5 ms·

yep. it’s sad that the interview process is so broken

by jiveturkey 4y ago

dgfitz 4y ago
Sometimes I wonder if soft skills are filtered out intentionally so as not to shake up the upper echelons of a company.
- dryjer6tj 4y ago
- largepeepee 4y ago
  I won't say they are doing it maliciously but rather most interviews are for finding good workers. Higher leadership positions rarely rely on interviews and those that have them tend to use them as a formality.
  - endtime 4y ago
    > Higher leadership positions rarely rely on interviews and those that have them tend to use them as a formality. How high are you talking about? My employer definitely has real interviews for 7-figure total comp positions.
- novok 4y ago
  No, many interview loops have sections basically about 'how well do you work well with others / not a jerk'. Someone with social skills, leadership skills and software skills is definitely valued.
glouwbug 4y ago
But by outright saying the interview process is broken one sorta kinda fails the soft skill test, no?
- jiveturkey 4y ago
  not really? i feel like i'm misinterpreting your response, because it seems obvious to me. the interview process (the standard one we are talking about by inference, ie DSA LC type interviews where the question isn't representative of OTJ actual skill required, or even a baseline for it, and where the interviewer themself are likely to fail if given a random selection) where, rather than interview for soft skills at all, the focus is on rather arcane "can you cram for an exam" knowledge. so i'm not following how saying so, is failing any test of soft skills?
  - glouwbug 4y ago
    Complex interview questions do test technical know how but they also test for an emotional response. If one poses frustrated, defeated, angered, irritated, confrontational, arrogant, or even defiant, the interviewer will end the interview early. The problems are hard, but being able to walk through your thought process - even with feigned confidence - will make you pass the test. Yes, actually solving the problem will put the final nail in the future proverbial 9-5 coffin, but don't let emotion get the best of you. I agree the process is broken, but I'll game it to the end
    - jiveturkey 4y ago
      > also test for an emotional response depends on your definition of "test". i've yet to meet a trained interviewer, myself included. i've been doing this for ages, and in my own mind i do think i am better than average at interviews and assessments. (without a useful rubric to judge against, take that with a grain of salt.) if i am to judge by only "vocal minority", ie negative feedback, services like triplebyte and Karat are the same. the interviewers are poorly trained. i would never do that kind of interview so i don't have firsthand knowledge in those cases. emotional response to a problem beyond your capability (kobyashi maru) isn't what the interviewer is going for. i agree, there is a component. that isn't the same as actually evaluating soft skills. to bring it back home, i remain unenlightened how my first comment demonstrates a failure of soft skills! thank you for the discussion.

yep. it’s sad that the interview process is so broken

dgfitz 4y ago

Sometimes I wonder if soft skills are filtered out intentionally so as not to shake up the upper echelons of a company.

dryjer6tj 4y ago
largepeepee 4y ago
I won't say they are doing it maliciously but rather most interviews are for finding good workers. Higher leadership positions rarely rely on interviews and those that have them tend to use them as a formality.
- endtime 4y ago
  > Higher leadership positions rarely rely on interviews and those that have them tend to use them as a formality. How high are you talking about? My employer definitely has real interviews for 7-figure total comp positions.
novok 4y ago
No, many interview loops have sections basically about 'how well do you work well with others / not a jerk'. Someone with social skills, leadership skills and software skills is definitely valued.

glouwbug 4y ago

But by outright saying the interview process is broken one sorta kinda fails the soft skill test, no?

jiveturkey 4y ago
not really? i feel like i'm misinterpreting your response, because it seems obvious to me. the interview process (the standard one we are talking about by inference, ie DSA LC type interviews where the question isn't representative of OTJ actual skill required, or even a baseline for it, and where the interviewer themself are likely to fail if given a random selection) where, rather than interview for soft skills at all, the focus is on rather arcane "can you cram for an exam" knowledge. so i'm not following how saying so, is failing any test of soft skills?
- glouwbug 4y ago
  Complex interview questions do test technical know how but they also test for an emotional response. If one poses frustrated, defeated, angered, irritated, confrontational, arrogant, or even defiant, the interviewer will end the interview early. The problems are hard, but being able to walk through your thought process - even with feigned confidence - will make you pass the test. Yes, actually solving the problem will put the final nail in the future proverbial 9-5 coffin, but don't let emotion get the best of you. I agree the process is broken, but I'll game it to the end
  - jiveturkey 4y ago
    > also test for an emotional response depends on your definition of "test". i've yet to meet a trained interviewer, myself included. i've been doing this for ages, and in my own mind i do think i am better than average at interviews and assessments. (without a useful rubric to judge against, take that with a grain of salt.) if i am to judge by only "vocal minority", ie negative feedback, services like triplebyte and Karat are the same. the interviewers are poorly trained. i would never do that kind of interview so i don't have firsthand knowledge in those cases. emotional response to a problem beyond your capability (kobyashi maru) isn't what the interviewer is going for. i agree, there is a component. that isn't the same as actually evaluating soft skills. to bring it back home, i remain unenlightened how my first comment demonstrates a failure of soft skills! thank you for the discussion.