Why ‘fake it till you make it’ is such bad advice

You’ve completed your degree, and now you’re looking for a job. Could you apply to a FAANG or MAAMA company?

“Don’t worry” says Twitter. “You can fake it till you make it. Just study these interview questions, bluff it, and you’ll sail through the interview.”

That’s the worst advice you can get.

Shortcuts don’t work.

When you go for an interview you at a top-notch company you need to remember that they see a lot more candidates than you attend interviews. They are expert at spotting fakers. If you claim skills that you don’t have they will see what you’re up to and decide that you are not to be trusted.

That’s a big no-no, because great employers rely on trust.

In the rest of this article you’ll see a strategy that will help you to avoid rejection and get a job where you learn the skills you need. That in turn will help you build and future-proof your career.

How do I know?

I got my first job as an 18-year-old software developer in 1966 working on a compiler project. I ran a software house for twenty years, wrote and presented courses for top tech companies worldwide, pair programmed with some of the world’s best TDD (Test Driven Development) engineers, and was encouraged to apply to Meta, Google and Apple by friends who worked there.

I know what top employers look for.

My first interview

Back in 1966 I had very little experience as a software developer. I’d taught myself to program on a Ferranti Pegasus computer, I’d attended a programming course, and I’d completed a small project for my father who was a professor at London University.

I completed the project using the Atlas computer at the University Institute of Computer Science, and a friend told me about a job there on a new compiler team.

My project used a high level language but the job needed assembler programming skills. I talked to my prospective boss who lent me an Atlas Assembler manual and arranged an interview.

I was interviewed by the professor in charge of the Unit and one of his colleagues. They asked me if I know ABL (Atlas basic Language, the assembler for Atlas). I could have tried to bluff my way, but instead I explained. “I’ve not used it, but I read the manual over the weekend.”

“I’m not sure that I could do that” said one interviewer. “What did you think of the architecture?”

I told him what I’d liked. Atlas had a very innovative design, with a sophisticated interrupt mechanism and the world’s first virtual memory implementation. I was able to show that I’d understood them and seen the implications for programmers.

That got me the job!

So what do you need to know to launch your career?

What makes a great developer?

Top companies are looking for a combination of software engineering skill and software craftsmanship. You can learn a lot about software engineering from courses and books, but there are only two ways to learn software craftsmanship.

You can learn very slowly through trial and error, or you can learn craftsmanship from a more experienced craftsman.

Two ways to learn.

You can get a job with a small but professional company and learn from your fellow employees. That opportunity is open to new graduates and old hands alike, and it’s a great way to launch or advance your career.

If you want to accelerate your development, you can also learn a lot from working on the right sort of Open Source Project.

Look for a project that has as a good reputation and good test coverage. Try to find one that encourages inexperienced developers. if you’re lucky the project will have a set of issues to work on, and offer some indication as to the issues that would suit your skill level.

It’s often easiest to start by improving documentation. Here’s a great set of tips

Work on a few simple issues, and then progress to more complex problems. This is a great way to get feedback from more experienced developers.

What skills are you aiming to acquire?

Some skills are directly related to your craft:

Writing idiomatic Python
Test Driven Development
Object-Oriented thinking and design.

Other skills relate to your ability to grow and develop.

Learn how to Learn

Technology never stands still, and you need to keep up-to-date.

That’s why you need to work on your learning skills. I loved Learning how to Learn (the world’s most successful free MOOC, with over 3 million students) and its shorter successor Learn Like a Pro. You can also hone your studying technique with books like Ultralearning.

Master a PKM

It’s worthwhile learning about tools Like logseq which help you to build your own PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) system. A great PKM tool will allow you to capture, connect and retrieve the information you’ll need to master in order to keep up with technical developments.

You should also learn techniques of personal continuous improvement by practising the PDSA (plan-do-study-act) cycle.

Build up your track record

Once you’re learning from your fellow craftsman, it’s time to start building your reputation.

Attend conferences and meetups. You’ll learn about new techniques and ideas, and you’ll have a great opportunity to network

In time, you’ll learn enough to be able to present your own talks. Now you’ll begin to establish your reputation as an expert. From there, go on to publish articles and books.

If you’d like early access and a discounted price for the forthcoming book Give Memorable Technical Talks you can sign up here.

Don’t fake it - make it.

You’ll have a lot of fun and earn great rewards as you develop your skills. You’ll also find that the very best opportunities open up for you. The process will take time, but it will be worth it. And at least you won’t suffer the embarrassment you’d experience if you attempted to fake skills you don’t possess!

Do you have friends or colleagues who would benefit from these ideas? If so, share this link with them now.