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I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

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Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#321

Post by rimliu »

pembrook wrote: post #280
corndoge wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Bad answers had... Asking a politically charged question on statecraft and judging the answer based on your own personal ideas about how to run a state strikes me as a bizarre way to conduct an interview, even for an exec. >The worst answers had the exec killing people Play stupid games, win stupid prizes?

This is why we need less humans and more AI/ML in the candidate selection process. The guy posing Arab Spring interview questions sounds just like those 65 year old talent scouts in MoneyBall skipping over a talented 3rd baseman because the kid “doesn’t have good legs.” Humans are immensely stupid and irrational when it comes to judging other humans.

I wonder what makes you think AI/ML is better.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#322

Post by ska »

rich_ard wrote: post #228
jcadam wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. Heh, I actually wouldn't have minded that too much - but in addition to being a software engineer I'm also a former Army officer. In any case, I think such a task can be relevant, if you're working in a fast-paced and competitive environment (esp. one with a lot of non-technical st…

Not clear on how showing that you're willing to argue a position that you don't have any background or evidence to support is a positive.

Perhaps it is useful in any industry where a key competence is convincing people of things that are not true.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#323

Post by jogjayr »

jordansmithnz wrote: post #39

This reminds me of a take home software engineering interview I was once given via email. Same deal, I was told about 5 hours. I’m an iOS developer, so I was expecting a pretty simple app. I opened the PDF to find not one, but three separate tasks. Completion of all three was expected, with an estimate of about two hours each. One of the tasks was to replicate Apple’s ‘Reminders’ app in its entirety, backend sync fun…

I once had to do a full-stack coding task for a YC company - I think it was something like build Tic-Tac-Toe with backend validation and storage of game state. I built it, and instead of being called onsite, I had a phone call with an engineer. I expected to discuss my solution with the engineer and prepared accordingly, but they did not mention the assignment at all, and proceeded to ask me algorithm and database trivia questions. I did not get the job.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#324

Post by monksy »

ravenstine wrote: post #237

None of the places I've worked at had me do a coding challenge. Either they already knew who I was through networking or they asked me to show them a personal project and explain how it worked. Each job was a great opportunity. When I start looking for a new opportunity in a year or two, I may consider coding challenges to be a soft red flag in that I don't think they're worth wasting time over. I spent so many hours…

Whiteboard interviews can work well if they're not going to try to pick you apart over extremely complex topics and overly high expectations.

Interviews are good about getting a general feeling about a person.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#325

Post by 0xffff2 »

max76 wrote: post #269
0xffff2 wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The feedback I got afterwards was "We're passing on you as your code doesn't compile/run on Linux", a requirement that wasn't specified. I have to ask, was there something that implied that it should specifically run on Windows? If I got a software spec that didn't spell out exactly which platforms needed to be supported, one of the very first things I would do would be to ask for clarification.

Applying for a dotnet position and assuming dotnet framework instead of dotnet core would have been very responsible two years ago.

I guess I have a fundamentally different view of software requirements. Even before dotnet core even existed I would have explicitly confirmed that the company wasn't using Mono if they didn't spell it out for me.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#326

Post by trevor-e »

djhaskin987 wrote: post #140

Is HN truly this bad of a bubble that everyone thinks interview tests are normal? The last time I had to do a test it was on site and I was just out of college. Most interviews just talk about the challenges of the team, my past work on similar problems, and how I solved them. I've been on the other side of the table too. It's usually easy to tell if the applicant is a quack or if they are skilled by how they talk ab…

My team does a take-home coding test and we've found it to be very successful. The people we've hired as a result have been great and actually told us they preferred it to other interview methods they've encountered.

The challenge is coming up with a standalone task that demonstrates the skills needed for the job while _actually_ requiring the amount of time you say it should take. Seems like most commenters here are upset that a "2-hour test" really takes 6+ hours. That should never be the case and I wouldn't want to work for that place either.

Another key part of this is should a candidate pass the take-home test portion of the interview, the in-person interview should be fairly quick and mostly a judge of fit/character. It should not be loaded with more tech questions. The reason this works best for everyone is the interviewee doesn't need to waste a vacation day on-site unless they have a really good chance of getting the job.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#327

Post by gregd »

thoreauway wrote: post #305

I interviewed at Uber before they launched. Their "take home" was to create... Uber. Here's the exact challenge: UberCab Coder Challenge 1) Write a program that determines the wait time, trip time, rating, and fare for a black car trip in San Francisco, given that the customer's pickup location and destination is randomly placed anywhere in San Francisco proper, and given that there are X number of cars all placed ra…

Why are people putting up with this?

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#328

Post by taormina »

brianpgordon wrote: post #256
ravenstine wrote: post #237

None of the places I've worked at had me do a coding challenge. Either they already knew who I was through networking or they asked me to show them a personal project and explain how it worked. Each job was a great opportunity. When I start looking for a new opportunity in a year or two, I may consider coding challenges to be a soft red flag in that I don't think they're worth wasting time over. I spent so many hours…

Refusing take-homes is a reasonable stance but refusing to whiteboard strikes me as overly critical. It's a pretty standard thing to do in an interview... while whiteboarding may be a little silly, walking out of an interview after someone's already blocked time for you because you think whiteboarding is silly is even more silly than whiteboarding is. If I were the interviewer I'd be concerned that you can't be even…

Hey, interviewing is a two-way street. I'd love it if the candidates that know they don't want the job halfway through told me so and gave me my time back.

I am under no obligation to continue wasting your time. Who cares what the interviewer thinks here? You already (at least mentally) rejected them, so why should I care whether they would've said yes or no?

I wouldn't personally walk out for this reason, but things don't change when there are no consequences.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#329

Post by wernsey »

agrippanux wrote: post #213
rdez6173 wrote: post #104

I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. When I pressed them about the relevance, they indicated that they often have heated debates on all manner of topics, so they wanted to see my thought process. I enjoy solving complex problems, but socio-ethical problems are way outside of my wheelhouse. I politely indicated that I di…

When interviewing execs who would be building new departments a few years ago, I would pose the question of "In the wake of Arab spring in Libya, the people decide that you are their next leader. What happens in your first 100 days?". The answers ran the gamut from lazy to fantastic to terrifying. A lot of answers where generic "coalition building" variety. The better answers identified key areas to focus on like inf…

A problem is that when you topple a dictator you need to first secure the levers of power lest you be toppled yourself.

Suppose your new country has a $1bil in its budget, then spending that billion on schools and hospitals and infrastructure for the people means that there is suddenly $1bil that is not being siphoned of by the corrupt old guard that might still hold levers of power.

If you give them nothing, then they will rebel against your rule. If you try to compromise and give them $500m, they will only be loyal until someone comes along and offer them $750m and then loyal only until someone else can give them $900m. So the game is stacked in such a way that the only way to stay in power is to siphon of the $1bil on corrupt cronies and spend nothing on the people.

That is why it makes sense to purge those old enemies, but that may be difficult in itself.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#330

Post by nprateem »

TomK32 wrote: post #205
nprateem wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From my experience, you're in the minority.

In having a large private codebase to show prospect clients or employers? Or in having it accepted as an alternative to standardized tests?

Having it to show. I'd happily accept that in place of a coding challenge, but sadly incredibly few candidates have anything they can show.
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