Interviewing for a tech job with no experience? Here's how to prepare 🎯

You've snagged that coveted first job interview in a tech field, and now you're freaking out because you don't have any experience in the industry.

Job interviews can make you feel like an imposter if what you've done before doesn't directly translate to the role. But having a background in the field you're applying to matters less than you might think: only 30% of job postings require specific experience.

So don't lose hope! You can prepare for the interview by focusing on your skills.

The competitiveness of the tech industry can be intimidating. You might think "there's no way they'll pick me over someone with 5 years of experience developing apps for Google."

If this is your first job interview in tech with no experience, put your best foot forward by focusing on transferable skills — skills that are useful across many different jobs. Many workplaces are shifting toward hiring based on what you can do now, rather than jobs you've had in the past.

Prepare to crush your tech interview by understanding what skills are needed for the role, and how you can demonstrate that you have them.

Anxiety about a first job interview when you have no experience often stems from a lack of knowledge. The company knows everything about you from your resume, but what do you know about them?

Take at least an hour before your interview to research the company, the role, and how they fit together.

Research the company:

• company website/social media accounts

• online presence of current employees

Learn about:

• what values the company promotes

• what problems the company solves

• current projects/initiatives

Research the role:

• the job posting

• other postings for similar roles

Learn about:

• what skills are important in the role

• what skills this company needs

Determine how it all fits together:

• Write down a list of the most important skills for this job

• Think about how those skills might be used in the company's current projects

The dreaded moment finally comes, and you're asked to talk about your experience in your first job interview.

Relax! Relevant experience can come from a wide range of sources.

Collect examples of times when you've dealt with challenges you might encounter in a tech environment.

During your time in previous jobs, school, or just life, when have you taken the initiative to solve problems using the skills this company is looking for? Think about similar situations that would be relevant to this job.

• Experience: "I handled customer complaints as a fast food cashier."

• Skill: Communication, conflict resolution, client relations

• Relevant tech challenge: Negotiating a conflict with a client about requirements for their database platform

• Experience: "I took on extra work in a group project during college to get it in on time."

• Skill: Time management, project management, collaboration

• Relevant tech challenge: Meeting a tight deliverable deadline so a feature rollout can happen on schedule

For tips on turning your past experiences into an interview script to prepare yourself for any question the interviewer might ask you, check out this Byte: Nervous about your interview? Create your own job interview script to build your confidence 💪

You know what you're going to say in the interview. But are you really ready?

Practicing is a key step to translating preparation into performance, especially for a first job interview with no experience in the field.

Review your list of experiences and research, then take an hour or more to practice answering common interview questions.

Try these preparation strategies:

• Have a friend pretend to interview you, or practice in front of the mirror.

• Record yourself answering a question, then listen back to identify blind spots like overusing jargon or going off on tangents.

• Practice answering each question at least three times until you can consistently keep your answer to under a minute long.

Try the tips in these Bytes for answering questions that commonly come up in a tech interview:

• "Tell me about a time you went above and beyond at work."

• "Describe a high-pressure situation you had to handle."

• "How do you approach learning new technologies?"

• "Describe your problem-solving process."

• "What can you do better than AI can?"

Build your dream tech career, starting with the first job interview! Take these steps to shine as a star candidate, even with no experience in the industry.