undefined | Better HN

0 pointsekidd3y ago0 comments

I could imagine that!

Out of curiosity, how do you think you might do in a 1-on-1 coding interview doing something incredibly basic, like:

- Sum an array.

- Write FizzBuzz.

- Count the words in a string.

- Compute the length of a linked list.

Assume you get to use the language of your choice and a familiar text editor. You aren't being graded on semicolons or gotchas. And the interviewer isn't hovering too closely.

Because that's the situation that always mystified me. How many people freeze up under reasonably favorable interview conditions to the point that they can't write even basic code? (And would those people be able to pair on a tricky bug when production is down?)

I absolutely do read a candidate's online code, if they mention it in their resume. That only seems respectful. And I think it might be reasonable to waive in-person coding tests if someone is obviously competent.

(Of course, now that Copilot is getting smarter, it's going to be harder to evaluate people's GitHub repositories or to include trivial problems in pre-interview screens.)

0 comments

1 comments · 1 top-level

yamtaddle3y ago

> Out of curiosity, how do you think you might do in a 1-on-1 coding interview doing something incredibly basic, like:

In my 20ish-year career, I've had... oh, ballpark 30 interviews, and I am certain I convinced at least two of those that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, one on something about as hard as what you list, another on something only barely harder. One was around the middle of that span, another, four or so years ago. The number would be higher, but most of my interviews have not featured coding questions. I have an incredibly high offer rate from interviews that haven't done those (70%? Maybe higher), and near-zero from ones that did.

I can, in fact, code. I've taken complex projects from zero to production, solo, with companies that couldn't have afforded to keep me on for years if I couldn't pull my weight. I've developed a reputation at multiple places as the one to go to with tricky or low-level problems, or the one to hand odd-ball problems with tech no-one's familiar with. I collaborate well, I do the solo thing well, I'm good in a meeting with stakeholders, I can take a support call like a champ. I figure things out, I deliver, I ship. I am not bad at this whole thing. But interview coding? LOL.

> (And would those people be able to pair on a tricky bug when production is down?)

I'm cool enough under pressure that it's been remarked upon throughout my career, over and over. Interviews still get me—specifically, the performing part of coding questions, the rest is no problem.

I think it's because they're kinda hostile (yes, yes, "we're both just deciding if we're right for one another" and "you're interviewing them too", but c'mon, see exactly all the chatter about interviewers trying to find liars and expecting there to be lots of them—you're under a microscope). Production-down is collaborative. Angry-client is collaborative (from your co-workers, anyway). Not just that you're working together, but supporting one another, everyone's got everyone else's back. Most stressful work situations are fundamentally safe in a way that interviews are entirely not. There's nothing to prove, only a problem to solve.

I'm also shit at public speaking—not talking to people, not meetings, but speaking before an audience, and I mean shit—and playing music in front of strangers is basically my nightmare (and yeah, I've done it). I suspect both those are true for most people. The stress of coding in front of someone while they judge me is identical to those situations, for me.

I bet the above is a pretty common.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse