CodeMentor: Technical Interview Preparation Templates for Self-Taught Developers
Updated: February 22, 2026
Complete template system for self-taught developers to confidently navigate technical interviews and showcase their unique learning journey.
What's Inside
- Portfolio presentation templates that highlight practical skills over academic credentials
- Behavioral question frameworks specifically for career changers and self-taught paths
- Code challenge walkthrough templates that demonstrate problem-solving methodology
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CodeMentor: Technical Interview Preparation Templates for Self-Taught Developers
Complete Interview Preparation Toolkit for Self-Taught Developers & Bootcamp Graduates
Transform your technical interview preparation from overwhelming to organized with this comprehensive collection of proven templates and frameworks. Designed specifically for self-taught developers and bootcamp graduates who need structured guidance to showcase their skills effectively.
Data Structures & Algorithms Practice Templates
Algorithm Problem-Solving Framework Template
Problem: [INSERT PROBLEM STATEMENT]
Initial Analysis:
- Input: [DESCRIBE INPUT FORMAT AND CONSTRAINTS]
- Output: [DESCRIBE EXPECTED OUTPUT]
- Edge Cases: [LIST POTENTIAL EDGE CASES TO CONSIDER]
- Time Complexity Goal: [TARGET BIG O NOTATION]
- Space Complexity Goal: [TARGET SPACE COMPLEXITY]
Approach Planning:
- Brute Force Solution: [DESCRIBE NAIVE APPROACH]
- Time: [BIG O NOTATION]
- Space: [BIG O NOTATION]
- Optimized Solution: [DESCRIBE IMPROVED APPROACH]
- Time: [BIG O NOTATION]
- Space: [BIG O NOTATION]
- Key Insight: [WHAT MAKES THIS SOLUTION BETTER]
Implementation Steps:
- [STEP 1 - e.g., "Initialize variables/data structures"]
- [STEP 2 - e.g., "Iterate through input"]
- [STEP 3 - e.g., "Apply core algorithm logic"]
- [STEP 4 - e.g., "Handle edge cases"]
- [STEP 5 - e.g., "Return result"]
Code Implementation:
```[PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE]
// [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SOLUTION]
[INSERT YOUR CODE HERE]
```
Test Cases:
- Test 1: Input: [INPUT] → Expected: [OUTPUT]
- Test 2: Input: [INPUT] → Expected: [OUTPUT]
- Edge Case: Input: [INPUT] → Expected: [OUTPUT]
Follow-up Questions to Prepare:
- [QUESTION 1 - e.g., "How would you modify this for streaming data?"]
- [QUESTION 2 - e.g., "What if memory was extremely limited?"]
- [QUESTION 3 - e.g., "How would you handle concurrent access?"]
Data Structure Implementation Template
Data Structure: [NAME OF DATA STRUCTURE - e.g., "Hash Table", "Binary Search Tree"]
Core Operations to Implement:
- [ ] [OPERATION 1 - e.g., "Insert"]
- [ ] [OPERATION 2 - e.g., "Delete"]
- [ ] [OPERATION 3 - e.g., "Search"]
- [ ] [OPERATION 4 - e.g., "Update"]
Implementation Approach:
```[PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE]
class [DataStructureName] {
// Properties
[PROPERTY 1]: [TYPE]
[PROPERTY 2]: [TYPE]
// Constructor
constructor([PARAMETERS]) {
[INITIALIZATION LOGIC]
}
// Core Methods
METHOD 1 {
// Time Complexity: [BIG O]
// Space Complexity: [BIG O]
[IMPLEMENTATION]
}
METHOD 2 {
// Time Complexity: [BIG O]
// Space Complexity: [BIG O]
[IMPLEMENTATION]
}
}
```
Complexity Analysis:
| Operation | Time Complexity | Space Complexity | Notes |
|-----------|----------------|------------------|-------|
| [OPERATION 1] | [BIG O] | [BIG O] | [ADDITIONAL NOTES] |
| [OPERATION 2] | [BIG O] | [BIG O] | [ADDITIONAL NOTES] |
| [OPERATION 3] | [BIG O] | [BIG O] | [ADDITIONAL NOTES] |
Common Interview Questions:
- [QUESTION 1 - e.g., "When would you use this over alternatives?"]
- [QUESTION 2 - e.g., "What are the trade-offs?"]
- [QUESTION 3 - e.g., "How would you handle collisions?" (for hash tables)]
System Design Interview Frameworks
System Design Solution Template
Problem: [SYSTEM TO DESIGN - e.g., "Design a URL Shortener like bit.ly"]
Step 1: Requirements Clarification
- Functional Requirements:
- [REQUIREMENT 1 - e.g., "Shorten long URLs"]
- [REQUIREMENT 2 - e.g., "Redirect to original URL"]
- [REQUIREMENT 3 - e.g., "Custom aliases (optional)"]
- Non-Functional Requirements:
- Scale: [EXPECTED USERS/REQUESTS - e.g., "100M URLs shortened per day"]
- Availability: [UPTIME REQUIREMENT - e.g., "99.9% uptime"]
- Latency: [RESPONSE TIME - e.g., "< 100ms for redirects"]
- Consistency: [CONSISTENCY MODEL - e.g., "Eventually consistent"]
Step 2: Capacity Estimation
- Storage: [CALCULATION - e.g., "100M URLs × 500 bytes = 50GB per...