What I Learned While Preparing to Change Jobs: The 'Why' Matters More Than the Portfolio
I just changed jobs for the third time, and I have some thoughts I get every time I switch, so I'm writing them down. For reference, I'm a backend engineer with 5 years of experience.
At first, I focused on the number of projects and listing tech stacks, but I kept getting grilled in interviews. When I got stuck on questions like 'Why did you use this technology?', 'What were the alternatives?', 'What was the root cause of that problem?', it meant my preparation was lacking.
Starting from my second job change, I prepared like this.
1. For each project, summarize problem situation → options → why that choice → result on one page
2. I intentionally included failed projects too (this got the best response)
3. If I don't know something, I say honestly that I don't know, and show my reasoning process on the spot
4. I wrote a few troubleshooting posts on my tech blog (an interviewer said they read them before coming)
As a result, I passed two out of three times using this approach. It seems they want to see your thought process more than your credentials. Good luck to everyone preparing.
3 answers
Agreed, especially #2. Intentionally including a failed project really works. At first I only included success stories too, and it seemed like the interviewers all thought it was just the same predictable story lol
Well, it's true that the "why" matters, but isn't saying it matters more than your portfolio a bit of an overgeneralization? After all, you have to pass the resume screening before you even get a chance to talk about the "why" in an interview, and for new grads or people with limited experience, credentials and project count are often the first filter. I think that perspective comes from being five years into your career. That said, I'd also recommend a troubleshooting blog.
Got a source? No, just curious lol. I think #3 is the hardest. If you're honest and say you don't know, you end up pretending to know because you're afraid you'll fail—so the key is to show how you reason on the spot. Noting this down.