4 ms·
I like seeing interviewees write on a whiteboard because I can see how they're thinking and help them out if I see that they're running into trouble. The point
by dfan 15y ago
I like seeing interviewees write on a whiteboard because I can see how they're thinking and help them out if I see that they're running into trouble. The point when I give a whiteboard question is to engage interactively with them over the course of ~15 minutes while they solve a problem, not to sit around and be handed a piece of paper at the end.
In addition, communicating with peers via whiteboard is a skill that is actually handy in day-to-day work life; it's not just some artificial interview skill.
- MPSimmons 15y ago> communicating with peers via whiteboard is a skill that is actually handy in day-to-day work life; it's not just some artificial interview skill. Exactly.
- ljlolel 15y agoSo sit next to the person while they write...
- bethling 15y agoThe natural posture, position, and size of writing on paper discourages that. It's also essentially impossible for me to step in and point to/mark up their code (and then erase it). The paper takes away any of the collaboration that can occur during an interview. Your code might be better, but I have trouble seeing that you'd be able to project as a positive impression as if you used the whiteboard.
- ljlolel 15y agoParents of children and teachers don't seem to have a problem with paper.
- bethling 15y agoI don't have a problem with paper - I just feel like it would work against a candidate - not because "Oh...they used paper", but because some of the things that I think are signs of a good candidate don't show through. I've never interviewed a candidate that asked me to use paper, so I can't be sure - it's just my instinct. It might be completely biased though - I far prefer to use whiteboards - I love the space, I love how easy it is to erase without a trace. I can throw thoughts up there and the manipulate them.
- suneilp 15y agoWhat do you do when your too tall for the whiteboard because some short stubby interviewer placed it lower than normal to accomodate his stubbiness.
- nknight 15y agoTrying to write code on a whiteboard is not the same as communicating with peers via a whiteboard. I've never written or seen written anything more code-like than function prototypes on a whiteboard outside an interview session. Design and flows get thrown on whiteboards a lot, but those are not code, and their creation is not remotely like coding. You are "testing" exactly the wrong thing.