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Algorithm questions doesn't work well if you pull them from a public database, they need to be novel. If you get questions available on Leetcode then they are d

Algorithm questions doesn't work well if you pull them from a public database, they need to be novel. If you get questions available on Leetcode then they are doing it wrong. > The truth is, it's just a hazing ritual by insecure engineers who want to be the one with the one true answer they can use to feel better than the candidate. It is not, I believe they are useful and have seen data showing that they are useful. The question I use was first used on me and I solved it completely in 20 minutes. I haven't had a single candidate solve it in 45 minutes, and I give them huge amounts of help. I give hire recommendation to those who makes a good attempt and doesn't start bullshitting. Lots of people starts spouting bullshit when they get questions they can't answer for some reason, I guess this kind is what you get if you use publicly available questions.

pavlov 7y ago
> "The question I use was first used on me and I solved it completely in 20 minutes. I haven't had a single candidate solve it in 45 minutes, and I give them huge amounts of help." Honestly it sounds like you're proving GP poster's point here: these interview questions are administered by engineers who want to feel better than the candidate.
- username90 7y ago
  These interview questions are administrated by everyone at Google, so I just picked one used on me after assuring that it wasn't in any public database. The problem is apparently significantly harder than what interviewers typically get, I didn't know that when I picked it. However I don't think it is a bad question, seeing people struggle with hard problems gives a lot of strong signals as well. Also compared with other interviewers I tend to be on the nicer side of grading, so it is not like getting a hard problem hurts them.
- joshuamorton 7y ago
  Speaking from experience, it's much more enjoyable to interview a candidate who does well than one who does not. An failed interview is awkward, and then I have to turn around and write clear and explicit feedback about exactly why someone shouldn't get hired. It's probably my least favorite job responsibility. But at least with calibrated questions, I can be fair and impartial and know how much help the candidate needed. Throw me into a room with a question I don't know, and the same general complaints apply, but now I have to figure it out as we go too, so my focus isn't on feedback and helping, but on understanding the problem.

pavlov 7y ago

> "The question I use was first used on me and I solved it completely in 20 minutes. I haven't had a single candidate solve it in 45 minutes, and I give them huge amounts of help." Honestly it sounds like you're proving GP poster's point here: these interview questions are administered by engineers who want to feel better than the candidate.

username90 7y ago
These interview questions are administrated by everyone at Google, so I just picked one used on me after assuring that it wasn't in any public database. The problem is apparently significantly harder than what interviewers typically get, I didn't know that when I picked it. However I don't think it is a bad question, seeing people struggle with hard problems gives a lot of strong signals as well. Also compared with other interviewers I tend to be on the nicer side of grading, so it is not like getting a hard problem hurts them.
joshuamorton 7y ago
Speaking from experience, it's much more enjoyable to interview a candidate who does well than one who does not. An failed interview is awkward, and then I have to turn around and write clear and explicit feedback about exactly why someone shouldn't get hired. It's probably my least favorite job responsibility. But at least with calibrated questions, I can be fair and impartial and know how much help the candidate needed. Throw me into a room with a question I don't know, and the same general complaints apply, but now I have to figure it out as we go too, so my focus isn't on feedback and helping, but on understanding the problem.