Interview Kickstart Review – Kicking Your Career Into Gear?

Do you have considerable experience in your field, and are you fluent in at least one programming language? 

Then you’re set up to use an advanced online specialization like Interview Kickstart to reach a higher echelon in your career.

As is the case with almost anything nowadays: The race for tech jobs like Software Engineer is getting more competitive. Now is a great time to think about how you can set yourself apart – or possibly pivot into a more lucrative and in-demand field than the one you’re currently in. 

Interview Kickstart promises to get you there with just 4-18 weeks of going through one of their programs, plus a job hunt of less than 6 months.

Should their product be unable to hold that promise, they’re willing to refund you every dollar you’ve paid them. The company has a good track record of getting people into a new high-paying position quickly – and they’re willing to bet money on their ability to do so.

An in-depth review of Interview Kickstart

We’ll now go into the Interview Kickstart program in detail.

By the end, you should be able to tell whether it’s something that appeals to you or not.

The course is a considerable investment (more about IK’s pricing later) – but if it can actually deliver you its stated results, the payoff you get from it can be great, dare I say life-changing.

Our ratings explained

I’ve heard enough already - Let me join the webinar!

Before you can enroll with Interview Kickstart, you’ll need to go through a webinar hosted by Ryan Valles, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Accel and co-founder at IK.

This is to explain their offer to you in detail, so you can better decide whether or not the program is a good fit and it makes sense for you to invest in it.

If you already have a strong feeling it could be for you or you simply want to hear the information straight from the horse’s mouth — go ahead and:

 → Sign up for the free introductory webinar right away ←

Quick Pros & Cons

What does Interview Kickstart do better (or worse) than other interview programs?

To see that at a glance, check out this quick list of pros & cons:

Want to learn more about how Interview Kickstart works and what it offers, directly from one of the founders? → Sign up for their free webinar here.

Course Overview

Interview Kickstart's Features

The instructors are the real deal

As of 2023, Interview Kickstart now has over 500 instructors working for them.

The course leaders have 5-15+ years of experience in their specific fields, and many of them are hiring managers at top tech companies themselves. 

This means they’ll not only teach you to a high level in your exact domain — but they’ll also be able to give you the inside scoop on what’s needed to pass your interview at FAANG or other premium tech companies.

Another cool thing is that you can request specific instructors – so you don’t have to worry about being taught by someone who isn’t the best fit for the type of role you want to get into (this can be a problem with some of the other programs out there).

Everything is live

With other tech interview prep courses, the lessons you get on how to solve coding questions or how to best approach the interview process are pre-recorded.

Not so with Interview Kickstart: All of their classes are an interactive live experience.

Sure, that includes introductory presentations by an expert instructor. But more importantly, they’ll be coaching the group through coding problems and case studies, simulate interview situations for everybody to learn from, and provide you with direct feedback.

On top of that, IK’s instructors will answer any and all questions raised during the live calls.

Mastering interview questions - they’ve got you covered

Interview Kickstart has access to 10,000+ interview questions.

You won’t have to sift through all of those by yourself, of course. They’ll tell you which questions you should practice based on their experience as FAANG+ interviewers.

Follow the roadmap that’s laid out for you and you’ll be optimally prepared. Yes, the most frequently asked coding interview questions don't stay the same forever.

But just the fact they have this massive database means they’re at the heels of tech companies, and if they see them change the types of questions asked, IK can catch up quickly. 

As opposed to other courses, where you’re stuck with their small pool of questions.

Their all-in-one learning platform ‘UpLevel’

It’s nice to work directly inside Interview Kickstart’s platform, see your schedule and the progress you’ve made, as well as take tests and even conduct mock interviews.

There’s a built-in online judge for any assignment you do inside UpLevel, so you’re getting instant feedback on your efforts solving coding questions.

You’ll also get alerts for any upcoming classes and activities, and you’re able to access 100,000+ hours of past classes. 

All this is of course in addition to the live group instruction and 1:1 coaching.

Career coaching to get you ready for a top-tier job

The career coaching portion of IK’s online bootcamp includes coaching you towards creating your best resume, polishing your LinkedIn Bio and building up your personal brand.

Then there’s the live behavioral workshops, where you learn the secrets to impressing at your behavioral interview and sticking in your interviewer’s mind because of the soft skills you’ve managed to display. 

They’ll even teach you all about negotiating your salary and benefits, so you win the most amount of money from your next job offer.

Many opportunities for feedback and 1:1 training

It’s not just the group classes that allow you to get direct feedback from your instructors.

Every day, you’ll also be able to do coaching calls with an expert who will answer your questions in detail and personally go through solutions with you.

These sessions will take you on the fast track to cracking your next interview and advancing your career.

Pricing & Fees

Interview Kickstart requires you to invest at least $2400 to take any of their courses. This is for the one- to two-month Boosts. The full specializations cost at least $5600. There’s two options you can choose from for their longer programs: 

1. Either you pay $600 for a trial, which allows you to quit before you complete the course without paying more. If you keep going, you’ll have to pay at least $5600 on top, so it’ll come out to a total of at least $6200.
2. The second option is to pay $5600 upfront for full access to the program, saving you $600 – but you won’t be able to withdraw after the first week. 

Of course, remember you’re still getting the 100% money-back placement guarantee: If you finish the course with diligence, but you’re not able to get a job within the post-program support period, they’ll refund you everything.

Plus: In case you’re torn about which program at Interview Kickstart is best for you, you can switch over to another within three weeks at no further cost.

Is it worth the considerable investment?

On average, Interview Kickstart alumni manage to make 53% more than they did before taking the course. For most, this means a boost in their yearly salary of at least mid five-figures.

So after 1-2 months working at the superior position IK’s online bootcamp allowed you to get into, you’ll have made back your money spent on the course fee.

The potentially many years of profit after that would make the – admittedly considerable – $2400+ initial investment well worth it.

Courses in Detail

→ See all courses in detail at Interview Kickstart ←

How your online bootcamp will go - IK courses outline

As mentioned, the classes run on evenings and weekends, so you don’t miss anything because of your work schedule. 

This is how IK’s programs are laid out:

Mastering the fundamentals first

One of Interview Kickstart’s strengths is how specific their courses are to the field and position you want to be working in.

But, this doesn’t mean they’re neglecting computer science fundamentals. In almost all of their programs, they’ll have you spend the first two months taking these foundational classes. 

Not only will mastering all aspects of Data Structures and Algorithms & System Design make you a stronger Engineer in your field – these topics also make up the majority of most tech interviews, so you’ll be well served by being highly skilled in them.

Masterclasses in your chosen specific domain

After you’ve laid the foundation of expert knowledge in DSA & System Design, you’ll be ready to take a deep-dive into your field of choice.

In a 4-6 week intensive class, you’ll learn the ins and outs of your field of choice. Once you’ve gone through it, you’ll have gained a valuable specific skillset that’ll set you apart from other candidates.

Leveling up your career skills through insider presentations, mock interviews and 1:1 coaching calls

In addition to the technical classes, each of Interview Kickstart’s courses offers 3 weeks of career coaching.

This will teach you all about the best strategy to succeed at your interview, how to prepare for the behavioral part, and how to negotiate once you’ve passed the interview.

Making sure you get your dream job with 6 months of support

Because of their strong money-back guarantee, IK are committed to supporting you as much as possible in your job hunt.

For 180 days after you’ve completed your course, you’ll be able to access all materials.

What’s more, you can take up to 15 mock interviews during this time, and request 1:1 coaching about any technical or career-related topic.

Your weekly schedule

Reviews & Testimonials

Here’s what Marvin Gersho had to say about his experience with the interview prep program. He ended up being hired at Amazon as a Solutions Architect.

Along with many other positive reviews, Interview Kickstart published this testimonial by Neleesh Tendulkar, for example – he managed to get offers from Intuit and Google:

Of course, any company will put nothing but good reviews on their own site. But you can verify the success these people have attained, and the sheer number of real, favorable reviews is a good indicator that IK’s course works well.

Plus, even on review sites like Quora most posters (among those with a verifiable identity and job placement) have good things to say about Interview Kickstart’s program, such as Jeremy Davies, formerly at Amazon:

The biggest criticism across the board seems to be pricing – which is understandable given the ~$6000 price tag. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether making such a large up-front investment into your career development is worth it to you at this time.

Final Verdict: Should you buy Interview Kickstart?

My recommendation:

Take one of Interview Kickstart’s specialization courses if you’re committed to climbing the career ladder at your current company, or getting hired for a high-paying position (potentially for a new job description) elsewhere. 

Only then does it make sense to spend the money on the program: When you know you’re going to give it your all, and you can clearly see how your investment will pay off in the near future.

Buy IK if:

• you’re serious about putting months of focused work into the course AND the job hunt after that

• you’re willing to invest mid to high four figures to take the next step in your career

How to Enroll

As mentioned, you can’t enroll in the course directly. Here’s how enrolment works with IK:

1. → Sign up for cofounder Ryan Valles’ free webinar to learn more about the program and exact pricing.

2. Then, you’ll be able to pick your specialization and join the next cohort.