Tech Interview Torture Chamber • Hacker News Board

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#191

Post by sobani » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 12:49 PM UTC

krzrak wrote: post #190

ryandrake wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go on...? Not sure I'm making the connection. I've done that many in a week during tough times.

I assumed someone habitually goes to 10 interviews a month, even if they have a job. I want an employee who works, not is constantly looking for some new gig. Anyway, speaking from my experience in software development, most people I hired (and me, my friends) interviewed with 1-3 companies before choosing a new job. Once or twice I met people who bragged about "having 17 offers on the table, so you need to hurry wit…

How many applicants do you interview per position? I assume it's more than 3. Why wouldn't it be fair for a job seeker to consider just as many possibilities as you do?

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#192

Post by merlincorey » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 12:54 PM UTC

acheron wrote: post #155

bsvalley wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like your first point, though your 2nd and 3rd points tell me you haven't applied for a while :) They've all adopted the google model, small or big companies it doesn't matter. You start with a 45 minute technical phone screen (algorithm/data structures), sometimes a second tech phone screen, an onsite of at least 5 hours with at least 3 to 4 45-minute technical screens (algo/data structures) as if it wasn't enough…

This is not really true everywhere. I'd be really surprised if I encountered an interview like that. I think it's just a weird California thing, kind of like "thinking In-n-Out is better than Five Guys", or "driving your state into bankruptcy".

In-n-Out is way better than Five Guys.

The rest of what you said, we have no quarrel!

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#193

Post by merlincorey » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 12:57 PM UTC

deathanatos wrote: post #158

louthy wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been programming 3/4 of my life and I'd fall over on that stuff. I'm a CTO of 12 years and I'd fall over on that stuff. I have a successful open-source project [1] which is all algorithms and data-structures , and I'd fall over on that stuff. At some point interviewers must get it, that these artificial test environments bear no relevance to how we write code in the real world, and putting these false constraint…

> these artificial test environments bear no relevance to how we write code in the real world I keep hearing this, and perhaps I'm not part of the problem. But at a prior company I worked for (which was quite good), our go-to phone screen was "implement min()". This screened an absolutely staggering (to us) fraction of the candidates. I don't see how asking someone who claims to have years of experience in engineerin…

> our go-to phone screen was "implement min()". This screened an absolutely staggering (to us) fraction of the candidates.

I like to ask people to "implement reverse()" with similar filter results.

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#194

Post by throwaway9475 » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 1:19 PM UTC

hackinthebochs wrote: post #175

jakebasile wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why have only one option that caters to those that can memorize algorithms? Have multiple types of interviews instead of forcing everyone to take the same type.

Always this "memorizing algorithms" strawman. If you can't code basic list/tree/graph algorithms on the fly then there are serious holes in your programming ability. This has nothing to do with memorization.

How often do you waltz into work and write list/tree/graph algorithms on a daily basis?

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#195

Post by ManlyBread » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 1:32 PM UTC

paulannesley wrote: post #113

ar15saveslives wrote: post #59

I would say that the alternative to that crappy process is something like "gradual hiring" (sorry, I'm the guy whose accent can be spread on bread) - you just start working with a guy, giving him basic isolated tasks, and as he successfully progresses with his work, task are getting more and more complicated (salary, permissions as well). After few months of such freelance-ish work you can know for sure that this dud…

> you just start working with a guy, giving him basic isolated tasks, and as he successfully progresses with his work, task are getting more and more complicated (salary, permissions as well). After few months of such freelance-ish work you can know for sure that this dude is compatible with the team, able to solve problems, able to learn. And only then he becomes an employee with offer, benefits and SO. Careful not…

No one cares.

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#196

Post by eshvk » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 1:49 PM UTC

flukus wrote: post #179

eshvk wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> go after normal business hours Think about it from the other perspective, you want to do an interview after normal business hours. This means that a recruiter, several engineers and a culture interviewer have to also be present after work hours. Now scale this up to a few dozen candidates; I wouldn't want to work in a place that does this on the regular.

> This means that a recruiter, several engineers and a culture interviewer have to also be present after work hours Well no, there doesn't have to be that many people in the interview, especially the first one. I've never heard of recruiters being there for the interview at all. > I wouldn't want to work in a place that does this on the regular. Depends, some might allow the interviewers to start late or to take an t…

> Well no, there doesn't have to be that many people in the interview, especially the first one. I've never heard of recruiters being there for the interview at all.

The recruiter's job is to make sure the candidate gets to the right office room in time; makes sure that if an engineer drops out that there is someone else to pick up the slack. Also, if the candidate has a public freakout or decides to get nosy and peek at someone's computers, it is their job to be nice and navigate the candidate to a more appropriate scenario.

> Depends, some might allow the interviewers to start late

My point is this doesn't scale beyond a certain point. I have complete sympathy for job seekers but I think you are underestimating the amount of grievance that can builds up when one is forced to interview you. As a potential interviewee, I'd bite the bullet, do enough preliminary talks/coffees to figure out if this is what I really want and then go interview at a time that is mutually convenient.

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#197

Post by yumaikas » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 2:23 PM UTC

pklausler wrote: post #2

Damn, now I'm going to waste time today actually trying to figure out how to implement a radix sort with red-black trees, just in case.

My understanding (somewhat limited), is that you would never want to use a radix sort with red-black trees, as a tree should already have some sorting to it as is. Otherwise, why not just used a linked list?

Besides, radix sorts are generally good for fixed-width data that has a known bound, like integers.

Basically, this is made-up nonsense. It's good made-up nonsense though.

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#198

Post by ar15saveslives » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 3:01 PM UTC

Frondo wrote: post #186

flukus wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people should think more when they write, and make sure they think about what they're saying Maybe you should just stop overthinking what they wrote.

How is this overthinking? They used heavily gendered language, someone pushed back, and I backed the person who pushed back. You're probably a dude, too, huh, so reading he/his/him all the time doesn't phase you. Oh well. Keep goin', bro.

I feel sorry for your illness, really. "Bad english - fine, controversial hiring practices - fine, but he's using 'heavily gendered language' - alarm, take your pitchforks!"

Today's International Women's Day, so here's my gift for you: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unbias-the-interne...

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#199

Post by logfromblammo » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 3:17 PM UTC

schwap wrote: post #139

logfromblammo wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My resume states point blank that references will not be provided until after the prospective employer agrees in principle that I meet the technical job requirements. I send out a lot of resumes, and I am more protective of my references time than I am of my own. I don't want people wasting their time with useless phone calls because of me. Strangely enough, whenever a company gets past that point in the interview pr…

I just go with the simple "References available on request" and have had the same results (nobody ever ends up asking for them).

I put that on my resume in the past. I had to change it after a company requested them before scheduling an initial phone screen.

Re: Tech Interview Torture Chamber

#200

Post by GFischer » Wed, Mar 08, 2017, 3:24 PM UTC

bsvalley wrote: post #110

bit_logic wrote: post #44

As a senior engineer who already has a good job, here's how I've adapted to the stupid tech interview and plan on doing for future jobs: - Stay at my job longer and push for more raises/promotions. So far this has worked well. I may not get more in raw $ amount vs job hopping, but when risk adjusted (the risks of any new job such as bad manager, etc.) it's worked out ok so far. I think some job hopping is still good…

I like your first point, though your 2nd and 3rd points tell me you haven't applied for a while :) They've all adopted the google model, small or big companies it doesn't matter. You start with a 45 minute technical phone screen (algorithm/data structures), sometimes a second tech phone screen, an onsite of at least 5 hours with at least 3 to 4 45-minute technical screens (algo/data structures) as if it wasn't enough…

I guess it depends on the position, but it's not all of them - I know for a fact that at least a few large SF-based companies haven't adopted the algorithms/data structures bullshit.

They do have tech interviews, but it wasn't an "Engineering" position (they were for Technical Consultant/Technology Consultant type roles) so maybe that's why they don't drill you in algorithms (you ARE expected to code though).