Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

chrlschn.dev

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 286 posts

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#161

Post by adastra22 »

BigJ1211 wrote: post #138
ghostpepper wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever done a background check with HireRight? They ask you for all of your previous companies and contact them to verify. I think there is an option not to call your current employer.

How far can you legally go with those in the US? Here in the EU at most you can ask if they worked there, nothing else.

Nearly the same. “Did BigJ1211 work at your company? Would you hire them again?”

But that signals to their current employer that they’re applying for other jobs. Unlike the EU, employers in the US can be retaliatory about that.

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#162

Post by flashgordon »

indymike wrote: post #69

We use this process, and it has helped us hire some great developers without having to use third party staffing and headhunters: 1. Post well written job post on major job boards. 2. Immediately reply via text to every applicant (yes, we have opt in on the application) 3. Initial screening including several knock-out questions via text. Immediately let candidate know if they are not selected and why. 4. 30 minute can…

Here is a dark side of side projects (pun unintended). I went to an interview which was a nodejs shop. I was excited as they wanted to see a side project. Most of mine are just things I do for fun. Anyway it was in golang (with lots of control plane like features for a "fun" saas offering). Cto wasnt happy that I had chosen go and wanted to know why I hadn't chosen Node instead. (Never mind my Fe was in typescript). He wasnt happy with any of my explanations and came back with retorts like "well you have async/await so you don't really need goroutines).

First of all nobody should be forced to be judged on side projects alone. There are several talented "family folks" out there. And even if not there are enough "recharge on my time " folks which is totally fair.

Secondly just like in leetcoding interview all it takes is an inexperienced interviewer with a script to degrade the experience!

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#163

Post by adastra22 »

joeframbach wrote: post #82
indymike wrote: post #69

We use this process, and it has helped us hire some great developers without having to use third party staffing and headhunters: 1. Post well written job post on major job boards. 2. Immediately reply via text to every applicant (yes, we have opt in on the application) 3. Initial screening including several knock-out questions via text. Immediately let candidate know if they are not selected and why. 4. 30 minute can…

I can bring my kids in but I don't think I could tell you how they work. I've been in this industry for almost 20 years, but I don't have side projects, because, well, see above.

Which is why this is a dog whistle for ageism.

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#164

Post by ziddoap »

allo37 wrote: post #154
ziddoap wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's great that you quickly notify candidates if they aren't a fit! Wish more people did that. But.... > Bring a side project, show us how it works. What do you do if someone doesn't have a side project (or want their side project to be reviewed by someone they don't know)? Some people code to live, not live to code.

I can sympathize, but keep in mind most professions expect you to commit to a certain number of hours of continuing education. Often you can convince your employer to let you do this during work hours (or even pay for it!), but not always.

Continuing education credits is pretty far from "bring in a hobby project for code review for this interview".

Is there even a CE credit available for coding up a hobby project (and who from)? Completion of a course, attending a lecture, attending a lunch & learn, etc. are the CE credits I am familiar with (spanning a few different professional bodies).

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#165

Post by ngc248 »

fnimick wrote: post #139
codeTired wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m willing to grind if you present me with a real life problem you need solving. I’m not willing to run on a hamster wheel, it seems illogical to me.

And therefore you are not an employee they want. These companies don't want an employee who starts to question "why" things should be done or why things are important. Demonstrating that you are willing to apply yourself at something objectively useless simply because you are required to is a huge plus.

This is the situation at most big companies.

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#166

Post by Jensson »

Apocryphon wrote: post #136
brigadier132 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because adults with hobbies and families have better things to do If you really valued your time you would spend a week studying for the interview that gives you a 50pct or more increase in salary so you can work that many fewer years

But it still feels wrong if progression is measured by an arbitrary measure orthogonal to what one actually does in one's career, no?

Leetcode isn't progression, it is changing to a better track. Progress on that track doesn't require leetcode, just entering it.

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#167

Post by allo37 »

ziddoap wrote: post #164
allo37 wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can sympathize, but keep in mind most professions expect you to commit to a certain number of hours of continuing education. Often you can convince your employer to let you do this during work hours (or even pay for it!), but not always.

Continuing education credits is pretty far from "bring in a hobby project for code review for this interview". Is there even a CE credit available for coding up a hobby project (and who from)? Completion of a course, attending a lecture, attending a lunch & learn, etc. are the CE credits I am familiar with (spanning a few different professional bodies).

Sometimes you can declare "self-learning", depending on the order.

But anyways, that's not really my point: My point is just that in professions it's not uncommon to be expected to perform some kind of extracurricular activities related to your job. Often software "engineers" aren't members of a professional order, but I'd argue that the idea still applies. Tbh learning by working on a hobby project is way more appealing to me than watching some PowerPoint presentation...

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#168

Post by Jensson »

wishpishh wrote: post #143
harryquach wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair grinding Leetcode to the point of proficiency takes longer than a week. With that said I agree on your other point, putting in the work and sacrificing time, even months, will pay dividends long-term with a salary that allows someone to retire early.

If you are willing to spend your younger, healthier years grinding just to (potentially, there are so many things that are outside of your control that can go wrong no matter your work ethic) get a few more years of retirement at the end of your life - then sure. Grind away.

You can work 80% and still earn more, so you have more time your whole life.

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#169

Post by gustavus »

joeframbach wrote: post #82
indymike wrote: post #69

We use this process, and it has helped us hire some great developers without having to use third party staffing and headhunters: 1. Post well written job post on major job boards. 2. Immediately reply via text to every applicant (yes, we have opt in on the application) 3. Initial screening including several knock-out questions via text. Immediately let candidate know if they are not selected and why. 4. 30 minute can…

I can bring my kids in but I don't think I could tell you how they work. I've been in this industry for almost 20 years, but I don't have side projects, because, well, see above.

My go to side project right now is training a neural net to operate a bio-mechanical process to automate waste management for consumers.

By which I mean I'm potty training my 3 year old.

Re: Interviews in the Age of AI: Ditch Leetcode – Try Code Reviews Instead

#170

Post by rc-1140 »

P_I_Staker wrote: post #91
bluehorizon2 wrote: post #26

People are forgetting why companies these days do Leetcode in the first place. The initial reason why we have Leetcode today is that Google originally determined through their interview research that the smartest candidates were the ones who were best at algorithms. Google wanted to hire the smartest people, not necessarily the best coders, so that’s why their interviews were mostly algorithmic. Of course everyone st…

It seems like chasing golden unicorn super smart bois has been more of a problem than a solution in SV and companies like google. It starts to look like a schoolyard game or mensa. I'll just get the smartest of the smarts and rule the world! If I only get the alphas of the alphas, I'll surely win. Reminds me of all the NBA players getting schooled in FIBA, because the international teams have better chemistry. At one…

> It seems like chasing golden unicorn super smart bois has been more of a problem than a solution in SV and companies like google. It starts to look like a schoolyard game or mensa.

> What I'm talking about isn't just awkwardness and lacking charisma. I'm talking about randomly telling women that they can tell she is on her period and things like that.

These don't seem limited to SV and Big Companies™ like Google, all it takes is a cursory scroll either through this website (even this thread!) or a trip to any of the CompSci-focused boards on Reddit. Additionally not limited to women and minorities, but anyone from a non-traditional background as well.

If anyone feels like working on these issues, the problem is extremely local, you don't even have to leave HN!

Post reply on HN