Don't write on the whiteboard
jperla.com
Don't write on the whiteboard
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Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#2A pretty good array of interview tips which can be summarized as follows:
(1) Make yourself as comfortable as you can, so that you can:
(2) Make it clear what you're thinking and how you think (which is the point of the interview).
I'm not signing on for the concept of always doing your interview in Python, however. Do your interview in the language you're most comfortable in, unless it's something so esoteric that it's likely to throw the interviewer off balance. Python is a great language for these sorts of exercises if you know it, but don't force the issue if you don't, because then you're violating (1) above. I know Python well myself, but I'd do an interview in Java because that's "home" to me, and you need all the "home" you can get during an experience as alienating as your standard interview.
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#3Thanks for writing this up, it'll be quite useful to me.
I found your last line quite amusing: "I want to learn how to push the boundaries of knowledge, not just apply what I learned in these books."
When I quit my PhD to do a startup, my thinking was the exact opposite: "I want to apply what I know to solve real problems out there, not just keep learning and write more books which no one will read."!
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#4The title doesn't do the article justice. As an interviewer myself I think it's terrible advice. Certainly if you think it'll make or break your interview go ahead and ask to write on paper, but thinking through problems and expressing them on a whiteboard is an important skill at a lot of companies.
Many of his other points are good, although a lot of it boils down to being a top notch developer and letting it show in the interview. Being a top notch developer is the hard part, and good interviewers (at places a top notch dev would want to work at) will typically identify your skills even if you don't follow this specific advice.
+1 for using python--it's great for getting through coding questions quickly and efficiently, allowing exploration of various twists the interviewer may throw at you.
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#5From an interviewer's perspective, the whiteboard gives me a chance to intervene to correct, explain, or provide hints, to the interviewee sooner/at the right time, which is not possible in pen-paper solutions, as I cannot see what the interviewee is doing till she shows me her work, unless I sit at the same side of the table as herself, which is odd for general discussion/talking.
My advice to interviewees:- Practice on a whiteboard. It is not that difficult.
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#6The author brings up some interesting points, but fails to back them up. Why does he prefer not to write on the whiteboard? Why Python? [1] Why interview the interviewer? Sure, there are reasons I can think of, but I'm not convinced, and would like to know why he is.
[1] In later tips, he gets into some things that make Python good, but it needs to be justified more, given that his advice boils down to "use Python even if you've never seen it before".
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#7As a bonus to my upvote, I want to be clear: This is a great read. It inspires people to learn algorithms, know how to back up your assertions, and be confident with an interviewer.
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#8I like seeing interviewees write on a whiteboard because I can see how they're thinking and help them out if I see that they're running into trouble. The point when I give a whiteboard question is to engage interactively with them over the course of ~15 minutes while they solve a problem, not to sit around and be handed a piece of paper at the end.
In addition, communicating with peers via whiteboard is a skill that is actually handy in day-to-day work life; it's not just some artificial interview skill.
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#9Sorry OP, I realize that you're just trying to be helpful sharing what's worked for you and I appreciate that, but frankly, I hate posts like this...
I think the best preparation for any interview is to simply get good at what you do. All the rest is window dressing that distracts from that goal.
Every minute spent practicing interviewing would be better spent building stuff. The natural byproduct of this will be exercising those skills that will be evaluated.
What you're proposing is unnatural and unnecessary. You're focusing on the details of the process instead of the real issue of knowing your stuff.
Good interviewers won't care if you're fundamentally solid but a little light on the presentation side. And they won't be fooled by a great presenter who is weak under the hood. Sure, you may fool a weak interviewer, but what does that say about the company you may be joining?
We all want to be solid in both fundamentals and presentation, but I prefer to focus my limited resources on getting better than I am, not appearing to be better. Best to just be good, be yourself, and trust that it will show naturally, no matter how you are evaluated.
Re: Don't write on the whiteboard
#10You should always have paper and pen anyway to write down ideas
Am I the only one who is not such a fountain of ideas that I can keep it all in my head?