Ask HN: How Did Interview Whiteboard Coding Become a Thing?

#1

Post by jsogbein » Tue, May 22, 2018, 3:16 PM UTC

There are often threads or blog posts on HN criticising the white board coding interview approach taken by top tech companies.

For such a young industry in which most of the biggest companies today didn't even exist 20 years ago, there has to be some explanation for why this method of interviewing became the dominant style.

Do we have people on here who interviewed or hired programmers in the early 90s as the tech boom was starting who can share insights into why the whiteboard coding style became the preferred means of interviewing?

Re: Ask HN: How Did Interview Whiteboard Coding Become a Thing?

#2

Post by davelnewton » Tue, May 22, 2018, 3:21 PM UTC

Because it's a quick way to begin understanding how a developer thinks (on their feet, under pressure, in an unusual coding environment, with someone watching them).

It's easier for the interviewer to observe than giving them a sheet of paper or watching over their shoulder. In those days online video-conferencing and whiteboard apps didn't really exist in any commoditized fashion.

Re: Ask HN: How Did Interview Whiteboard Coding Become a Thing?

#3

Post by kwillets » Tue, May 22, 2018, 4:44 PM UTC

I think it was mainly Google. In the 90's companies didn't have time for all the drama; for instance in 1998 I went to four interviews in one day. These were typically 1-2 sessions with the hiring manager and a tech lead.

The content wasn't that different, but the format was simply shorter, and things like education and references were used.

The economics of this practice are interesting; I believe it's Google's brand of conspicuous consumption (and aspirations to it) combined with Confucian bureaucracy.

Re: Ask HN: How Did Interview Whiteboard Coding Become a Thing?

#4

Post by marssaxman » Wed, May 23, 2018, 3:51 AM UTC

I don't understand why people think whiteboard problems are so unusual. In my experience, all that's changed since the '90s is that the "interview loop" tends to run longer. I spent five hours yesterday interviewing, in fact, and it was the same basic process it's always been.