I had two markedly different experiences interviewing for DBRE roles recently. One was at a well-known SaaS “here’s a spreadsheet we call a database” company.

I had two markedly different experiences interviewing for DBRE roles recently. One was at a well-known SaaS “here’s a spreadsheet we call a database” company. I knew way more about Python than the interviewers, which became a problem because I used its stdlib to blow through the tasks they had. I then had a second interview, where they effectively asked me to code DFS. I am terrible with LC. I explained DFS perfectly, but struggled to turn it into code. The interviewer even commented that it had nothing to do with the position (you don’t say). The other was at a quant trading firm. I had multiple interviews, ranging from “can you use a programming language to accomplish tasks” (again, Python and its stdlib was quite helpful, and wasn’t met with pushback), to DB-specific questions, to Linux internals. All of it felt extremely on-task, and had they not required me to relocate for a remote position (?!) I would’ve taken the job in a heartbeat.