Is there a list of companies that purposely not use Leetcode in their hiring? Someone should make one.
A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
151–160 of 222 posts
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interviews are only partially about testing your body of experience. They're also supposed to test your aptitude and ability to grow in the future. If you were capable of studying Leetcode so hard that you mastered the interview process at one of the most selective software companies in the world in only a few months, it's not much of a stretch to imagine that you could apply that same aptitude, ambition, and ability…
> If you were capable of studying Leetcode so hard that you mastered the interview process at one of the most selective software companies in the world in only a few months, it's not much of a stretch to imagine that you could apply that same aptitude, ambition, and ability to learn quickly toward picking up the basics of git, dev ops, and so on. So by that logic, why not just create some game for candidates to maste…
> So by that logic, why not just create some game for candidates to master. If all you're testing for is "how much they want it" and how quickly they pick up on some arbitrary system that they'll never use in their actual job, then the subject shouldn't matter, right?
You have reinvented the Chinese civil service examinations, congratulations. More generally the higher stakes a test gets the less the subject matter matters. If you make admission to Harvard or Cambridge based solely on interpretation and knowledge of pre 2000 rap it won’t be long until the same people who would have done well on a test of English literature are intimately familiar with Tupac.
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#153It's becoming obvious to me that my time is better spent learning to solve these riddles rather than actually becoming a better developer. I have a job search coming up at the end of the year and whilst I've managed to largely avoid companies that ask this type of question, I believe it's seriously constraining my career. I can't speak for everyone but the whiteboard interview has prevented me from leaving jobs earli…
I was working on a “startup”/kinda just unemployed for two years. I studied leetcode hard, and got hired into a 300k a year job at FAANG. I know nothing about testing, git, software process, roll outs, dev ops, etc. I barely know how to do software engineering. What an idiotic hiring process.
Were you not asked to do system design, or leetcode did enough for you on that?
Edit: assuming it's not your strong area based on the list of things you claimed not fluent with.
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think it's unlikely for you to learn those skills quickly? People who have all those skills earn over $300K at those companies.
It’s been really stressful. I know python, but not really any other languages. I’m able to get work done. But I’m really nearly the same as a fresh grad. But really, I was just bumming around, then studied for four months and destroyed their algorithms questions, so much so that expectations for me are really high. But all I know is leetcode, literally nothing else...
You know algorithms (not leetcode). Most people struggle a lot with algorithms. It's the reason a lot of people flunk out of CS programs. That's why they hired you. If you can solve these problems on a white board, you can write the code in a programming language.
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
How did you get past the resume screening? Or are you from the US, because then it's much easier to get past the screeming, or so it seems. I have yet to be invited for so much as an HR call when it comes to FAANG (bachelor/master CS from a Dutch university). Maybe I'm not getting past the application tracking system?
The recruiter just reached out to my LinkedIn profile. My understanding is it’s really easy to get the interview
Your profile must have been pretty solid to get those interviews though. In my experience, just having some proof of knowing Python scripting is not enough. Would you mind discussing the other pieces of your background that you think may have helped in attracting recruits?
I almost wonder if throwing “leetcode” in your skills section would get you interviews at these companies...
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
On your last point, the best alternative I've seen is take-home projects where it would take less than a week to complete. The interviewer is free to frame a problem in a way that allows the engineer to apply their real-world experience and show their fit for the job. It removes all the variables around interview stress/anxiety and as a result is a better (but not perfect) indication of their performance.
> On your last point, the best alternative I've seen is take-home projects where it would take less than a week to complete. Ironically, take-home interviews are another contentious topic on HN and other internet message boards. The common complaint is that people don't want to invest much of their personal time into interviewing for companies.
I wonder which takes more time, take home tests or LeetCode grind...
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why would equity or bonuses not be part of the salary ? You are almost certain to receive it and the stocks perform quite well on average. They still pay better than finance all things taken together or am I wrong ?
Bonus is not guaranteed so why take that into account? Stock maybe but you can't pay the bills with that or get a mortgage even can make it more difficult.
At Google more than 97% of engineers gets the bonus, only people close to getting fired don't get it. If you think there is a risk you might be in that bottom few percent then yeah, but most people never fail to get a bonus.
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bonus is not guaranteed so why take that into account? Stock maybe but you can't pay the bills with that or get a mortgage even can make it more difficult.
The bonus is pretty formulaic with fixed performance multipliers - if you're doing poorly enough to get substantially less than the target bonus, you're at risk of losing your job and comp is the least of your worries. And you absolutely can pay the bills by selling the stock when it vests. Agreed on the mortgage part though.
What's the typical vesting schedule? The companies I spoke you would get the equity after four years. Not even a part each year. The offered 0.00[0]5 equity is not great.
I think the packages in US are just much better compared to UK/Europe or maybe they just gave me shitty deals. My offer at one of the FAANG in UK was £85k + 50 stock + discretionary bonus (they didn't give details).
Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#159Temporary comment for following and future retrieval of this post.
Imagine what would happen if everyone did that!
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Re: A guide to learning algorithms through LeetCode
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
I got really good at dynamic programming problems but then none of the companies I interviewed with asked me a dynamic programming problem. These were large tech companies and well funded startups. Perhaps it was just luck.
I tell interviewees to practice some dynamic programming problems because dynamic programming questions are the least intuitive, and it's good to be prepared in case that's what you get asked. For the same reason though, I think they make for terrible interview questions - very much dependent on knowing a specific "trick" that doesn't actually come up often in day to day coding.
DP as a paradigm is very interesting. From a high level view, one can appreciate the essential concepts that make it work, with things like memoization, optimal substructure, etc. It's also interesting how it relates to shortest paths problems, and greedy algorithms.
However, as you said, actually trying to solve DP problems relies on knowing the trick, and the tricks varies almost wildly from problem to problem. They're unintuitive, and difficult to derive normally. The intuition you gain from one of them could be entirely useless, or, worse, counterintuitive for another. I personally think, they shouldn't be used for interviews because being able to solve them seems to be more a matter of luck than actual competence.