Don't worry so much about the "we're looking for the best" - as the author of this article points out, it's just an ego trip on the part of the interviewers. Ev

Don't worry so much about the "we're looking for the best" - as the author of this article points out, it's just an ego trip on the part of the interviewers. Everybody wants to think they're the top 10% but the truth is, half of all software developers are below average. Most interviewers (and candidates) don't really know what they are looking for or where they will fit in, so the process is pretty random. Just cover your bases (i.e. study for your interviews, have a referenceable public body of work, and work on your people skills) and interview a lot, you'll be fine. Remember that the reason all of these blog posts you're reading exists is because the authors are growing their referenceable public body of work to the same end, not necessarily because they're trying to help you.