Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#1

Post by greyostrich » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:08 PM UTC

I was given seven problems to submit via an online coding service called remoteinterview.io. Three problems included HackerRank style challenges. I was able to solve everything within an hour (though, it take me closer to two hours to code the edge cases for the third one), and the time limit was eight hours. Everything was green; all tests cases were solved, minus any hidden cases I didn't know about. Next day, auto rejection.

How common is this? It's not my first time dealing with this. I find the interview process such bull crap, at the moment.

Note: I did document my entire code, which included my plan of action before writing anything and any necessary comments.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#2

Post by rick_perez » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:20 PM UTC

With big companies, it's pretty common. There is probably something about your contact info or education/experience that was auto-flagged as a rejection.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#3

Post by bcbrown » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:27 PM UTC

I've had a similar experience. I will now decline all online take-home coding evaluations. I want the process to require a symmetric amount of effort from both sides.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#4

Post by bsvalley » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:39 PM UTC

Right now, the job market is super over crowded. There are a lot of jobs out there but too many people applying... You get a rejection on a 99/100 score (one tiny mistake and you're out), actually, even a 100/100 score sometimes will lead you to a rejection because other candidates were stronger than you. Too many people are applying from everywhere at the moment.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#5

Post by paulcole » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:39 PM UTC

>Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

You have the right to be angry about it. But ask yourself if that anger is doing you any good? If not, why bother getting worked up?

Are you in a position that allows you to decline interviews? Do you feel strongly that interviews should be conducted in a certain way? Feel free to turn down any that don't meet your requirements.

But don't expect any company to accommodate your desires in their interview process. It's just the way it is.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#6

Post by rcymerys » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:44 PM UTC

Are you angry about wasting 2 hours of your time or not getting the job?

Keep in mind that a lot of companies use automated tests to filter candidates, not necessarily in the most fair way. They're simply not able to do a whole interview with everyone as it's extremely time consuming.

I'd say don't worry about it too much. If you have the skills you'll find plenty of good companies that will want to work with you.

Unfortunately, job interviews are not as predictable as how code works. Even the best devs I know get rejected once in a while. :)

Think about it - there's 2-3 people (interviewers) trying to asses whether a person has the skills for a job and is a cultural fit for the company. All of these during an 1-2 hour long chat. That's virtually impossible to do right, they can only guess.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#7

Post by icedchai » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:49 PM UTC

bsvalley wrote: post #4

Right now, the job market is super over crowded. There are a lot of jobs out there but too many people applying... You get a rejection on a 99/100 score (one tiny mistake and you're out), actually, even a 100/100 score sometimes will lead you to a rejection because other candidates were stronger than you. Too many people are applying from everywhere at the moment.

This is the opposite of my experience, both as a candidate and a hiring manager over the past couple of years. There are many openings, not enough competent people to fill them. We are essentially at peak employment for tech.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#8

Post by danpalmer » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:50 PM UTC

Was it definitely "auto rejection" or did a human read your code?

I ask because we have a coding test that most people solve (that we invite to do it) but we reject most on code quality. The purpose might not have been to solve the task, but maybe to do it in a good way?

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#9

Post by graphememes » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:50 PM UTC

I think personally they should provide feedback for rejections on request, I personally want feedback so I can improve and better myself during a failure often times companies won't tell me so it makes it hard to understand what went wrong in their eyes.

Re: Ask HN: Am I right to be angry about the interview process?

#10

Post by paulddraper » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 10:52 PM UTC

I had 4.0 GPA, valedictorian, 2400 SAT, 800 on three SAT II tests, a varsity letter, awards in chemistry and math competitions, and 5s on 14 AP tests.

I got turned down by MIT. Yeah, it sucks but anger will hardly help.

And there are always upsides. In my case I went to state U on full-ride and saved myself $170k in tuition. In your case, you avoided being hired by a less-than-competent company.