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I'm currently in the process of applying at Facebook (which I guess qualifies as a TrendCo that recently transitioned to BigCo). I haven't even got to the techn

I'm currently in the process of applying at Facebook (which I guess qualifies as a TrendCo that recently transitioned to BigCo). I haven't even got to the technical phone screen yet, but the recruiter tried to get me to attend an "interview prep session" and then sent me a pair of videos from it totalling 2.5 hours when I couldn't, which of course I felt obligated to watch on the assumption that all the other candidates will have. Ridiculous enough. Then there's the content. The videos are a presentation by Gayle McDowell, the author of Cracking the Coding Interview. Lots of tips about interviewing, 95% of which were pretty obvious but most of which seemed useful enough, on the assumption that the process is a given. But McDowell would repeatedly say things like "most interviewers won't expect you to write perfect syntax on a whiteboard, but some will" as if this was perfectly reasonable. And she gave "if you're writing in Python, it's a red flag if you use ++ (instead of += 1)" as an example of something she cares about herself! So both the recruiter and McDowell recommended doing a number of pen-and-paper practice coding problems before your interview, specifically on the basis that this is something you never do in your day job. If I want to be charitable, this is Facebook trying to even out some of the biases introduced by their (apparently unchangeable) whiteboard algo puzzle interview questions, by ensuring everyone is prepared. If I want to be less charitable, the demand for hours and hours of preparation is just (further) hazing to prove dedication. In either case, I think this evidence that BigCos are not necessarily any more rational about hiring.

throwaway85305 11y ago
Not directly related but also relevant to the OP: half the reason I'm applying to Facebook in the first place is that I know telling recruiters at other places that I have a Facebook offer will do more to make me attractive than any actual work I've done at non-TrendCos.
- mightygoldenboy 11y ago
  Sounds about right. I work at a company a lot of people are trying to work for. We had a rash of Googlers interviewing with us not too long ago. Turned out, most of them weren't actually interested in the work we do. Instead, they were trying to get counter offers to stay at Google. Brutal. Likewise, I've seen our recruiters shit themselves trying to sell candidates because they had a competing offer from another A-list company. Getting competing offers is excellent leverage to maximize your starting salary / equity.
barillari 11y ago
For what it's worth (I'm not speaking on Facebook's behalf, etc etc), I've done hundreds of interviews for Facebook and I don't think it's a red flag if you write ++ in Python. Unless you're interviewing as a Python syntax expert or something like that.
- alexgartrell 11y ago
  Also in the hundreds of interviews club for Facebook and I also do not care about ++ or standard library memorization stuff. I think the recruiter is just trying to do as much as he/she can for you, because our recruiters are inherently invested in the candidates for obvious reasons.
wjomlex 11y ago
I've done close to 200 interviews for Facebook. If you're coding in Python, then presumably you think it's your best language. If you aren't sure how to increment in your best language, it looks a little funny. But just that: a little funny. It's certainly not a deal-breaker; we don't expect perfect syntax at all. For all I know you often switch between Python and JS in your day-to-day work and could easily make such a small error in a high pressure situation. That said, I'll notice it and take note. If one of four or five interviewers says "<name> incremented funnily" nobody will care. If every interviewer is saying "<name> doesn't seem very fluent in their chosen language" then the red flags start coming out.
sotojuan 11y ago
> If I want to be less charitable, the demand for hours and hours of preparation is just (further) hazing to prove dedication. Come to reddit's /r/cscareerquestions one day. Tons of stressed out 18-22 year olds practicing CTCI and LeetCode for hours just for a chance at passing the Facebook/Google hazing. Because these people are usually "high achievers" who spent hours in high school at SAT preps, this feels natural to them, which is why they'll give questions like this when they hire in the future.
- akhilcacharya 11y ago
  I don't really see the issue with that. The benefits ($45-$51/hr internship salary or $110K+ starting) *outweigh the cost of preparation.
  - sotojuan 11y ago
    I don't see a problem with it for those kind of companies either. I'm just saying where the attitude comes from. I do have a problem with it when it's for smaller companies that get 0.05% the number of applicants though!
nammpknguyen 11y ago
I will review the video you mentioned to make sure we are not misleading any candidates unnecessarily. I have done 500+ interviews at Facebook, 100 for coding. I have also read thousand of interview feedback, and there has not a single time when the point about "++ instead of += 1" coming up. So something is obviously lost in translation here, and we will correct that. Thanks for the feedback!

throwaway85305 11y ago

Not directly related but also relevant to the OP: half the reason I'm applying to Facebook in the first place is that I know telling recruiters at other places that I have a Facebook offer will do more to make me attractive than any actual work I've done at non-TrendCos.

mightygoldenboy 11y ago
Sounds about right. I work at a company a lot of people are trying to work for. We had a rash of Googlers interviewing with us not too long ago. Turned out, most of them weren't actually interested in the work we do. Instead, they were trying to get counter offers to stay at Google. Brutal. Likewise, I've seen our recruiters shit themselves trying to sell candidates because they had a competing offer from another A-list company. Getting competing offers is excellent leverage to maximize your starting salary / equity.

barillari 11y ago

For what it's worth (I'm not speaking on Facebook's behalf, etc etc), I've done hundreds of interviews for Facebook and I don't think it's a red flag if you write ++ in Python. Unless you're interviewing as a Python syntax expert or something like that.

alexgartrell 11y ago
Also in the hundreds of interviews club for Facebook and I also do not care about ++ or standard library memorization stuff. I think the recruiter is just trying to do as much as he/she can for you, because our recruiters are inherently invested in the candidates for obvious reasons.

wjomlex 11y ago

I've done close to 200 interviews for Facebook. If you're coding in Python, then presumably you think it's your best language. If you aren't sure how to increment in your best language, it looks a little funny. But just that: a little funny. It's certainly not a deal-breaker; we don't expect perfect syntax at all. For all I know you often switch between Python and JS in your day-to-day work and could easily make such a small error in a high pressure situation. That said, I'll notice it and take note. If one of four or five interviewers says "<name> incremented funnily" nobody will care. If every interviewer is saying "<name> doesn't seem very fluent in their chosen language" then the red flags start coming out.

sotojuan 11y ago

> If I want to be less charitable, the demand for hours and hours of preparation is just (further) hazing to prove dedication. Come to reddit's /r/cscareerquestions one day. Tons of stressed out 18-22 year olds practicing CTCI and LeetCode for hours just for a chance at passing the Facebook/Google hazing. Because these people are usually "high achievers" who spent hours in high school at SAT preps, this feels natural to them, which is why they'll give questions like this when they hire in the future.

akhilcacharya 11y ago
I don't really see the issue with that. The benefits ($45-$51/hr internship salary or $110K+ starting) *outweigh the cost of preparation.
- sotojuan 11y ago
  I don't see a problem with it for those kind of companies either. I'm just saying where the attitude comes from. I do have a problem with it when it's for smaller companies that get 0.05% the number of applicants though!

nammpknguyen 11y ago

I will review the video you mentioned to make sure we are not misleading any candidates unnecessarily. I have done 500+ interviews at Facebook, 100 for coding. I have also read thousand of interview feedback, and there has not a single time when the point about "++ instead of += 1" coming up. So something is obviously lost in translation here, and we will correct that. Thanks for the feedback!