Common problems I see in technical interviews
The one thing that struck me, was all the problems were with the interviewee, not the interviewer.<p>I gave up looking for work, when I realized that it was my job to throw the seed into the interviewer’s nest.<p><i>”God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.&quot;</i>
-J.G. Holland<p>I was a hiring manager for 25 years. Hiring people was always a <i>huge</i> commitment. I had to fight like hell for every headcount, and I kept high-end engineers for <i>decades</i>.<p>I wasn’t just interviewing workers; I was interviewing <i>family</i>.<p>I could usually determine basic <i>engineering</i> (not just “coding”) skills after a half hour, and without having to write a single line of code. A big reason for that, was because I worked hard to maintain my own engineering chops throughout my management career, and that helped me to relate well with prospects.<p>Most of the interview was about whether or not the employee would strengthen or weaken the team. Whether they would be conscientious and disciplined in their approach; whether they would be enthusiastic and spend time learning the <i>why</i> of a task, as opposed to just the <i>what</i>.<p>I was interviewing really senior-level engineers. These were people that would need to write high-performance pipeline code, and most of the prospects had no experience in that particular field. I needed to hire people that would learn new algorithms and techniques. Enthusiasm, flexibility, humility, and open-mindedness were the currency; not rote and bluster.<p>I also wanted them to know what they were getting into. I wouldn’t <i>ever</i> lie to prospects, and that probably cost me a few, but I wouldn’t want to establish a relationship on sand. I loved what I did, and wanted people that would also love it.<p>I’m not egotistical, but I am confident in my own <i>engineering</i> (there’s that word again) skill and experience. I don’t demand worship, but I want some simple respect. If you won’t give that to me in an interview, then why should I expect it from you, once you have the free milk? I have had <i>many</i> friends that have left their jobs; uprooted their lives, and headed for greener pastures, only to come back, a few months later, humbled and broken.<p>If you are interested in me, then you are interested in someone that can make an enormous difference in your company. I’m not God’s gift to programming, but I have a unique mix of skills and experience that could really give your effort a big push.<p>I’m also a damn decent person, which becomes obvious after a fairly short conversation. I interview well.<p>But I test badly.