Honest, sourced guides for CS new-grad and early-career interviews. Read what works, skip what doesn't.
440+ deep-dive coding problems from 21 companies with optimal solutions
Company × role question sets sourced from Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Blind
25 canonical algorithmic patterns with templates and example problems
35 canonical system design scenarios with capacity estimation
360+ LeetCode problems organized by topic with progressive hints
Short-form how-tos for behavioral, coding, and resume prep
Showing Strategy (5 articles)
Cold-emailing recruiters still works in 2026, but the playbook has narrowed. Generic templates get flagged as spam by both humans and email clients. What books calls in 2026 is short, specific, and respectful of the recruiter's time. This guide has the anatomy, the templates, and the follow-up cadence.
Alex Chen ·
Read more →Every CS intern with a return offer faces the same question in late summer: take the bird in hand, or reject and run the full-time recruiting gauntlet for something better. This guide builds the decision matrix (team fit, comp delta, name brand, learning curve, deadline timing) and includes the extension-request scripts that buy you the time to decide right.
Alex Chen ·
Read more →Referrals still drive the highest interview conversion rates of any application channel in 2026, but the playbook has fragmented. Cold LinkedIn DMs convert at 10-30%, warm alumni intros at 50-70%, and Blind referral threads sit in the middle. This guide breaks down which path to use, the exact wording that gets responses, and the behaviors that get you blocked.
Alex Chen ·
Read more →When two or more CS new-grad offers land at once, the standard negotiation playbook breaks down. The 48-hour window, the disclosure decision, the bluff risk, and the rescission math all work differently under multi-offer conditions. This guide is the complete decision framework for handling them.
Alex Chen ·
Read more →Counter-offers from your current employer feel like validation, but most counter-offer acceptances end in a voluntary departure within 12 months. The exception cases are real and worth understanding. This guide gives you the decision framework (the math, the trust calculation, and the conversation) for both paths.
Alex Chen ·
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