully present and committed while on an interview you should also be present in the moment you are in right now. Yes you've done that assignment they've asked you to but what now? instead of just waiting for the interviewer to contact you in a couple of days or even weeks, you can work on some personal projects. keep building up that portfolio of yours, try out some new technologies, get a quick freelance gig, write a blog! The more you surround yourself with what you want the more rewarding it'll be. Even if this interview didn't work out for one of many reasons there can be, at least you know that you didn't spend your time waiting for nothing and you actually used the time you had in between and gained double the experience.
Interviews can be a pain, especially if they don't work out eventually and it can sometimes even be demoralizing so:
- Make the best of the time you have on your hands.
- Never be dependent on something that is not concrete or is unpredictable.
- Do not invest your time in waiting if you can use it for self development.