Ace your next interview - using the D.E.N.N.I.S. system

I'm a huge fan of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, (I was lucky enough to see them live in Dublin a few weeks ago) but I've always wondered if there's any lessons from the folks of Paddy's Pub that could be useful in the real world.

Introducing... the D.E.N.N.I.S. system

The original system was devised by Dennis Reynolds, where he detailed his repeatable, reliable, and borderline psychotic approach to seduction of women.

I've repurposed it, but this time to "seduce" hiring managers in technical interviews, into making you an offer to join their team!

D - Design Patterns

E - Examples of Experience

N - Never talk about "we", only "I"

N - Negativity stays at the door

I - Interested People ask Questions

S - SOLID Principals

D - Design Patterns

Knowing something and being able to answer a question about it are two different things. These form the core of Object-oriented programming and any interviewer will expect you to be able to talk about:

• Encapsulation
• Abstraction
• Inheritance
• Polymorphism

E - Examples of Experience

Not only should you be able to talk about Design patterns, you should be able to give examples you've used them and if not talk through a logical example of when one would be used and why.

N - Never talk about "we", only "I"

It's always tempting to give examples of work that's been done as part of a team but it's critical to highlight what "you" did as part of any project and how that impacted the project overall. Interviews are no time to be humble.

N - Negativity stays at the door

It can be tempting to complain about your current role or company (you want to move after all) but it's important not to let that bleed over into negativity. When talking about any limitations of your current role it's important to highlight the opportunities of leaving (chance to upskill) and not frame it negatively. (old tech stack)

I - Interested People ask Questions

One of the biggest red-flags for a hiring manager is a candidate who doesn't ask questions at the end of an interview. If you've done your research into the company and spend an hour or more discussing it with the hiring manager you have to have some questions?

Ideally these should be short and relevant, asking about career progression and training opportunities for example.

S - SOLID Principals

And finally SOLID principals, you may have seen my article on SOLID last week (if not, it's worth a look!).

Interviewers are assessing if you join a new team will you be able to understand the existing code base and will you add to it in a way that other Developers will be able to follow your logic and will expect you to be able to talk about:

• Single Responsibility Principle
• Open-Closed Principle
• Liskov Substitution Principle
• Interface Segregation Principle
• Dependency Inversion Principle

Following this repeatable, reliable system should ensure you give the best impression to any Hiring Manager and improve your chances of acing any technical interview.

If you've any questions or for more detailed information about preparing for interviews and opportunities in the current market, please drop me a PM for a 100% confidential chat.