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I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

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Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#471

Post by _pgmf »

blub wrote: post #467
coleifer wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who cares. It might as well be experimental theatre for all I care. If I want the job, I'll put in the effort. It's that simple.

Using your simple logic, the company could ask you to walk on all fours and eat grass and you'd put in the effort, if you want the job. We're irritated with the current interview practices, because the gauntlet that many of us have to run is not only wasteful, but it's also harming the profession. If one has to jump through the same old hoops their entire professional life only to be thrown out at 40, what's the poin…

Solving problems directly related to the field in which I'm claiming expertise is in no way a damaging to my dignity.

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#472

Post by rrishi »

diminoten wrote: post #190
52-6F-62 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hm. I spoke with Amazon (AWS) recently (haven't interviewed yet), and they made the express point that if I were to accept an interview that I should brush up on my algos and HackerRank questions because they loved HackerRank and would surely use a series of those-style problems throughout the interview process. My last in-depth interview was a take-home/collaborative project (paid) for a smaller company here in Cana…

It's probably per-team, someone on here mentioned that's how Google works at least. Someone I know did an AWS interview round during business school, and they do this thing called "bar raising" (IIRC) that involves one of the interviewers literally doing something unpleasant to see how you react (e.g. picking their teeth in the camera, cutting you off when you speak). Very odd.

That is not what "bar-raising" round is. It's a difficult question (often algorithmic) that 50% of the employees wouldn't be able to solve. Its designed to raise the bar of employees.

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#473

Post by kache_ »

sbov wrote: post #197
kache_ wrote: post #126

The reason that people still ask algorithmic questions is because they work for avoiding false positives. False positives are a lot more damaging to a company compared to false negatives. While algorithmic questions can get many false negatives, they don't get much false positives. What does it mean for a software developer? Spend a few hours a week doing leetcode questions. They're really not that hard.

Then companies should stop talking about this shortage of qualified software engineers.

There is a shortage of qualified software engineers. The whiteboard interview has spawned out of necessity. There is no good formal examination like an MCAT that companies can rely on.

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#474

Post by sgerenser »

rightbyte wrote: post #381
nanomonkey wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

California is an at-will work state, which means that either the employee or the company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or prior notice.

That has to be aweful for the employers? Key people can just disapear the next day. Is it comman to have a contracted x month notice?

Very unusual in the United States outside of Director/Executive level roles. While there’s a “tradition” of giving two weeks notice before leaving it is almost never required. Leaving without notice might get you placed on a no-rehire list and have your former colleagues think you are a jerk, but beyond that no repercussions.

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#475

Post by pault »

kamaal wrote: post #450
confusedcoder wrote: post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forgive me because I have used a similar idom when dealing with io. I do something like: for i=0; i Am I doing something stupid here?

Nothing. Probably the original developer was trying to do the same thing. There is always a context to what some one is doing.

I think the try/catch block is confusing commenters; it's irrelevant to the control flow in this case. You could consider it equivalent to:

  for i=0; i

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#476

Post by drugme »

charlieo88 wrote: post #255
drugme wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When interviewing people I usually push until I get the candidate to answer "I don't know" on SOMETHING, "just because I can". To me this technique comes off as condescending and manipulative, and smells like a power play basically. Not to mention - the better candidates will pick up on it, and your company will eventually get a reputation it doesn't want to have. And really there's no need for it. Time and time agai…

You seem like a person that has never had to deal with someone that is incapable of saying "I don't know." It is incredibly frustrating to project manage a team like that. It is tantamount to lying.

Sure I have - and like I said - it's easy to read this behavior from simply having a normal (but let's just say slightly inquisitive) conversation with someone. In fact even in recent memory I can think of multiple occasions where this behavior has emerged, simply when trying to get to the bottom of routine technical matter.

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#477

Post by tene »

fiddlerwoaroof wrote: post #422
pjscott wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haskell doesn't force anything, but it does make some pretty strong suggestions. Haskell suggests immutable data, pure functions, and algebraic thinking. You can make your data mutable, do everything in the `IO` or `State` monad, etc., because Haskell doesn't force structure on your code -- but the suggestion is still there, whispering in the back of your mind. (This is what I love about Haskell, BTW, so please don't…

This is what I was thinking: if I just want to sit down and design myself an object system, Haskell’s type system gets in the way of the necessary parts. (Unless you want to limit the interaction between your object system and haskell’s types in annoying ways). I’ve implemented CLOS-style mutimethods as a handful of functions basically translated from the Common Lisp in the art of the meta-object protocol. And the mu…

Thanks for the clarification!

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#478

Post by diminoten »

School-Cotton wrote: post #469
diminoten wrote: post #462

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like false as in I made it up or false as in it's not your experience?

False as in not true. Amazon does not have a policy of interviewers intentionally making candidates uncomfortable.

Ah, well then what was I being told? I got these independent reports form literally every single person I spoke to who interviewed with Amazon.

I also just spoke with my wife and she re-confirmed it. So I guess I'm wondering what these people who I respect are experiencing...

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#479

Post by diminoten »

rrishi wrote: post #472
diminoten wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's probably per-team, someone on here mentioned that's how Google works at least. Someone I know did an AWS interview round during business school, and they do this thing called "bar raising" (IIRC) that involves one of the interviewers literally doing something unpleasant to see how you react (e.g. picking their teeth in the camera, cutting you off when you speak). Very odd.

That is not what "bar-raising" round is. It's a difficult question (often algorithmic) that 50% of the employees wouldn't be able to solve. Its designed to raise the bar of employees.

Why would Amazon ask an algorithmic question for a non-engineering role?

Re: I got asked LeetCode questions for a dev-ops systems engineering job today

#480

Post by diminoten »

scottLobster wrote: post #466
diminoten wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's not what you're accomplishing by asking that question, you're taking a moral position beyond your role on a topic you're not an expert in. What you're demonstrating is your lack of perspective and a hubris that can poison a team, turning it into a snake put where people "neutrally" question every decision. The mere fact that you think you can neutrally ask a question like that is a red flag.

Or I'm just politely asking for confirmation of what I'm interviewing for, as I'm participating in said interview. You sound like that proverbial manager who refused to hire someone because at the lunch interview the candidate put salt on his fries before trying them, and the hiring manager extrapolated that to mean he doesn't properly analyze situations before acting. As for "role" and "expert", you seem to think th…

It's not honest. You're not asking the question to better understand the situation, you're asking the question to make a rhetorical point. You're not expressing your opinion, you're hiding your opinion, and setting up a "trap" for the employer to possibly fall into if they answer "incorrectly". You think you know better.

Asking questions doesn't create a snake pit, not being straightforward with your opinions does. Asking leading questions that force people to not trust your motivations will certainly create a toxic work environment.

Related, I don't think you actually believe I was genuinely putting forward the idea that you shouldn't ask questions in your interview. I have some not-great theories about why you chose to do that, but this probably isn't worth the time it'd take to figure it out with you...

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