Thisarticlewas originally published on .cult byNadya Primak.
.cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
The tech industry is not known for having great interviewing processes.
Or if youre unlucky like me, they might pop up a bit more often.
For every company at which Ive experienced these issues, there are hundreds of thousands if not millions more.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
In case its not immediately apparent why this approach sucks, let me explain.
It also robs us of our most useful tool: search engines.
Not to mention that it has no bearing on the everyday reality of the job.
One was for a small startup where I was interviewing 1:1 and the guy interviewing me was very awkward.
I spent well over an hour in his office struggling with it before I finally got to the solution.
The good news is that whiteboard interviews are falling more and more out of fashion.
Like the whiteboard interviews, timed technical assessments tend to have algorithm components to them.
There were three different challenges I had to complete successfully to be admitted into the platform.
All of them were algorithm heavy, and I had done relatively minimal practice.
I ended up getting stuck on the second challenge and not having enough time to complete the third.
Chances are if youre self-taught youll feel pretty demoralized since you didnt study algorithms in college.
The added pressure of timing also doesnt reflect the reality of most developer jobs.
Unlike whiteboard interviews, timed technical assessments arent going anywhere.
But its still worth being wary of this key in of interview and know what youre getting yourself into.
Phone screens
Not all phone screens are technical.
Some of them are casual conversations with the recruiter or someone from HR.
In fact, this is usually what we think of with a phone screen.
In theory, this could be great.
No technical assessments or take-home projects to worry about.
Just a quick phone call and youre done!
This was my exact mindset when I first encountered this throw in of interview.
But my attitude changed quickly after I got the job.
The other danger of phone screenings is technical jargon.
Just go forward with caution.
Story by.cult
.cult by Honeypot is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
