5 ms·

I'm almost 50. I pass about two-thirds of all my on-site interviews, but have 100% failed my FNG interviews (I got an offer from Amazon 15 years ago but decline

I'm almost 50. I pass about two-thirds of all my on-site interviews, but have 100% failed my FNG interviews (I got an offer from Amazon 15 years ago but declined because I didn't want to move to Seattle). I've failed Google 4 times, Facebook 3 times, and Netflix twice. I think my biggest problem is because I'm so old, their expectations are even higher than what I realistically am. I'm okay being hired as a "senior software engineer" and working my way up, but they insist on interviewing me as a staff level, which I clearly am not capable of achieving. I'm confident that if I were to get in, I would perform in the top tier of engineers, but it's those damn algorithm questions I just can't get past.

thatsenough 7y ago
"Almost 50" means you're in your 40s. And you probably started interviewing in your mid-40s, at the latest, if you've already interviewed 4 times. The gist of your comment might be correct, but I think we shouldn't perpetuate the mindset that mid-40s or even 50s is "so old." In almost all knowledge-worker professions, age and experience is acknowledged as an asset. I think software companies are just starting to realize that, as the "move fast and break things" companies are now weighed down under technical debt and imposing hiring freezes on recent grads and junior engineers. I feel like I'm in my prime in terms of experience and productivity, and though I may not want to work 70+ hour weeks or chug beers at the office anymore, I'm a considerably better engineer than I was 20 years ago. I think many of us intuitively know that, and we shouldn't let ourselves become victim to self-defeating SV groupthink.
- ping_pong 7y ago
  I started interviewing at Google since about 2005 so over 15 years. I've seen the entire gamut of interview style questions, from trivia questions, to brain teasers, to easy algorithm questions, to the algorithm arms-race where LeetCode hard questions are now being asked. It has only gotten harder and the expectations as someone with 25+ years experience is too much. That is the biggest problem someone my age faces. I'm easily the best programmer on the team, but it's hard to show when I can't memorize 400+ LC questions for the FANG interviews.
pedrosorio 7y ago
> I'm okay being hired as a "senior software engineer" and working my way up, but they insist on interviewing me as a staff level, which I clearly am not capable of achieving. > but it's those damn algorithm questions I just can't get past I was under the impression there was a minimum bar on the algorithms that applies regardless of seniority and whether you pass the interview as a junior/senior/staff/etc. was mostly dependent on communication, system design interview, etc.
nvarsj 7y ago
I'm curious how much you prepared for the interviews? I feel like after so many tries, you should have made it in (if just because you managed to get a set of questions you were familiar with). I think the reality is you need to dedicate serious time. I had one friend who got in pretty easily, he was a college dropout even, but he had been doing competitive coding for a couple years so pretty much knew every possible question.
AlexCoventry 7y ago
> they insist on interviewing me as a staff level What are the expectations, in an interview for this level?

thatsenough 7y ago

"Almost 50" means you're in your 40s. And you probably started interviewing in your mid-40s, at the latest, if you've already interviewed 4 times. The gist of your comment might be correct, but I think we shouldn't perpetuate the mindset that mid-40s or even 50s is "so old." In almost all knowledge-worker professions, age and experience is acknowledged as an asset. I think software companies are just starting to realize that, as the "move fast and break things" companies are now weighed down under technical debt and imposing hiring freezes on recent grads and junior engineers. I feel like I'm in my prime in terms of experience and productivity, and though I may not want to work 70+ hour weeks or chug beers at the office anymore, I'm a considerably better engineer than I was 20 years ago. I think many of us intuitively know that, and we shouldn't let ourselves become victim to self-defeating SV groupthink.

ping_pong 7y ago
I started interviewing at Google since about 2005 so over 15 years. I've seen the entire gamut of interview style questions, from trivia questions, to brain teasers, to easy algorithm questions, to the algorithm arms-race where LeetCode hard questions are now being asked. It has only gotten harder and the expectations as someone with 25+ years experience is too much. That is the biggest problem someone my age faces. I'm easily the best programmer on the team, but it's hard to show when I can't memorize 400+ LC questions for the FANG interviews.

pedrosorio 7y ago

> I'm okay being hired as a "senior software engineer" and working my way up, but they insist on interviewing me as a staff level, which I clearly am not capable of achieving. > but it's those damn algorithm questions I just can't get past I was under the impression there was a minimum bar on the algorithms that applies regardless of seniority and whether you pass the interview as a junior/senior/staff/etc. was mostly dependent on communication, system design interview, etc.

nvarsj 7y ago

I'm curious how much you prepared for the interviews? I feel like after so many tries, you should have made it in (if just because you managed to get a set of questions you were familiar with). I think the reality is you need to dedicate serious time. I had one friend who got in pretty easily, he was a college dropout even, but he had been doing competitive coding for a couple years so pretty much knew every possible question.

AlexCoventry 7y ago

> they insist on interviewing me as a staff level What are the expectations, in an interview for this level?