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Comment by lwansbrough | Hacker News Reader

At least there’s considerable variance in the problems on an IQ test so your intelligence is diversified across many problem types. The type of shit I’ve come up against in past interviews has often been essentially an all-or-nothing single problem. Which is why I now refuse technical interviews.

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Advice on getting a job as a software engineer without a technical interview? Literally 100% of the dozens of interviews I've had in my life were coding interviews.

I don't see how asking a potential software engineer to write a 30 line function in 30 minutes is bad. Being able to write code is part of the job description.

I don’t need to “prove” that I can write code by memorizing an algorithm. I have made more than enough code available on my GitHub which I’d be happy to explain in depth with anyone who is interested. Not interested? Great, you’ve made it easier for me to make my decision.

Sounds to me like the uninterested person is the one who made the decision.

Yeah if they’re not interested in the only evidence of ability you’re willing to provide, then I think you’re not being considered in the first place.

Depending on what those 30 lines are supposed to do and whether they have to be asymptotically optimal at doing it, writing down 30 lines of code while talking about every decision you’re making, to show the “thought process” might very well be more than a 30 minute task.

Have projects available online that showcase your ability/ingenuity/creativity. Just reject the technical interview and explain your reasoning, offer an alternative.

Works for me because I don’t want to work anywhere where interviews aren’t being conducted by people competent enough to handle fluid requirements.

Be willing to work for a company whose product is not software.

I didn't mean to imply that this is the only way, just that it's a way that has worked for me.

I've worked with embedded systems and with desktop software that was used by my employers (electronics manufacturers) rather than sold by them, and I have never been asked to code in an interview.

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