Career Development
Overview
Covers the practitioner side of software engineering careers — from technical interview preparation through soft skills, workplace culture, and long-term career strategy. Particularly strong on behavioral interview techniques and job search in the NZ/APAC context.
Core Areas
Technical Interview Preparation
- System design interview frameworks: scale estimates, component diagrams, trade-off discussion
- Common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, DFS/BFS, dynamic programming
- LeetCode-style problem categories and strategies
- Coding test time management
See also: System Design
Behavioral Interviews
- STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
- Common behavioral questions: conflict resolution, leadership, failure, ambiguity
- Storytelling for technical impact
- MEI (Most Effective Interview) framework — structured self-presentation
Job Search Strategy
- Resume writing: ATS optimisation, quantified achievements, tailoring per role
- LinkedIn profile optimisation
- Referral networks and warm outreach
- Salary negotiation tactics: anchoring, market research, offer comparison
- Evaluating companies: culture signals, engineering bar, growth trajectory
NZ Tech Market
- Best NZ software companies to work for (What are the best software companies in New Zealand to work for)
- NZ immigration and work visa paths (noted in investigation notes)
- Local developer communities and networking
Workplace Culture & Soft Skills
- Agile methodologies: Scrum, Kanban, retrospectives
- Communication: async writing, meeting facilitation, giving feedback
- Managing up and cross-functional collaboration
- Career paths: IC track vs management track
Professional Presentation
- Toastmasters public speaking notes (Toastmasters clubs)
- Written communication for technical audiences
Relationships
- Entrepreneurship & SaaS — founder as alternative career path
- Learning Methods & Growth — deliberate practice for skill development
- Feynman Technique — learning technique applicable to interview prep