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Ask HN: Converting interviews to offers

2 points by throwaway-se 10y ago

Experienced software engineer here, using a throwaway account. Been in the field for a little over 7 years. Looking to change jobs. Started applying to companies (startups and some big cos) a few months ago. Got telephone interviews from 10 companies and 8 of those invited me on site. All of the phone interviews went really well and I could feel a great sense of excitement on the other end as well (or at least I feel so, given that 2 of them didn't want to move past the phone interview stage). The problem here being that once I go on site I am having trouble converting interviews to an offer. A typical on site interview has been solving questions on the whiteboard or working with engineers on some problem. In most of these interviews I can feel that I am able to provide good answers to questions posed. But there's a theme I've seen repeating with myself * Was able to really impress one or two interviewers * Answered questions with good level of technical detail * Failed to impress one of the interviewers Wondering if there are others that have had similar experiences and might be able to provide some advice? Re-posting this with the Ask HN prefix.

JSeymourATL 10y ago
> Failed to impress one of the interviewers... Opt-out of companies that hire by committees. Instead, zero-in on companies where the actual Hiring Executive (CIO/CTO) is the ultimate decision-maker. That's the fellow you want to impress. Typically, you'll find this Old School process still alive & well in smaller, more nimble firms.
tlb 10y ago
In order to build a highly effective team, tech companies might interview 10 people for every one they hire. So having gone on 8 interviews isn't statistically enough to know that you're doing something wrong.
kafkaesq 10y ago
Basically things have changed a bit in the last 5-10 years -- people have been thinking about the hiring process a lot, and adopting many practices they read about or see other shops doing (some good, some bad). But two major, fundamental shifts have been: (1) Whiteboarding (and grilling and testing in various forms), and "committee hiring" have become much more common. Which naturally increases the chance that you'll, heaven forbid, make a mistake, not effortlessly and fluently recall something you were actually pretty big on 5-10 years ago, or just not instantaneously click with one of the interviewers. And hence, get flushed. (2) Companies have always wanted to hire the best person they can. But it kind of used to be: "So who'd we interview this week? Are they good? No red flags? OK, let's make offer. Because remember, we have actual work to do." Nowadays it seems to be: "We're awesome! So we need to hire someone who's really awesome, too. And a culture fit! Because after all, the As hire As, and the Bs hire Cs. And our culture, is like super hidebound and fragile. That guy we all liked this week? Yeah they're good, no red flags, but... I don't know... he's good but he's just not exploding with awesomeness. I mean, he solved the problem a the whiteboard, but he didn't demolish it with a one-sentence action plan for the optimal solution before I could finishing asking it. And I detected about 100ms of latency in his voice while he was explaining on the phone to me how hashtables work." And so on, until they spend another 2-3 months interviewing 8 or 10 more people, whose awesomeness is also, surprise, just a tad short of immediately and overwhelmingly evident. Until they finally break down and make an offer to the last one who seems, well, decent enough. How to win? The trick is to be that last one they interview, I guess.

2 points by throwaway-se 10y ago

JSeymourATL 10y ago

> Failed to impress one of the interviewers... Opt-out of companies that hire by committees. Instead, zero-in on companies where the actual Hiring Executive (CIO/CTO) is the ultimate decision-maker. That's the fellow you want to impress. Typically, you'll find this Old School process still alive & well in smaller, more nimble firms.

tlb 10y ago

In order to build a highly effective team, tech companies might interview 10 people for every one they hire. So having gone on 8 interviews isn't statistically enough to know that you're doing something wrong.

kafkaesq 10y ago

Basically things have changed a bit in the last 5-10 years -- people have been thinking about the hiring process a lot, and adopting many practices they read about or see other shops doing (some good, some bad). But two major, fundamental shifts have been: (1) Whiteboarding (and grilling and testing in various forms), and "committee hiring" have become much more common. Which naturally increases the chance that you'll, heaven forbid, make a mistake, not effortlessly and fluently recall something you were actually pretty big on 5-10 years ago, or just not instantaneously click with one of the interviewers. And hence, get flushed. (2) Companies have always wanted to hire the best person they can. But it kind of used to be: "So who'd we interview this week? Are they good? No red flags? OK, let's make offer. Because remember, we have actual work to do." Nowadays it seems to be: "We're awesome! So we need to hire someone who's really awesome, too. And a culture fit! Because after all, the As hire As, and the Bs hire Cs. And our culture, is like super hidebound and fragile. That guy we all liked this week? Yeah they're good, no red flags, but... I don't know... he's good but he's just not exploding with awesomeness. I mean, he solved the problem a the whiteboard, but he didn't demolish it with a one-sentence action plan for the optimal solution before I could finishing asking it. And I detected about 100ms of latency in his voice while he was explaining on the phone to me how hashtables work." And so on, until they spend another 2-3 months interviewing 8 or 10 more people, whose awesomeness is also, surprise, just a tad short of immediately and overwhelmingly evident. Until they finally break down and make an offer to the last one who seems, well, decent enough. How to win? The trick is to be that last one they interview, I guess.