4 ms·

There's a really interesting presumption in some of the comments on this post. Namely, that getting the job after an interview is the default outcome, and that

There's a really interesting presumption in some of the comments on this post. Namely, that getting the job after an interview is the default outcome, and that any other represents an exceptional condition. In every place that I have worked, making an offer (and landing the candidate) is the exceptional condition. Each step through the recruiting process (resume submission, one or more phone screens, one or more rounds of interviews, extension of an offer, and negotiation around terms and conditions) results in fewer and fewer candidates. I have no idea what the pass rate for each stage is at a typical high-tech company, but I would guess that it could be between 10% and 15% at best. In other words, odds are that you are not going to get the job. Separately, there's no reasonable and legally defensible way to provide official feedback if the interview process results in a no-hire decision. The interview is your chance to put your best foot (brain?) forward. If you got post-interview feedback that said "Your linked-list implementation was O(N3) and we wanted O(N)," or "Several of your responses were not in harmony with the way that we like to build systems" how would you respond, and how would hiring companies and managers handle the situation with any degree of efficiency? You had your chance (the interview) to make the case.

bcoates 12y ago
> making an offer (and landing the candidate) is the exceptional condition > In other words, odds are that you are not going to get the job. The first is true but it doesn't really imply the second: In my area, the active jobseeker population for development jobs mostly consists of a gigantic, persistent mass of sub-competent developers (you know if you aren't one) and people who are always on the lookout for something better. Anyone else gets picked up pretty damn quickly. If you're in the latter group, odds are you are going to get an offer (of which you will reject the majority). I suspect companies that think they're being more selective at the hiring stage are probably just being capricious; it's not easy to judge the quality of your own hiring process.
- lilsunnybee 12y ago
  "If you're not getting hired, obviously you're just not qualified to work and earn a living." Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy isn't it?
pdovy 12y ago
I think the thing in the OP's article that many folks can identify with is the "chain yanking" that goes on in many interview processes. I don't think we'd be having this much discussion if the original article went along the lines of: "I interviewed at Google recently. I had a phone screen and then several technical interviews on-site. Everybody was nice and I thought I did well, but they communicated to me a few days after I returned home that I did not get the job". I totally agree, that is the norm. Getting a clear signal about someone in an interview setting is difficult, and most of the time if interviewers are on the fence they may just pass. What gets me is places where there is a lack of communication, lots of foot dragging, and/or lots of time wasted by the candidate. I've not interviewed at Google, but I've gotten this treatment elsewhere coming out of college. Being on the other side of the fence now doing interviews for a few years I just don't see the reasoning for letting this happen, it's unprofessional.
nostrademons 12y ago
I heard the pass rate for Google was about 0.05%, i.e. 1 in 2000. That was back in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, though, when the media reported they were in hiring freeze. I interviewed about 20 people and made about a dozen referrals during my tenure there, though, and the only people who made it through were 2 intern conversions who had already passed the intern hiring process. I had coworkers who interviewed 100 without a hire. So the numbers are still pretty low.

bcoates 12y ago

> making an offer (and landing the candidate) is the exceptional condition > In other words, odds are that you are not going to get the job. The first is true but it doesn't really imply the second: In my area, the active jobseeker population for development jobs mostly consists of a gigantic, persistent mass of sub-competent developers (you know if you aren't one) and people who are always on the lookout for something better. Anyone else gets picked up pretty damn quickly. If you're in the latter group, odds are you are going to get an offer (of which you will reject the majority). I suspect companies that think they're being more selective at the hiring stage are probably just being capricious; it's not easy to judge the quality of your own hiring process.

lilsunnybee 12y ago
"If you're not getting hired, obviously you're just not qualified to work and earn a living." Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy isn't it?

pdovy 12y ago

I think the thing in the OP's article that many folks can identify with is the "chain yanking" that goes on in many interview processes. I don't think we'd be having this much discussion if the original article went along the lines of: "I interviewed at Google recently. I had a phone screen and then several technical interviews on-site. Everybody was nice and I thought I did well, but they communicated to me a few days after I returned home that I did not get the job". I totally agree, that is the norm. Getting a clear signal about someone in an interview setting is difficult, and most of the time if interviewers are on the fence they may just pass. What gets me is places where there is a lack of communication, lots of foot dragging, and/or lots of time wasted by the candidate. I've not interviewed at Google, but I've gotten this treatment elsewhere coming out of college. Being on the other side of the fence now doing interviews for a few years I just don't see the reasoning for letting this happen, it's unprofessional.

nostrademons 12y ago

I heard the pass rate for Google was about 0.05%, i.e. 1 in 2000. That was back in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, though, when the media reported they were in hiring freeze. I interviewed about 20 people and made about a dozen referrals during my tenure there, though, and the only people who made it through were 2 intern conversions who had already passed the intern hiring process. I had coworkers who interviewed 100 without a hire. So the numbers are still pretty low.