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Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

hackerpen.io

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Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#11

Post by marshall2016 »

frellus wrote: post #3

Nice tool at a fraction of the price of others in this space, but to be honest I'm not sure how it is a "better tool" - it's a code pad for coding interviews, but there are no rich features or any ways it distinguishes itself from others. There are many gaps in the way code interviews are done, and especially with remote now I think there's a lot of ways you could have a tool which really differentiates itself in fea…

Thanks for the encouraging words! Agreed that there are many areas to explore. One aspect we're exploring is how to establish clear rubrics, and even share it with candidates ahead of time. Any areas that you think would be interesting to look into?

Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#12

Post by czhu12 »

cosmotic wrote: post #7

This doesn't solve any of the problems I hear a lot about with technical interviews so I don't see how it's better. Everyone (interviewers and interviewees) complains about writing code and using a white board; this just enables those hated un-proven interview techniques.

How does one conduct an interview for a software engineer without either writing code or using a whiteboard?

Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#13

Post by egfx »

czhu12 wrote: post #12
cosmotic wrote: post #7

This doesn't solve any of the problems I hear a lot about with technical interviews so I don't see how it's better. Everyone (interviewers and interviewees) complains about writing code and using a white board; this just enables those hated un-proven interview techniques.

How does one conduct an interview for a software engineer without either writing code or using a whiteboard?

Give them a series of options each holding equal weight.

A) participate in an online coding assessment.

B) complete a homework assignment.

C) Demonstrate something you’ve done.

Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#14

Post by b20000 »

cosmotic wrote: post #7

This doesn't solve any of the problems I hear a lot about with technical interviews so I don't see how it's better. Everyone (interviewers and interviewees) complains about writing code and using a white board; this just enables those hated un-proven interview techniques.

exactly - we don’t need more browser code editors. the process is broken and needs to be changed, and does not account for the years of experience and previous (personal) projects

Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#15

Post by b20000 »

czhu12 wrote: post #12
cosmotic wrote: post #7

This doesn't solve any of the problems I hear a lot about with technical interviews so I don't see how it's better. Everyone (interviewers and interviewees) complains about writing code and using a white board; this just enables those hated un-proven interview techniques.

How does one conduct an interview for a software engineer without either writing code or using a whiteboard?

CS grads did enough of this in college. are you asking your lawyer or doctor for a mock trial or bypass surgery before letting them do their job?

Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#16

Post by b20000 »

egfx wrote: post #13
czhu12 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does one conduct an interview for a software engineer without either writing code or using a whiteboard?

Give them a series of options each holding equal weight. A) participate in an online coding assessment. B) complete a homework assignment. C) Demonstrate something you’ve done.

great idea although option C is really all you need. i graduated years ago in CS and had several projects already that i could show, upon graduation. if you have none you can show or talk about, your CS program is broken.

Re: Show HN: HackerPen a better tool for tech interview

#17

Post by b20000 »

marshall2016 wrote: post #10
paxys wrote: post #8

"Better" in what way? I have been using CoderPad (and similar services) for over a decade and they do all this and a lot more at the same price point.

Hi Paxy, thanks for the reply! So a few things are better IMHO (comparing to Codepad): - pricing: $50/month for unlimited v.s. %50/5 interviews codepad - the whiteboard feature is easier to use. On our future roadmap, we also plan to make a feature for feedback loop that encourages companies to share detailed rubric and feedback / and let candidates know what to expect and how they performed.

who cares about cost? the biggest cost is not your tool but the 10+ hours spent doing stupid code interviews, per candidate, by 10 different people, who all get pre-empted from more important work.
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