Three Months Python: Ready for a Job Interview?

Three months may seem like a very tight deadline. But it can be exactly the amount of time you need. Preparation for a Python job interview depends on your motivation and the learning path you choose.

Let’s say that you have an interview for your dream Python job in three months. Your first move is to re-check all requirements for the position. It turns out that you need to be able to code Python at a certain level.

After a brief consideration, you find that you are still a little short of this level of expertise. What should you do? Let it go and find something else, something you are not that interested in? Or start to learn immediately from manuals, tutorials, or Python online courses?

If you have already considered working with Python, you may have started to learn the basics. Try to look at your skills objectively. Be realistic about your goals. If you don’t have what it takes yet, use this time to build your skills!

The key to success within this limited timeframe is to plan your learning process. Make it as efficient as possible. To do so, you need to consider a few important factors:

• How much time per day or per week can you realistically devote to practicing Python?
• What level do you need to achieve?
• What is your favorite method of learning? What makes you learn most efficiently?

Preparing for a Python job interview should become your main goal for those three upcoming months. Be serious about it, focus on it, and visualize yourself in your future job. This may sound cheesy, but it can be very motivating. Many employers also require a Python test as the first step of the hiring process, make sure to practice for that as well.

Where To Start: Sources of Knowledge

Python is one of the most popular computer programming languages, so there are lots of ways to learn it. Choose the learning method that suits your preferences. It can be old-fashioned books or interactive online courses; do what works for you.

There are a lot of interesting books about Python that can give you a good start. Reading is not just a way to grow your knowledge; it can also be a nice rest after long hours in front of a computer. Books are also great when you’re traveling. You can read in a subway, train, while waiting for a flight, or simply in your own comfortable chair in the evening.

Other tools to learn Python are waiting for you online. For example, you can watch video tutorials on one of the many Python YouTube channels. There is a lot of helpful content available. Or you can join the Python community and discuss difficult topics on forums. There is also a wide range of webinars to deepen your knowledge. 

Of course, if you choose books or video tutorials, remember to practice writing and testing actual Python code! It's good to use different methods to learn Python. An online Python course will help you understand the theory but also give you hands-on coding experience. If you want to brush up your programming skills quickly, online Python courses are often the most effective route.

Your Own Python Learning Path

Online courses are a great way to develop your programming skills. Courses are usually divided into smaller parts; you follow the path of modules and lessons, starting with simple topics and gradually moving to a more advanced level.  You can plan when, where and how long you will learn. You can complete one lesson per session or absorb the whole module; it all depends on your time and motivation.

It’s important to plan how much time you’ll spend each day or week on learning. You can use the Vonnegut strategy of backward planning. Think about the date of your Python job interview. Think about what you need to know, what level of skill is required on that exact day. Then work backward, making milestones along the way. For example, what will you know in 3 months, 2 months, 1 month? Then divide these periods into smaller parts and write down exactly what you will do in each week.

For example, suppose you decide you can spend 1 hour a day learning Python. Commit to it! Next, check the estimated time shown to complete a topic or section in the course description. It will give you an overview of how much time you should allow for practicing Python. You can also try one of the lessons to check how much time you’ll realistically need to complete it. Then calculate the whole learning process. Also, it’s good to plan additional time for practicing. You can use one of our Python practice sets to sharpen your skills.

What to Expect in a Python Job Interview

When the day comes, be prepared for different types of questions – technical and non-technical. When you’re researching, use varied sources so you can get as much information as possible. The Internet is a big library, but be careful to consume only reliable content.

We’ve published some articles to help you prepare for a programming job interview. If you’re looking for a data science job or a junior python developer role, these interview questions will help you get ready for the real thing. Popular Python job interview tasks and questions include:

1. Write Python code to create a dataframe named employee from the "HR.csv" file.
2. Write Python code to select the department and age columns from the employee
3. Write Python code to plot the distribution of employees by age.
4. Explain the difference between lists and tuples.
5. What are the common built-in data types in Python?
6. What is a negative index, and how is it used in Python?
7. Name some well-known Python data analysis libraries.
8. What is pass in Python?
9. What are modules and packages in Python?
10. What is pandas?
11. What is the default missing value marker in pandas?
12. How can you detect all missing values in a dataframe?

Don’t forget to practice the usual HR questions as well, including your financial expectations.

You can also profit from other people's experiences. Talk to your friends. Find someone in a Python job and ask them about their interview(s).

Prepare Now for Your Python Job Interview!

Python is used in many different areas. You can search for a job as a Python developer, data scientist, machine learning specialist, data engineer, and more. These jobs are interesting and in-demand. And, like other Python jobs, they pay good salaries.

With appropriate motivation, learning Python in three months can be possible. If you are at the very beginning of your IT journey, start with the basics of Python programming. Use several sources and ask as many questions as you can. Develop your skills step by step. Above all, don’t hesitate to try. A Python career is waiting for you!