4 ms·

The questions FAANG ask should not be the questions a startup asks... FAANG have to deal with measuring candidates at huge scale, and have literally too much ta

The questions FAANG ask should not be the questions a startup asks... FAANG have to deal with measuring candidates at huge scale, and have literally too much talent coming through the door. A hiring decision in a startup can be a series of life or death decisions. I think algorithms questions are an OK litmus test for being able to program, but it shouldn't be everything or even 1/4 of an interview at a small company.

cle 7y ago
> FAANG...have literally too much talent coming through the door From first hand experience, I would strongly disagree... I won't beat the dead horse of the sad state of tech interviews, but just wanted to point out that this statement does not align with my experience at all.
- quakingaspen 7y ago
  I'm curious: Are you saying that FAANG have many applicants, but not that much talent? Or not as many applicants as people say they do? Or something else
- cameronbrown 7y ago
  I'm more referring to quantity than quality. At that scale it's better to optimise for a lower false positive rate because your business isn't going to collapse if you miss a decent candidate.
  - cle 7y ago
    It will negatively impact the business if the business can’t identify the best candidates. It can have a low false positive rate and still hire relatively mediocre engineers. Which is what I’ve seen happen over and over again.
HillaryBriss 7y ago
maybe startups should focus on filtering for any reasonably competent person who will actually stick around until the company succeeds or dies
- Nasrudith 7y ago
  The competence is their half and the only bit of filtering - them sticking around is "yours" (the start ups) as you set the environment, pay, and benefits.
  - HillaryBriss 7y ago
    I don't know how big the percentages are but a worker's decision to stick around is a function not only of environment, pay and benefits. It's also a function of the worker's level of interest in the company's subject domain, individual desire for continuity, risk aversion, etc.

cle 7y ago

> FAANG...have literally too much talent coming through the door From first hand experience, I would strongly disagree... I won't beat the dead horse of the sad state of tech interviews, but just wanted to point out that this statement does not align with my experience at all.

quakingaspen 7y ago
I'm curious: Are you saying that FAANG have many applicants, but not that much talent? Or not as many applicants as people say they do? Or something else
cameronbrown 7y ago
I'm more referring to quantity than quality. At that scale it's better to optimise for a lower false positive rate because your business isn't going to collapse if you miss a decent candidate.
- cle 7y ago
  It will negatively impact the business if the business can’t identify the best candidates. It can have a low false positive rate and still hire relatively mediocre engineers. Which is what I’ve seen happen over and over again.

HillaryBriss 7y ago

maybe startups should focus on filtering for any reasonably competent person who will actually stick around until the company succeeds or dies

Nasrudith 7y ago
The competence is their half and the only bit of filtering - them sticking around is "yours" (the start ups) as you set the environment, pay, and benefits.
- HillaryBriss 7y ago
  I don't know how big the percentages are but a worker's decision to stick around is a function not only of environment, pay and benefits. It's also a function of the worker's level of interest in the company's subject domain, individual desire for continuity, risk aversion, etc.