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The worst interviews I’ve ever experienced, hands down, were from startups. They asked the most ridiculous whiteboard problems, and that generally just identifi

by freyr 5y ago

The worst interviews I’ve ever experienced, hands down, were from startups. They asked the most ridiculous whiteboard problems, and that generally just identifies the candidates who crammed most the leetcode. The mega tech companies interviews, by comparison, were surprisingly more reasonable. The startups have probably adopted this approach because it’s all they know, but nobody is forcing them to.

kradroy 5y ago
At startups recruitment beyond getting a body in the door/Zoom is largely an afterthought. I remember interviewing a staff researcher candidate when I was 22 at a startup (<50 employees). I was pulled away from my work the day of and thrown in a room with someone with 15 years more experience than me. I actually asked him questions that were not lawful, but I didn't know this because no one bothered giving me guidelines. I recently interviewed for a hands-on manager position at a startup, and it went south. The recruiter set up the appointment with the VP of eng and told me what the technical topic would be. Two days before the interview the interviewer was changed to a staff engineer. I emailed the recruiter to confirm that the topic would still be the same. She said it would be. Come interview time the interviewer throws a different topic at me, for which I didn't study. I ended up with the correct answer, but it took me the full time to get there. They weren't impressed, but neither was I. As a hiring manager I take all the these experiences and ensure that I never put a candidate in such a shitty situation.
danjac 5y ago
That's because startups (by no means all, but far too many) are often run by people with very little experience (technical or business) and so they cargo cult their practices from the big players. They lack the acumen to filter and fine-tune these practices to their actual needs and means.

by freyr 5y ago

kradroy 5y ago

At startups recruitment beyond getting a body in the door/Zoom is largely an afterthought. I remember interviewing a staff researcher candidate when I was 22 at a startup (<50 employees). I was pulled away from my work the day of and thrown in a room with someone with 15 years more experience than me. I actually asked him questions that were not lawful, but I didn't know this because no one bothered giving me guidelines. I recently interviewed for a hands-on manager position at a startup, and it went south. The recruiter set up the appointment with the VP of eng and told me what the technical topic would be. Two days before the interview the interviewer was changed to a staff engineer. I emailed the recruiter to confirm that the topic would still be the same. She said it would be. Come interview time the interviewer throws a different topic at me, for which I didn't study. I ended up with the correct answer, but it took me the full time to get there. They weren't impressed, but neither was I. As a hiring manager I take all the these experiences and ensure that I never put a candidate in such a shitty situation.

danjac 5y ago

That's because startups (by no means all, but far too many) are often run by people with very little experience (technical or business) and so they cargo cult their practices from the big players. They lack the acumen to filter and fine-tune these practices to their actual needs and means.