Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews • Hacker News Board

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#81

Post by hinkley » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:38 PM UTC

iratewizard wrote: post #12

This article seems like another example of mid-level people giving advice to junior-level people. There are far more red flags you can expect from a company by asking the right questions. The article doesn't dive into any of that and reads more like a few gripes from a guy who did way too many interviews and became jaded by it. The technical interview itself is not likely to be a good indicator of what work looks lik…

Don't count on your direct manager sticking around.

Mine left within a year, and so did the priorities he had me working on, and the giant shield he put between us and his crazy boss. He was losing a culture war and decided to get out before he was shown the door. And then it was like a slow motion version of Howl's Moving Castle when they take Calcifer outside.

I'm not sure how you ask that question, although I expect you start by first avoiding any place with exploding offers, and taking the time to ask lots of followup questions. You'd want to know about your potential boss's boss, and their peers.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#82

Post by fragmede » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:39 PM UTC

compiler-guy wrote: post #24

The "Not Enough Clarity about your Role" issue has killed Google with so many potentially outstanding employees. For years and years you wouldn't interview with your team, or even be told what team you would be joining. It is slightly better now, but you still don't interview with your specific team until very, very late in the process, if you even do. One of the worst things about interviewing at the big G.

To be expound on "very, very late", interviewing with your specific team is done at the end, after passing the on-site, and there's a soft offer from the hiring committee. The last step is to get a team match where the candidate talks w/ teams' manager, and both the candidate and manager have to agree to the match.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#83

Post by draw_down » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:39 PM UTC

opportune wrote: post #51

lgleason wrote: post #6

I can identify with the red flag where they try to pressure you to accept the offer in a short period. This is also called an exploding offer. I had a place do that to me and I ended up turning the opportunity down.

I know a lot of people who have “accepted” exploding offers but then just keep interviewing and will try to renegotiate or just reneg if they get a better one.

That does seem like the correct strategy in such a scenario. It’s unethical to try to use your leverage to force people into working for you, so you reap what you sow.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#84

Post by megiddo » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:40 PM UTC

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #66

As someone with 20+ years in the experience, red flag #1 for me is being expected to go through a skill-testing technical whiteboard (or similar) coding exercise before even having a deeper discussion about the role and whether there's a fit, etc. I've seen this many times and I find it baffling: I already have a very high paying high quality job, I want you to sell _me_ on the position before demanding I do stressfu…

I'm with you on this. 20+ years. My usual MO is to walk away from interviews that have jump-scare whiteboarding or require a quiz prior to an actual interview.

I recently broke my own code at an interview and was rewarded with complete nonsense. Never again.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#85

Post by AtlasBarfed » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:41 PM UTC

lgleason wrote: post #6

I can identify with the red flag where they try to pressure you to accept the offer in a short period. This is also called an exploding offer. I had a place do that to me and I ended up turning the opportunity down.

Well, outside of Silicon Valley, if you accept an exploding offer, you will very frequently show up to work and sit around for weeks doing little while the project you were hired for goes through the project funding pachinko machine a few times.

Or you accept and don't hear back for two weeks.

Or any other number of reasons that some lumbering company loses you in the intake paperwork.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#86

Post by jarjoura » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:42 PM UTC

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #66

As someone with 20+ years in the experience, red flag #1 for me is being expected to go through a skill-testing technical whiteboard (or similar) coding exercise before even having a deeper discussion about the role and whether there's a fit, etc. I've seen this many times and I find it baffling: I already have a very high paying high quality job, I want you to sell _me_ on the position before demanding I do stressfu…

Most companies I've interviewed at allow me to chat with the hiring manager first to get a sense of the role. If they're looking for someone super senior like us, you just need to be upfront about what it would take for them to hire you.

I agree though, if the company isn't willing to let you talk to them about the role and requirements upfront, then I don't think you're being actively recruited for your talent and background, and the recruiter is just looking to meet quotas.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#87

Post by staplers » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:43 PM UTC

mdgrech23 wrote: post #55

vlovich123 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of the big tech companies, I've worked at Facebook, Google, & Apple. I've still not quite cracked what's different about Apple culturally that they seem to be more immune to this problem. The only main difference I can spot is I don't recall ever encountering a PM at Apple. To do planning engineers would propose improvements, new features, etc. These were bubbled up. Then executives would be responsible for building…

Would echo your sentiment that the role of project manager, product owner or whatever they're calling it these days needs to be rethought. In my org we literally have a squadron of these individuals which leads to bickering and an in-cohesive product experience.

Micro-management has been institutionalized in much of corporate America while romanticizing "vision" without actually developing one.

So you have non-designers enforcing their personal "vision" without cross-team collaboration or user research.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#88

Post by jnwatson » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:43 PM UTC

compiler-guy wrote: post #28

nickff wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, there often needs to be a time limit, or else they will be too late to make an offer to the runner-up (when the leader turns it down). I am not sure what a 'reasonable period' is.

A reasonable period is: You tell them up front your ideal timeline, that you have a couple of other irons in the fire (if you do), and you keep them informed of the progress of those other fires. And they do the same for you. Maybe you can't get a timing that works for both sides together, but that is OK. The pressuring is what isn't.

I've been the recruiter in this position. I think it is unethical to string your runners-up along in this situation. You're essentially taking up their (and your) valuable time with little chance at success.

Exploding offers are the least bad solution. Give them 48-72 hours, with a small extension if they are currently talking to someone else.

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#89

Post by matsemann » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:43 PM UTC

lgleason wrote: post #6

I can identify with the red flag where they try to pressure you to accept the offer in a short period. This is also called an exploding offer. I had a place do that to me and I ended up turning the opportunity down.

I have done the same when I was about to graduate and started looking. One company started the process long before the others (which all basically followed the same schedule), and gave me an offer before I even had applied to anyone else. At the time I was very afraid of missing out, but the way they gave me only a few days to think about moving to a different city almost a year ahead left a sour taste in my mouth and made me turn them down.

I ended up contacting the company I wanted to work for the most, and said I had an offer. They ended up fast tracking me and giving me an offer as well. So at least the first company validated me and helped me land the one I wanted..

Re: Red flags I saw while doing technical interviews

#90

Post by C1sc0cat » Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 4:43 PM UTC

snazz wrote: post #72

vp8989 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Welcome to the Internet. Hot takes about interviewing are a dime a dozen because it's an easy thing to have an opinion about, and as long as you punch up then your takes will generally be accepted. What's always missing from these articles is any empathy for the people on the other side.

I think this article demonstrates some empathy for the people on the other side. For example, the "Consistent lack of interest or low morale from interviewers" and "Your interviewers aren’t prepared for the interview" sections take the point of view of the interviewers into consideration.

Surprised that "interviewers aren’t prepared for the interview" is not more of a hard NO.

If they apologised and said they where picking this up as original person could not make it, that's different.