I don't think this is necessarily good advice for a new graduates, especially because new graduates don't really have a good handle on how to judge coding smart

I don't think this is necessarily good advice for a new graduates, especially because new graduates don't really have a good handle on how to judge coding smarts (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect). There are plenty that talk a big game, but if you listen to what they're saying you realize they are throwing out a ton of big buzz words. My first time interviewing I thought I was super smart, and looking back I realize the interviewers saw through me to the inexperienced idiot beneath. Further, focusing too much on a niche area totally unrelated to the job you're interviewing might be evidence against you. If your interviewer is hoping that you'll spend the next decade on graphics frameworks, an intense interest in crypto might be a red flag that you won't stick around. I think it's much more important to find the right balance of confidence without over-confidence. Do lots of practice interviews, including interviews at companies you're less interested in. Learn how to pace yourself to a speed where you don't have awkward pauses but also don't make stupid mistakes. If you practice to the point where interviews start to feel like a fun chance to meet people and solve interesting problems, you'll do great. Do at least a little research into the companies you're interviewing for, and show an eagerness to learn about what they do. As a new grad, an eagerness to learn can make up for some other gaps. Similarly, if you happen to have a personal project related to the team, it shows you've already thought deeply about the area, even though the interviewer probably knows the area better than you. Also, make sure you can talk with confidence about anything on your resume. You never know when the interviewer might happen to be an expert in whatever obscure skill you put on there, even if it's unrelated to the job. For example, I know a few people who lost out on entry-level jobs because they put a real-world language they learned in high school on their resume, and when the interviewer happened to speak it fluently and realized the candidate had forgotten it entirely, the interviewers disqualified them for lying on a resume.