In this episode, we talk with Karel Zikmund, a principal software engineer at Microsoft. We discuss the technical and soft skills needed to succeed at different career stages. Karel provides insights on hiring practices, performance optimization, code reviews, and adapting to change in the fast-paced tech industry. Regarding performance, he advocates measuring where bottlenecks exist before optimizing. Karel warns against premature optimization or choosing technologies solely based on benchmarks. He also recommends code reviews and demos during interviews to evaluate a candidate’s deep understanding. We emphasize qualities like passion, humility, and continuous learning that help developers adapt to a changing field. Tune in to hear first-hand advice on thriving in this dynamic and evolving industry.About this episode, and Karel Zikmund in particular: you can find Karel on X @ziki_cz and GitHub. You can also look at his website page to read more about him and his upcoming events.About Betatalks: have a look at our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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