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Don't write on the whiteboard

jperla.com

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Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#11

Post by barkingllama »

edw519 wrote: post #9

Sorry 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 exe…

I'm glad the author mentioned Project Euler... I've never heard of it. Anyone else have experience with these problems? Is it a good way to improve your development skills?

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#12

Post by jc4p »

sliverstorm wrote: post #10

You 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?

You're definitely not alone. But, I've found that even if you don't do it, you should still try.

During my last interview I brought along a notebook, the day before the interview and the bus ride over to the office I wrote down any question that I could think of in the notebook, even forcing myself to think of extra questions.

It got people's attention, I talked with 6 pairs of people and each one pointed it out in one way or another.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#13

Post by sliverstorm »

jc4p wrote: post #12
sliverstorm wrote: post #10

You 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?

You're definitely not alone. But, I've found that even if you don't do it, you should still try. During my last interview I brought along a notebook, the day before the interview and the bus ride over to the office I wrote down any question that I could think of in the notebook, even forcing myself to think of extra questions. It got people's attention, I talked with 6 pairs of people and each one pointed it out in o…

Certainly take notes in preparation for an interview. Certainly bring a notebook to an interview. I just don't see this whole "carry a notebook at all times" thing.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#14

Post by caw »

sliverstorm wrote: post #10

You 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?

I could keep everything in my head--the problem is that I'll forget it at some point, whether it's a week from now, a day from now, or 5 minutes from now. Writing stuff down helps.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#15

Post by seanmccann »

zck wrote: post #6

The 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 ev…

I think the quote from the interviewer summarizes it best.

"Normally people write it in Java and it takes them a while and it takes up a lot more space on the whiteboard. They spend a lot of time manipulating the input string."

If you're more comfortable with Ruby, it would also be a great alternative. Clean, readable code. You get to focus on solving the problem.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#16

Post by podopie »

First, let me just mention that I think it's fantastic when others offer to share their personal experiences with interviewing, particularly when what's shared is unique and interesting to read or look at.

As others pointed out, there's more to this article than the whiteboard title, and some great points (particularly a fan of the python one) are made. I can't agree with the whiteboard concept, unfortunately. Maybe it's because of my teaching background, but when I interviewed for a startup engineering position a long time ago, they loved my whiteboard usage. It was clear, easy to follow, and effective. In some respects, it's (part of) what got me the job offer.

That said, the main point between whiteboard or pen and paper: make sure you can express yourself clearly to your interviewers. It was crucial in all the essays I graded, and a key skill to attain no matter your profession.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#17

Post by gldalmaso »

random42 wrote: post #5

From 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:- Practic…

There is no practice that simulates anxiety. Anxiety is mostly incompatible with the mental effort one usually applies in coding.

As you have put it, the white board is convenient for the interviewer, but that is missing the point of the interview which is to assess the candidate.

If you do not find if that difficult, than consider yourself privileged because most people feel differently. Some people cannot speak to a small audience while some love to give presentations.

An interview is already an anxiety-packed situaton where the candidate is under the spotlight. Putting them on the whiteboard solving problems only puts more pressure on and will often lead to sub-performance. Since the interviewer does not follow through when the candidate leaves, they may think that the candidate did his best.

I for one think that there should be an effort to emulate real working conditions and not performatic settings.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#18

Post by pslam »

random42 wrote: post #5

From 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:- Practic…

I'm dumbfounded by the mentality of "I don't do XYZ" when you're going to an interview. Guess what? They'll find that arrogant.

If you really do suck at using a whiteboard, here's a really far-out incredibly expensive and time consuming idea: Go to Office World and buy a small one for $10.

Re: Don't write on the whiteboard

#20

Post by gldalmaso »

barkingllama wrote: post #11
edw519 wrote: post #9

Sorry 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 exe…

I'm glad the author mentioned Project Euler... I've never heard of it. Anyone else have experience with these problems? Is it a good way to improve your development skills?

It's a very good way indeed.

One good thing about it is that there are different levels of success.

The problems usually come with a simplified version to which the result is provided. That way you can confirm your solutions works. Then, the real problem scales it and you have to improve the algorithm to achieve the performance goal of less then 1min cpu time.

It's also o good way to learn a different language. You can compare your solutions in different languages and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

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