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Vulnerability True: Surviving Brutal Code Reviews and Tech Interviews

Cecy C.
June 08, 2019

Vulnerability True: Surviving Brutal Code Reviews and Tech Interviews

Let's talk about vulnerability in tech. Two aspects of our careers in which we're the most vulnerable are code reviews and tech interviews.

We’ve all been there: getting ripped apart in a pull request or having a really bad tech interview. Those are times we can feel at our most vulnerable, especially if the experience is particularly negative. These events cause us to doubt our abilities, make us question our career choices, and in some cases, lead some to leave the industry altogether due to burnout. How do we protect ourselves through these vulnerable events?

In this talk, I will give actionable feedback on how to improve our collective code review and tech interview experience.

We'll learn how to write bullet-proof pull requests to minimize unproductive feedback, and how to talk to your manager or teammates about improving the code review process.

We'll also cover how to prepare yourself both technically and mentally for technical interviews, and how to deal with the fallback of a negative tech interview in ways that are productive and healing for you.

Cecy C.

June 08, 2019
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Transcript

  1. Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews Cecy Correa // @cecycorrea

    // self conference 2019 1 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews {vulnerability: true}
  2. Presentation theme goes here Bullet-proof PRs • Make your PR

    as small as possible • Provide context • Provide visuals
 (where applicable) 17 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  3. Small PRs aka Extreme Slicing EXTREME SLICING is the practice

    of breaking down a task into its smallest possible sub-tasks 18 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews SMOL BOI
  4. Presentation theme goes here Put your PR in Context •

    Context is king • JIRA / Trello / ticket • Problem you’re solving • Solution 19 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews THE CONTEXT KING
  5. Presentation theme goes here What if that still doesn’t work?

    22 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  6. Presentation theme goes here Define success as a team 26

    Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  7. “The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the

    code and the product, and any unpleasant tones of one-upmanship should be avoided. Remember that the code is not the author and the author is not the code. Do not take or make things personal.” 28 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  8. Good feedback •Actionable •In context •Sets people on the right

    path 34 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  9. "When people think they did poorly, even if they actually

    didn’t, they may be a lot less likely to want to work with you.” Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews 44
  10. Prep before the interview During the interview After the interview

    Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews 48
  11. Presentation theme goes here Before the interview • Do practice

    with katas • Don’t over prepare • Do prepare talking points • Do research the company 49 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews CODEWARS.COM
  12. Presentation theme goes here During the interview • Bring comfy

    shoes, water • Make sure your code works • Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need 51 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  13. You only get nervous when you really want something 52

    Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews
  14. Emotional First Aid • Write it down • Identify lessons

    learned • Focus on factors you can control 55 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews 55
  15. Focus on factors you can control WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

    I had a headache I didn’t come across as technical 56 WHAT YOU CAN’T CONTROL People coming back from vacation Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews 56
  16. Think from an employer perspective “False negatives are acceptable …

    they’re far more concerned with false positives” — Cracking the Coding Interview 58 Surviving Code Reviews & Tech Interviews