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Agree with this - and I think you said it right the attitude of the blogpost comes off as very junior but expecting much more. What's more is that they right a

Agree with this - and I think you said it right the attitude of the blogpost comes off as very junior but expecting much more. What's more is that they right a blog post about their experience after the fact and post it to HN to leverage publicity (either so they can get a new gig or cast shade on their prior employer). Agree I hate the whiteboard interviews that seem archaic at this point. Seems better to do a take home if you want to see work product and how they think instead of programming in an acutely stressful situation.

gregjor 5y ago
I won't speculate on the author's motives for writing that post. I haven't worked at Shopify so I don't know what that environment is like. I have been hired to do A and then found out the work was B. One can interpret that as either deception and disappointment or an opportunity to grow, it depends on the situation. At a fast-moving place like Shopify I would expect an all-hands environment where senior developers are expected to apply themselves where the business needs them. The whiteboard interviews conducted by "engineers" who need HR to tell them they can't ask where a candidate is from or if they're married is maybe a sincere attempt to discern technical skills. I think it's actually a gatekeeping process to maintain a homogenous workforce. In the US at least it's not hard to let someone go if they aren't performing, so big companies tend to funnel a lot of people in and see how they work out, separating the wheat from the chaff. The tests and whiteboard problems and all that are intended to eliminate people who can't put in the effort and demonstrate their willingness to play along. They're also intended to protect the company from discrimination lawsuits because the employer can point to what looks like an objective and scientific screening process, when we all know that people actually make hiring decisions mainly on personality and appearance.

gregjor 5y ago

I won't speculate on the author's motives for writing that post. I haven't worked at Shopify so I don't know what that environment is like. I have been hired to do A and then found out the work was B. One can interpret that as either deception and disappointment or an opportunity to grow, it depends on the situation. At a fast-moving place like Shopify I would expect an all-hands environment where senior developers are expected to apply themselves where the business needs them. The whiteboard interviews conducted by "engineers" who need HR to tell them they can't ask where a candidate is from or if they're married is maybe a sincere attempt to discern technical skills. I think it's actually a gatekeeping process to maintain a homogenous workforce. In the US at least it's not hard to let someone go if they aren't performing, so big companies tend to funnel a lot of people in and see how they work out, separating the wheat from the chaff. The tests and whiteboard problems and all that are intended to eliminate people who can't put in the effort and demonstrate their willingness to play along. They're also intended to protect the company from discrimination lawsuits because the employer can point to what looks like an objective and scientific screening process, when we all know that people actually make hiring decisions mainly on personality and appearance.