Ask HN: How are you preparing for interviews nowadays?
Hey all, just wondering how you're preparing for interviews in 2026? I'm assuming system design plays a larger role and the bar is probably higher across all levels. Do I still need to grind leetcode?
I’m not preparing much because I have quite a few years of experience under my belt.
Basically I read the JD, find some stories from my work that I can tell, brush up the CV for a bit and then that’s it. I don’t prepare for LC interviews and if I get one I just decline.
be ready for zingers, like " what benefit do i get if i hire you for thousands of dollars a month, instead of paying a couple hundred for a few AI sessions?"
did someone actually ask you that?
no, but i would make plans for an answer somewhat better than " i dont know, thanks for your time."
such as " hiring me will ensure that your AI sessions are few and limited to a couple hundred dollars expense, bare minimum, a human must prompt an AI or it does nothing. as a [professional] i have insight regarding structuring prompts, as well as fast response to code based remediation for incidents involving off the rails output, and abberant alignment adoption."
also: interviews can be more about,how you respond to being knocked off your footing, rather than gathering rote factoids about "you".