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Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

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Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#21

Post by simondw »

daeken wrote: post #20
ravenstine wrote: post #14

Serious question: Could it be that imposter syndrome isn't real, but what people are actually experiencing is imposter syndrome-syndrome? I don't think there's a person whom I've known who hasn't claimed to have experienced imposter syndrome. It seems like everyone has this feeling when they're engaging in something they have don't have complete experience or confidence in. This is a normal way to feel, but some peop…

> We throw around these terms like "imposter syndrome" and "introvert" because they make us feel better, even though they describe most people, in which case they're really not that useful. You say they're not useful, but in the very same sentence you say they make us feel better. I can't find a way to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory statements; can you help me understand this?

I'm guessing that in this context, "useful" is intended to mean "useful in conveying information" rather than "useful in accomplishing some goal."

It sounds a bit like saying "you're only human" -- which is of course unlikely to convey any new information, but could still be useful for its emotional result.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#22

Post by pmoriarty »

Something related to but much less well known than impostor syndrome is the so-called Jonah complex[1], which is "the fear of success or the fear of being one's best which prevents self-actualization, or the realization of one's own potential. It is the fear of one's own greatness, the evasion of one's destiny, or the avoidance of exercising one's talents."

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_complex

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#23

Post by bitwize »

rcurry wrote: post #13
palisade wrote: post #11

I have imposter syndrome, and what's worse I'm really shy and have trouble looking people in the eye which makes me seem like a liar. What helps me a lot is the move companies are making towards remote interviews. For some reason with skype I can look people right in the eye, it's probably because they're off-center visually or because I know they're not really here. However, that only helps with the shyness it doesn…

There's a great line in Glenn Gary Glenn Ross where one character says "I always get nervous when I talk to the police." and the other character says "Yeah, you know who doesn't get nervous when they talk to the police... criminals." It's perfectly normal to be a bit nervous or shy during interviews, so don't sweat it so much. A decent interviewer isn't going to hold that against you. I'm more suspicious of people wh…

> It's perfectly normal to be a bit nervous or shy during interviews, so don't sweat it so much. A decent interviewer isn't going to hold that against you.

An interviewer held it against me. Said I did well technically but didn't seem confident enough.

In order to ace the interview you pretty much have to be the perfect candidate -- technically, socially, emotionally.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#25

Post by klyrs »

ravenstine wrote: post #14

Serious question: Could it be that imposter syndrome isn't real, but what people are actually experiencing is imposter syndrome-syndrome? I don't think there's a person whom I've known who hasn't claimed to have experienced imposter syndrome. It seems like everyone has this feeling when they're engaging in something they have don't have complete experience or confidence in. This is a normal way to feel, but some peop…

I see impostor syndrome as the dual to Dunning-Kreuger. As people gain expertise, they become aware of the huge number of stones they've left unturned along the path of specialization. That knowledge can become so overwhelming, especially when compounded with other sources of anxiety, that one questions their ability to tie their shoes.

Naming it has power. We can talk through this insecurity, rather than let it eat us from the inside out.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#26

Post by allovernow »

ravenstine wrote: post #14

Serious question: Could it be that imposter syndrome isn't real, but what people are actually experiencing is imposter syndrome-syndrome? I don't think there's a person whom I've known who hasn't claimed to have experienced imposter syndrome. It seems like everyone has this feeling when they're engaging in something they have don't have complete experience or confidence in. This is a normal way to feel, but some peop…

You're right. And it's the adult version of "everybody gets a trophy" in that we all by default assume each other equally capable. Look at every single answer that pops up on the academic exchange forum - someone inevitably brings up impostor syndrome, almost no one, except in extreme cases, ever suggests that maybe someone is in the wrong field or in over their head.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#27

Post by allovernow »

>It's a fluke that I got this job interview...”

>“I studied for weeks, but I’m still not prepared...”

>“I’m not actually good at this. They’re going to see right through me...”

>If any of these thoughts resonate with you, you're not alone. They are so common they have a name: impostor syndrome

I mean it's clear that their secret sauce is just instilling confidence in everyone, and it's great to have such an optimistic view, but reality is that these things are often true and happen to everybody. Sometimes you're just not good enough, sorry.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#28

Post by anonytrary »

ravenstine wrote: post #14

Serious question: Could it be that imposter syndrome isn't real, but what people are actually experiencing is imposter syndrome-syndrome? I don't think there's a person whom I've known who hasn't claimed to have experienced imposter syndrome. It seems like everyone has this feeling when they're engaging in something they have don't have complete experience or confidence in. This is a normal way to feel, but some peop…

Let X = "the natural feeling of inadequacy that pretty much everyone feels when learning new things".

Your question is a bit confusing. It sounds like you acknowledge X's existence, but are mostly unhappy with the naming, since "imposter" implies a negative connotation (which X isn't), and "syndrome" implies that it is some sort of exceptional condition (where X isn't). I agree with you on that about X.

That said, I think imposter syndrome isn't about X per se. I am more interested in the case where X gets into smart people's heads and prevents them from being as successful as they can be (projecting a bit, because I too have imposter syndrome). In these cases, it makes sense to not only label it, but also give it a slight negative connotation. At that point, X becomes a phenomenon that is worth talking about.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#29

Post by imsofired »

bitwize wrote: post #23
rcurry wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a great line in Glenn Gary Glenn Ross where one character says "I always get nervous when I talk to the police." and the other character says "Yeah, you know who doesn't get nervous when they talk to the police... criminals." It's perfectly normal to be a bit nervous or shy during interviews, so don't sweat it so much. A decent interviewer isn't going to hold that against you. I'm more suspicious of people wh…

> It's perfectly normal to be a bit nervous or shy during interviews, so don't sweat it so much. A decent interviewer isn't going to hold that against you. An interviewer held it against me. Said I did well technically but didn't seem confident enough. In order to ace the interview you pretty much have to be the perfect candidate -- technically, socially, emotionally.

Yikes. I've done the opposite. A fully qualified candidate was so satisfied in his competence that he was absolutely insufferable.

As he was completing the coding portion of his interview, I broached the topic of comments. "Nah, this is an interview, it doesn't matter."

This was back in 98 and he had a little personal website with a discussion board for his friends. He whined there about not getting the job, so I explained that it was his attitude, and not his skills, that made him a bad fit. His friends seemed to agree with me, that getting taken down a notch was a necessary step in his emotional growth.

Re: Fixing Impostor Syndrome in Coding Interviews

#30

Post by [deleted] »

AlexCoventry wrote: post #4
randallsquared wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the reasons imposter syndrome is so prevalent in the tech industry is that everyone with more than a few years of experience has worked alongside people who talked their way into the job but cannot code their way out of a wet paper bag. It's directly related, in my opinion, to the terrible state of interviews in this field.

Can't people reassure themselves by picking a wet paper bag to code themselves out of?

[deleted]
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