4 ms·

I’m approaching 30 years in software development, and I don’t remember having a “technical” interview until this week…. in which I had two. Both were with larg

I’m approaching 30 years in software development, and I don’t remember having a “technical” interview until this week…. in which I had two. Both were with large, well-known companies. But the nature and outcome of the two were quite different. In one, the interviewer just dumped some code on the screen that had been clumsily obfuscated, and its intent and strategy rendered indecipherable. In the second, I was asked to provide code that did something, and then add an additional feature to it on demand. This is much more in line with what I expected, and to me more valid. And the whole interview was far more satisfying and invigorating. The first interview was so disappointingly “douchey Leetcode” that I dreaded all that would follow. It created conflicting feelings of, “I’m kind of over this type of work anyway; this may be a beneficial tipping point” vs. “I don’t want to wuss out and run away from uncomfortable experiences.” Now that I’ve had two opposing experiences in technical interviews, I feel more confident in judging their validity and my role in their outcomes… and calling out ones that are disrespectful.

the_af 4y ago
Agreed that the second seems more reasonable! It matters a lot if the interviewer is not quizzing you on trivia or waiting for you to trip and fall. > I feel more confident in judging their validity and my role in their outcomes… and calling out ones that are disrespectful. I wish we could all do that! One overlooked aspect of this humiliating process is that it saps your confidence. I've seen it happen. After a bunch of failed interviews, the person starts feeling it's their fault and that they cannot possibly be good, and this informs their attitude for the next challenge, which they fail, and so on.
- ShadowBanThis01 4y ago
  Exactly. And then you wonder if you're just making excuses and trying to blame the test. But in the end you have to consider your past work, things you've built, and the value you've added to things. And, most of all, positive feedback you've received from colleagues or customers. I reflect on the fact that my colleagues have worked in my code, built entire new features of their own on top of it, and then vouched for me in job referrals that have their name on them. That's the most valuable confidence pill in your arsenal.
- recfab 4y ago
  > One overlooked aspect of this humiliating process is that it saps your confidence. This has been me on occasion during the last couple months of searching. I've been worried that my work history was too disjointed to tell a coherent story. Or that I'm not actually as skilled as I thought. Or that some skills have atrophied. Or they just aren't in demand anymore. I brought it up to a career coach (part of my severance package) and she seemed to think I was overqualified for a couple of them. I'm not sure that's true, and suspect she doesn't grok tech enough to make that assessment. But even if she's right, hell, something straightforward where I'm "overqualified" sounds kind of nice.
cowvin 4y ago
The interview is a two-way interview. You can also identify crappy companies you don't want to work for by crappy interview processes.

the_af 4y ago

Agreed that the second seems more reasonable! It matters a lot if the interviewer is not quizzing you on trivia or waiting for you to trip and fall. > I feel more confident in judging their validity and my role in their outcomes… and calling out ones that are disrespectful. I wish we could all do that! One overlooked aspect of this humiliating process is that it saps your confidence. I've seen it happen. After a bunch of failed interviews, the person starts feeling it's their fault and that they cannot possibly be good, and this informs their attitude for the next challenge, which they fail, and so on.

ShadowBanThis01 4y ago
Exactly. And then you wonder if you're just making excuses and trying to blame the test. But in the end you have to consider your past work, things you've built, and the value you've added to things. And, most of all, positive feedback you've received from colleagues or customers. I reflect on the fact that my colleagues have worked in my code, built entire new features of their own on top of it, and then vouched for me in job referrals that have their name on them. That's the most valuable confidence pill in your arsenal.
recfab 4y ago
> One overlooked aspect of this humiliating process is that it saps your confidence. This has been me on occasion during the last couple months of searching. I've been worried that my work history was too disjointed to tell a coherent story. Or that I'm not actually as skilled as I thought. Or that some skills have atrophied. Or they just aren't in demand anymore. I brought it up to a career coach (part of my severance package) and she seemed to think I was overqualified for a couple of them. I'm not sure that's true, and suspect she doesn't grok tech enough to make that assessment. But even if she's right, hell, something straightforward where I'm "overqualified" sounds kind of nice.

cowvin 4y ago

The interview is a two-way interview. You can also identify crappy companies you don't want to work for by crappy interview processes.