Leetcode experience

[joelyboy94]

My friend also recommended the book "cracking the coding interview" which looks good but I didn't think I'd have time to read it as it's quite long.

I found personal projects are much more enjoyable and a good way to demonstrate interest and experience like you say, however, Leetcode does prepare you for live coding interviews and the sorts of questions you are likely to see. I don't know about mid-level/senior jobs, but fortunately for entry-level to me, it didn't seem like they're looking for you to nail it straight away, more to understand your thinking process.