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Huge +1 on explicitly setting expectations. I've written on this topic[0], and there are a lot of different ways interviewers don't set expectations: - Is the
by akdas 6y ago
Huge +1 on explicitly setting expectations. I've written on this topic[0], and there are a lot of different ways interviewers don't set expectations:
- Is the interviewer looking for syntactically correct code, or general algorithmic skills?
- For a warmup, is the interviewer looking for a basic solution, or an optimal solution?
- For architecture walkthroughs, what level of detail is expected?
The extra pressure is definitely unnecessary.
[0] https://hiringfor.tech/2020/03/02/are-you-asking-candidates-to-read-your-mind.html https://hiringfor.tech/2020/03/02/are-you-asking-candidates-...
- 908B64B197 6y agoI'll keep these in mind. I like to ask open-ended questions. "I am trying to solve X problem, how should-I do it?". That reduces the rote bias and also checks if the candidate can communicate.
- redisman 6y agoI've found you can somewhat mitigate it by asking questions yourself. For example in one tech screen once I had the algorithm pretty much done I asked if I should look to optimize and to add test cases/handle odd input and the interviewer said it's fine as is and let's talk more about other topics like architecture in the real world.
- akdas 6y agoAbsolutely, that's something I pointed out in my writing: if the interviewer doesn't explain their expectations, you can and should ask. Interviews work best when both parties are engaged heavily in the success of the interview.
- Smaug123 6y agoOn the other hand, I go through months where half my job is devising ways to extract requirements from users who just want me to "make this problem go away"! I consider it very reasonable to test someone's ability to work out what problem they're meant to be solving.
- akdas 6y agoYou know what your job is: to figure out the problem. And the interviewer should be clear they are looking for you to figure out the problem to solve.