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Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

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Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#61

Post by akhilcacharya »

bla2 wrote: post #34
stale2002 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that companies like Google EXPECT you to cram on algorithms before the interview. They will even give you a study guide! Being really good at programming on a whiteboard is the name of the game. And studying for this is absolutely useful, and not "cheating" because everyone does it and is expected to do it.

I used to work at Google. I didn't study for the interviews, I just showed up. It went well enough to be hired. I did study CS and know my algorithms and data structures though.

Not everyone goes to a top school or does competitive programming. The rest of us have to work at it.

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#62

Post by ruleabidinguser »

micheljansen wrote: post #2

Good piece, but misleading title. There is a big difference between "cramming" and preparing. Like the author says: "Preparing by learning about a company and its product makes sense. But preparing for an interview by cramming/studying material that is supposedly needed for the job makes no sense." When I get a candidate who has no sense of the job they are applying for and is not able to ask meaningful questions, it…

>is not able to ask meaningful questions

Why does this matter?

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#63

Post by Markoff »

pkd wrote: post #42
mannykannot wrote: post #40

There is an important caveat in the last paragraph of the article: "Granted, all of this implies that companies have actually created an interview that actually tests the skills needed for the position they are hiring for."

Yes, and I am surprised that this wasn't at the start of the article instead. Very few companies have interview processes that test for the actual skills required on the job. Certainly not any of the big 4.

what are the big 4 - amazon, facebook, google and microsoft? apple doesn't qualify?

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#64

Post by Markoff »

joshstrange wrote: post #25
jhgjklj wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not practical for a guy who depends on salary.

What do you mean by that?

people who depend on salary have to pretend to get the salary. if you can afford not to have job, then you can take more idealistic approach

imagine you have low savings and you support your wife and small child at home, can you afford to sit at home for months until you find good match without pretending and cramming when it obviously work for some companies?

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#65

Post by sdflkd »

spapas82 wrote: post #9

For me, preparing for an interview for weeks (or maybe months, I've even heard of interview preparatory courses) by reading exam-like stuff that won't have any effect to your job but are interview preparation only is an insult to my personality. I would never do it and of course I don't want to work on companies that don't respect me. The most important perk for a job (for me) is to feel respected.

Can you retire on respect? :)

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#66

Post by micheljansen »

ruleabidinguser wrote: post #62
micheljansen wrote: post #2

Good piece, but misleading title. There is a big difference between "cramming" and preparing. Like the author says: "Preparing by learning about a company and its product makes sense. But preparing for an interview by cramming/studying material that is supposedly needed for the job makes no sense." When I get a candidate who has no sense of the job they are applying for and is not able to ask meaningful questions, it…

>is not able to ask meaningful questions Why does this matter?

It matters to us, because we are a very small studio where teams are given a high degree of freedom. In our experience, lack of inquisitiveness or interest in the business is a good predictor for a bad fit. Also, I believe interviews should be a two way street, so I expect to be challenged by a candidate, because it's also up to them to decide if they want to work with us.

I do have to note that I mostly do the last interview rounds, after initial screenings and assignment (from home, no whiteboard coding), so I talk to candidates who have had plenty of exposure to things to ask follow-up questions about. Why should it not matter?

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#67

Post by zerr »

brudgers wrote: post #50
zerr wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google does not need is one who "doesn't do algorithms" and so the cramming expectation filters against those. Except they filter those who "doesn't do algorithms" for free (the prep/cramming takes about 6 months I believe)...

Peter Norvig is Director of Research at Google. This is one of his essays: http://norvig.com/21-days.html For some people six months spent learning algorithms has value independent of Google's hiring process. Other people maybe not.

There is a difference between learning algorithms at leisure for enjoyment versus rigid thorough preparation for particular interview at particular company... Many can't afford the latter, especially during mid-career.

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#68

Post by geofft »

zzbzq wrote: post #37
dogma1138 wrote: post #31

>Cramming may get a candidate a job. But they won’t succeed at the job if they don’t have the skills and experience needed. This is a fallacy, you'll encounter things that you are not "qualified" to do on the job all the time, not to mention that if you are applying for an engineering job, or any other job that effectively requires you to solve problems; then learning new things, performing studies and research and f…

That objection could be seen as compatible with the original thesis in the title, though. Equate the need to work with unexpected things on the job, with improvising a job interview. In both cases, you need to expand beyond your knowledge, but you also need a baseline of knowledge and ability to even get started.

At a job interview you're typically not allowed to use the web and also typically expected to answer a question within seconds instead of within days, so the environment is very different from working with unexpected things on the job. You could design an interview process where neither of these were true, but I think it's pretty hard and comes with its own downsides.

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#69

Post by gspetr »

bla2 wrote: post #34
stale2002 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that companies like Google EXPECT you to cram on algorithms before the interview. They will even give you a study guide! Being really good at programming on a whiteboard is the name of the game. And studying for this is absolutely useful, and not "cheating" because everyone does it and is expected to do it.

I used to work at Google. I didn't study for the interviews, I just showed up. It went well enough to be hired. I did study CS and know my algorithms and data structures though.

Can you explain how you kept the algorithms/data structures knowledge in your head fresh enough to pass Google interview on the spot? Were you a fresh grad?

Re: Why I Don't Prepare for Job Interviews

#70

Post by gspetr »

sage76 wrote: post #27

>Cramming may get a candidate a job. But they won’t succeed at the job if they don’t have the skills and experience needed. Nothing any of us can do about it. It would mean avoiding all mid size/larger tech companies. I am looking for a change, and I am preparing heavily. Algos, data structures, design stuff. >Granted, all of this implies that companies have actually created an interview that actually tests the skill…

Can I ask you to share info on what you're using to study for the design stuff?
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