Getting Back into Interviewing Shape

beta-neil.com

4 points·bonobo886··5 comments

I find it incredibly depressing that the current state of interviews for many companies is still a bunch of algorithm problems that test how much time you've spent grinding through leetcode. Like many other things we've optimized on what is easy to test, rather than what is relevant.

Totally agree. There are a lot of companies that are trying to improve this: https://github.com/poteto/hiring-without-whiteboards.

What was your experience though when interviewing?

Overall it went really well. I'd say 50% - 60% of my interviews followed the standard whiteboard style questions combined with some type of take home exam.

I interviewed with over 50 companies, reached onsites at about 30, rejected 10 myself, and was rejected by 10. I ended up with about 18 offers.

I'd say the curriculum and program helped, but ultimately so much of interviewing goes into how the interviewer is feeling at the moment. You can write the best, most well tested code or most optimal solution for an algorithm question, but if the interviewer just doesn't like you, you're hosed.

Overall I'm happy with the outcome of this process, and would probably engage in something similar if going through the interview process again.

In February 2020, I decided to get back on the job market after 5 years. I was really worried about my interviewing skills, knowing that after 5 years they weren't as sharp as I'd like. This is how I got back into interviewing shape.

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