6 ms·

People hate on tech interviews, but it's honestly a lot more fair than traditional interviewing if done properly. You only gauge the candidate on their ability

by dayvid 5y ago

People hate on tech interviews, but it's honestly a lot more fair than traditional interviewing if done properly. You only gauge the candidate on their ability to solve and think through a problem. I also follow a trainer's pattern who doesn't read the candidate's resume before a technical screen to further reduce bias.

whimsicalism 5y ago
In the actual tech world, my view is that these critics are a loud minority who forget what the alternatives look like. As an awkward autistic guy who often gets mistaken for hispanic, the tech interviews are a god-send.
- thenanyu 5y ago
  There are better signals you could get of job success but they require a greater up front investment; I’ve had a good track record with a slightly lower bar on the technical screen and a 30 day probationary period. Some friends of mine user a 2 week work trial for all candidates.
  - whimsicalism 5y ago
    I can't imagine a high-quality candidate agreeing to either of those things in the current market. I certainly wouldn't. But software engineering is very bimodal, so I'm sure it works.
    - thenanyu 5y ago
      The conditions certainly have to be right but it works for high quality candidates if your reputation is good and you engender enough trust. High quality candidates are generally confident in their abilities and thankful that they can take 2 weeks to show you their skills instead of doing it in a high pressure setting in a couple of hours.
      - flyingchipmann 5y ago
        There are other factors other than time though. In current market it's important to get at least 2 or more offers for negotiation power. Otherwise you might(or will) get the minimum offer of the band, i.e getting lowballed. Therefore going through a few of interviews in the same time frame is very beneficial to the applicants.
      - sangnoir 5y ago
        > High quality candidates are generally confident in their abilities and thankful that they can take 2 weeks to show you their skills instead of doing it in a high pressure setting in a couple of hours. When I'm interviewing, I prefer interviewing with multiple companies[1] while still earning an income. No way I'm going through 2 weeks * N companies because it entails quitting my old job first, and interviewing for months at a time - not preparing but actually interviewing - which is crazy talk to me. I'd rather go through the high-pressure/low time-commitment route as it's scalable. 1. Companies are paradoxically "desperate for engineers" and more willing to keep positions open for longer, so it's prudent to maximize my chances of getting hired by spreading my net as wide as possible. Having multiple offers in hand also strengthens my negotiating position for remuneration.
        ratww 5y ago
        > When I'm interviewing, I prefer interviewing with multiple companies while still earning an income That's what I do too. But my strategy is taking vacation for interviews, and then taking a "real" vacation in-between jobs. Not possible for everyone, but so far it has worked for me.
        sangnoir 5y ago
        That approach is new to me, I'm as I like planning my vacations ahead of time, and am more flexible on when I switch jobs. Have you ever run into a situation where you realize it's not a good fit a few days into the process? Do you cancel your vacation, or do the rest of the days go to waste?
    - commandlinefan 5y ago
      He's asking somebody to quit the job they have now in exchange for a chance to get a new job... you might be able to get new college graduates or already unemployed to agree to that, but definitely nobody with any sort of options.
      - mixmastamyk 5y ago
        Every new hire is subject to a month-long probationary period, everywhere besides perhaps non-essential government positions. The only difference here is someone mentioned it.
ratww 5y ago
I kinda agree. When I started in the early 2000s, the norm was a 1-2 hour battery of psychological tests that somehow tried to assess my intelligence before someone technical even spoke to me. 1-2 hours of leetcode, or a 5-6 hours take-home project is a godsend. Programming is my passion anyways.

by dayvid 5y ago

whimsicalism 5y ago

In the actual tech world, my view is that these critics are a loud minority who forget what the alternatives look like. As an awkward autistic guy who often gets mistaken for hispanic, the tech interviews are a god-send.

thenanyu 5y ago
There are better signals you could get of job success but they require a greater up front investment; I’ve had a good track record with a slightly lower bar on the technical screen and a 30 day probationary period. Some friends of mine user a 2 week work trial for all candidates.
- whimsicalism 5y ago
  I can't imagine a high-quality candidate agreeing to either of those things in the current market. I certainly wouldn't. But software engineering is very bimodal, so I'm sure it works.
  - thenanyu 5y ago
    The conditions certainly have to be right but it works for high quality candidates if your reputation is good and you engender enough trust. High quality candidates are generally confident in their abilities and thankful that they can take 2 weeks to show you their skills instead of doing it in a high pressure setting in a couple of hours.
    - flyingchipmann 5y ago
      There are other factors other than time though. In current market it's important to get at least 2 or more offers for negotiation power. Otherwise you might(or will) get the minimum offer of the band, i.e getting lowballed. Therefore going through a few of interviews in the same time frame is very beneficial to the applicants.
    - sangnoir 5y ago
      > High quality candidates are generally confident in their abilities and thankful that they can take 2 weeks to show you their skills instead of doing it in a high pressure setting in a couple of hours. When I'm interviewing, I prefer interviewing with multiple companies[1] while still earning an income. No way I'm going through 2 weeks * N companies because it entails quitting my old job first, and interviewing for months at a time - not preparing but actually interviewing - which is crazy talk to me. I'd rather go through the high-pressure/low time-commitment route as it's scalable. 1. Companies are paradoxically "desperate for engineers" and more willing to keep positions open for longer, so it's prudent to maximize my chances of getting hired by spreading my net as wide as possible. Having multiple offers in hand also strengthens my negotiating position for remuneration.
      - ratww 5y ago
        > When I'm interviewing, I prefer interviewing with multiple companies while still earning an income That's what I do too. But my strategy is taking vacation for interviews, and then taking a "real" vacation in-between jobs. Not possible for everyone, but so far it has worked for me.
        sangnoir 5y ago
        That approach is new to me, I'm as I like planning my vacations ahead of time, and am more flexible on when I switch jobs. Have you ever run into a situation where you realize it's not a good fit a few days into the process? Do you cancel your vacation, or do the rest of the days go to waste?
  - commandlinefan 5y ago
    He's asking somebody to quit the job they have now in exchange for a chance to get a new job... you might be able to get new college graduates or already unemployed to agree to that, but definitely nobody with any sort of options.
    - mixmastamyk 5y ago
      Every new hire is subject to a month-long probationary period, everywhere besides perhaps non-essential government positions. The only difference here is someone mentioned it.

ratww 5y ago

I kinda agree. When I started in the early 2000s, the norm was a 1-2 hour battery of psychological tests that somehow tried to assess my intelligence before someone technical even spoke to me. 1-2 hours of leetcode, or a 5-6 hours take-home project is a godsend. Programming is my passion anyways.