HackerPen connects people to practice mock tech interviews with each other. If you are preparing for interviews to land your next job as a software engineer, this product is built for you.
As a person who builds software, and works at software companies, I want to build something that can help other people. As I explore different avenues, one option seems particularly intriguing — help people seize opportunities that shape their lives. I feel a deep connection with this idea — when I was18 years old, I took the chance to come to the US from China, an opportunity that forever changed the course of my life. Looking back, I can count a few fortunate opportunities that shaped who I am today.
Landing a dream job in tech is a life-changing opportunity for many people. While the demands for tech-savvy workers are ever stronger, not everyone is well-prepared to excel in the technical interview process. While the interview processes vary for different companies, I want to focus on helping the one common denominator across all your interviews — YOU.
Practice makes perfect. While you can study LeetCode questions, read about system design problems, you won’t really know how you would do in real interviews. Getting mock interviews helps you feel more comfortable in front of a real interviewer, and giving mock interviews empowers you to help others, and gain fresh perspectives by being in the shoes of an interviewer.
While doing mock interviews is powerful for interview prep, I didn’t find existing solutions such as Pramp and Interview.io satisfying. I envisioned a product that primarily focuses on a community helping each other, with full-fledged tools that mimic a true tech interview process.
HackerPen couldn’t have happened without many people’s generosity and guidance. Shout out to Atith Alur for being in the trench with me to build out the first version. And Nathan Pierotti along with many others provide valuable feedback
