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> I'm curious what changed around 2015-2016 that led to the current interview process. In the before times the interview was more of a technical conversation, s

by dmoy 3y ago

> I'm curious what changed around 2015-2016 that led to the current interview process. In the before times the interview was more of a technical conversation, sure they had some gotcha questions, but nothing too brutal. If you had real experience that you co... Places just copied big tech companies that were already doing that for many years prior to 2015. I had leetcode style interviews well before 2010 even.

sailorganymede 3y ago
Pretty much this. Companies needed software engineers, looked at what Google was doing, and copied. And they call themselves innovative for doing it.
- baner2020 3y ago
  A company whose smart engineers threw their hands up claiming no moat while they were the pioneer of AI
- a_wild_dandan 3y ago
  Ah, so to reach their hiring destination, their preferred mode of transportation is the bandwagon.
  - sailorganymede 3y ago
    Methinks it’s a good enough method to somehow get good enough candidates. Hiring is hard because it’s a negotiation: sellers always upsell their skills and buyers gotta figure it out. Negotiation is skill that not everyone has so at least by having some sort of standard test like the current leetcode system, you can guarantee the dudes coming in know the difference between a Stack and Queue
bluedino 3y ago
Part of the problem is people just memorize things for interviews. We interviewed three candidates that were almost exact copies of each other in their responses. Maybe they all read the same interview book? I also witnessed someone give a completely wrong (algorithm) whiteboard answer to a problem. Obviously they weren't thinking about the problem as they did it.
- baner2020 3y ago
  Algorithm that were solved over decades and centuries are asked during the 15-20 minute demonstration asks it to be memorized The problem is the sheer dumbness of those who believe it is important in the interview process
DoctorDabadedoo 3y ago
Big Tech could afford to do that due to their aura of mysticism and greatness, but if you're a mom and pop shop with Google-esque aspirations but none of the compensation and status, I wonder how many candidates have the patience and interest to go through the hoops.
jakjak123 3y ago
Plus, everyone thinks they are Google or Facebook, or that they are about to become Google or Facebook. You are not.
namaria 3y ago
After subprime interest rates went to or near zero, prompting a huge influx of cash available for VCs with heightened FOMO due to increasing complexity of software. Marginal quality of talent decreased while remuneration went through the roof, drowning out valid signals in cvs and interview processes with so much noise that any complicated enough system was seen as valid. Extremely high rate of failure, which was made acceptable due to the potential rewards of funding a unicorn early further degraded the ability of anyone involved to conduct clear assessments.
afpx 3y ago
Before 2010, I used to get a lot of “why are manhole covers round?” type questions, not ACM competition type questions.

by dmoy 3y ago

sailorganymede 3y ago

Pretty much this. Companies needed software engineers, looked at what Google was doing, and copied. And they call themselves innovative for doing it.

baner2020 3y ago
A company whose smart engineers threw their hands up claiming no moat while they were the pioneer of AI
a_wild_dandan 3y ago
Ah, so to reach their hiring destination, their preferred mode of transportation is the bandwagon.
- sailorganymede 3y ago
  Methinks it’s a good enough method to somehow get good enough candidates. Hiring is hard because it’s a negotiation: sellers always upsell their skills and buyers gotta figure it out. Negotiation is skill that not everyone has so at least by having some sort of standard test like the current leetcode system, you can guarantee the dudes coming in know the difference between a Stack and Queue

bluedino 3y ago

Part of the problem is people just memorize things for interviews. We interviewed three candidates that were almost exact copies of each other in their responses. Maybe they all read the same interview book? I also witnessed someone give a completely wrong (algorithm) whiteboard answer to a problem. Obviously they weren't thinking about the problem as they did it.

baner2020 3y ago
Algorithm that were solved over decades and centuries are asked during the 15-20 minute demonstration asks it to be memorized The problem is the sheer dumbness of those who believe it is important in the interview process

DoctorDabadedoo 3y ago

Big Tech could afford to do that due to their aura of mysticism and greatness, but if you're a mom and pop shop with Google-esque aspirations but none of the compensation and status, I wonder how many candidates have the patience and interest to go through the hoops.

jakjak123 3y ago

Plus, everyone thinks they are Google or Facebook, or that they are about to become Google or Facebook. You are not.

namaria 3y ago

After subprime interest rates went to or near zero, prompting a huge influx of cash available for VCs with heightened FOMO due to increasing complexity of software. Marginal quality of talent decreased while remuneration went through the roof, drowning out valid signals in cvs and interview processes with so much noise that any complicated enough system was seen as valid. Extremely high rate of failure, which was made acceptable due to the potential rewards of funding a unicorn early further degraded the ability of anyone involved to conduct clear assessments.

afpx 3y ago

Before 2010, I used to get a lot of “why are manhole covers round?” type questions, not ACM competition type questions.