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Tech Interview Handbook

techinterviewhandbook.org

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Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#121

Post by yupper32 »

pbalau wrote: post #95
nvarsj wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe things have changed, but when I went to career fairs as a uni student in the 00s they all asked for my GPA. Less than 3.5 was pretty much an instant no.

> when I went to career fairs *as a uni student* At that point that was the only thing you could possible show.

That's not true. Projects, internships, and interviewing skills are how you get into companies as a uni student. GPA is maybe required for some, but it's definitely not the only thing a uni student should be showing.

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#122

Post by Ancalagon »

devnull3 wrote: post #77

Forget the Hunger Games, here is the dystopian shit right now: For a medium level leetcode problem here is the time split (for which 20 min are given typically): 1. 4 min => Read/interpret/parse the problem statement 2. 5 min => Formulate the solution. 3. 8 min => Actual code 4. 3 min => Edge cases/review --------------------- Notes: * #2 You should think of various algos, DS and lock on to a particular one. If you c…

Spot on with my experience, but jesus laying it out like this really does show how dystopian it is.

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#123

Post by bradlys »

bovermyer wrote: post #117
pc86 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're welcome to, but don't expect to get jobs at any company folks have heard of. I don't like it, but it's just the way it is now.

I've worked for some very big name companies that millions have heard of. I have only had to do a coding challenge once, and that was not for any of the big fish. I imagine we operate in very different geographic regions of the USA.

But do they pay $400K+/yr? That’s the point.

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#124

Post by rizzaxc »

sto_hristo wrote: post #120
rizzaxc wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you claimed to be an experienced JS dev, applying for a JS position, asking to be paid big bucks then yes he had every right to quiz you on that I dont know what really happened though

The hell with the person's ability to learn new stuff, navigate JS's epic ecosystem, and keep himself on par with new developments and the trends. Summing js arrays is where it's at and tells the interviewer the whole story of the candidate's understanding of the language.

take that chip off your shoulder mate

about tech interviews, the way you handle stuff you dont know is also important. I didn't say he deserved to be rejected because he didn't know what summing 2 arrays results in, but the interviewer was fair to ask that (if the position was about javascript). and yes if you were the interviewee with this kind of attitude I'd reject you on the spot

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#125

Post by rizzaxc »

andrewingram wrote: post #105
rizzaxc wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you claimed to be an experienced JS dev, applying for a JS position, asking to be paid big bucks then yes he had every right to quiz you on that I dont know what really happened though

Except that experienced devs could well have forgotten (at least to the point of it not being in immediate recall) more than they currently "know". I couldn't remember what happens when you sum two arrays in JS, just that it's weird and you probably shouldn't do it. So I remembered the useful part, but not the trivia. (FYI, array1 + array2 casts the arrays to strings and then concatenates them).

i mean no sane company/ interviewer weighs the entire interview on a pop quiz question. But imo they are fine to be used in the process (in tandem with other stuff). you can't claimed to be expert on the language without getting any one of them correctly

also, the way the interviewee handles the stuff they dont know

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#126

Post by walshemj »

chrisseaton wrote: post #109
ecshafer wrote: post #19

I disagree with this resume advice actually. He for example removes that he was in the military sniper team and won best shot, but keeps high school education? I would totally say the opposite, keep the cool the side thing that's a conversation starter, but remove irrelevant educational experience. Including the number of stars on the github projects they worked on seems so.... narcissistic? Promotional? Idk but its…

I sometimes get extremely negative reactions from mentioning I was in the military in tech circles - I would also be cautious sometimes.

The author appears to be from a country where military service is compulsory.

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#127

Post by walshemj »

srswtf123 wrote: post #76
nosequel wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never put my GPA on any resume. I had a garbage GPA because the only classes I went to were CS classes so I got horrible grades in all my required electives. I was worried someone would ask and no one did.

Back in 2004, I had a phone screen with the folks at Time, Inc., for a systems admin position. Now, I'd been out of school for about 10 years at that point. The interviewer's first question was "what was your GPA in college?", and I was forced to confess I honestly didn't remember. He stammered a bit, apologizing, and then hung up on me. I've always considered that dodging a bullet. It's a weird thing to ask someone…

I remember an interview with a French company (in the UK) a few years ago - when they realized I had arrived in tech via a vocational route it got very frosty.

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#128

Post by gregors »

Aeolun wrote: post #52
qntty wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of behavioral problems are you referring to?

The inability to listen to people judge you for not knowing the answer to arbitrary and contrived problems? I’ve been a valuable professional for years, and then this little snot tells me I don’t qualify for his position because I don’t know what happens when you sum two arrays in Javascript? Fuck off.

I was like what's so offensive about Array concat()? Oh you mean "+". Yeah that's basically trivia night at the pub. When is trivial pursuit coming out with the JS edition?

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#129

Post by sto_hristo »

rizzaxc wrote: post #124
sto_hristo wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hell with the person's ability to learn new stuff, navigate JS's epic ecosystem, and keep himself on par with new developments and the trends. Summing js arrays is where it's at and tells the interviewer the whole story of the candidate's understanding of the language.

take that chip off your shoulder mate about tech interviews, the way you handle stuff you dont know is also important. I didn't say he deserved to be rejected because he didn't know what summing 2 arrays results in, but the interviewer was fair to ask that (if the position was about javascript). and yes if you were the interviewee with this kind of attitude I'd reject you on the spot

Of course it's fair and by the rules - at least technically. It's the practicality of it that is questionable. But you have to experience the hot seat yourself and get thrown at tons of tricky and obscure things one interview after the other in order to understand that frustration.

Re: Tech Interview Handbook

#130

Post by cercatrova »

smnscu wrote: post #12
sto_hristo wrote: post #4

These interviews are becoming their own profession.

I've been an interviewer with Karat for 2.5yrs, it's genuinely great. https://karat.com/ I know you made the statement in jest, but trying to improve on the interview process is not a bad idea. At the very least, it's less engineering time wasted conducting interviews.

What's the process like? Do you get some interview questions by them before you get to join? What's the hourly rate?
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