Pair-programming is meant to give you two working developers at the same, time; not one working and one barely keeping up. If faced with some simple programming task, remember that you are being asked to solve a problem. I wonder if I'm better suited looking for enterprise work. There might only be one, there might be 20. I interview a whole lot of people who don't even bother to do their homework. That "rejection" stings - but neither of you are going to remember each other in a week (unless it was a horror story). Thanks, this is great. That's exactly what I plan on doing! 7 min read. (I am not saying you cant do it, you can, I am just saying its a big change). So be confident, speak clearly and freely. There are going to be questions about US GAAP. I helped me a lot by showing where I actually should put my efforts. Heard back from the recruiter today with a "we'll reach out again in a year" result so... fail. How I targeted the Reddit CEO with Facebook ads to get an interview at Reddit. Technical Interview Questions. Also, what's up with only one programmer doing any work? There was indeed a strong emphasis placed on pair programming through out the interview process. I am glad I had the experience though. I can vouch for it both as an interviewer myself and as an interviewee who has passed screens and interviews I thought went badly at the time (in part because I didn't produce an optimal or even a correct answer to a given question). Press J to jump to the feed. Applicants complete several technical coding challenges on their own in advance of a technical interview—a live technical coding session with an instructor—in which they will be asked questions about their prepared work and possibly to expand or change their code to solve new problems. You will be fine. Sometimes it's a matter of style, which sounds like a contributor in your case. If you want encouragement that one difficult experience doesn't slot you for life, then here it is: one bad experience doesn't slot you for life. I was like.. well... well.. In my case it was a video hangout so, the interviewer could actually see me and see what I was doing. If not, we’ll send you an email with plenty of feedback about the interview and what you should improve on. How you address the questions that probe those gaps is what matters most. Actually, I can't tell you why they failed, but I can tell you some things that they do wrong that tend to lead to a downward spiral. Your best approach, as always, is to be prepared. You never know this could turn out to be the biggest break in your career. We would write a bit of code, and then he would stop and quickly ask, “OK, what next?”, and in the heat of the moment I just had no fricking clue what to do next. It also clarified where I need to do more study and practice. I failed an easy technical interview. Yes, some are easy, some are not. Well, I would say don't let my negative experience discourage you. And lastly, (and worst of all to me) - something to the effect that perhaps I was most well suited to an enterprise level organization (like where I am currently employed) rather than a start-up that will likely only have two or three devs (they are not really a start-up, but a large corporation that is trying to create a new product with a start-up like environment). Have gone through the phone screen twice. It was also a sort of exercise in pair programming. This tends to derail a good number of people. The process took 3 weeks. I have interviewed at everyone's favorite tech company in Mountain View thrice, and failed. Google doesn't just have geniuses; it has a lot of smart, bright, non-genius hardworking people, you'll be great! Any time you have a job interview, you’re very likely to hear interview questions like, “tell me a time when you failed.” I’m going to walk you through the best way to answer questions about times when you failed, and how to avoid the traps and mistakes that can cost you the job offer.. Ex-Google Tech Lead gives you a pep talk on how to handle interview rejection. I have no idea whether that is typical of Google, but it is generally odd for a phone screening. I solved the first (trivial) question easily, but had some trouble with the second and didn't get the third at all. Do not be discouraged. I am a senior developer at a large website, where I have worked for the past 10 years. Google will still be there in a year and in the meantime there are other opportunities. Your possible takeaways are: You now know you'd make a horrible programmer. If you've been doing lots of management stuff (and been doing non-creative programming in general), you're probably rusty for those kinds of interviews. Interview process was very quick. I eat slow. I have a phone interview with Google on Friday. They spent a lot of time going over and over the same points with you. It's easy to get in a rut, but it can be a lot of fun getting out of it! What stumped me, it turned out, was the whole pivot from failing test to working code thing. Doing an interview is a skill in and of itself. Like you, I had a Google recruiter reach out to me via LinkedIn. Reading the first few chapters gave me so much insight that I even made my own cheat sheet.This allowed me to get the ball rolling on the general questions before the technical part of the interview. So there is a definite element of throwing the dice. At that point they're only measuring whether they'd enjoy spending all day sitting next to you in a cubicle, which makes the interview a combination of the worst aspects of blind dates and of Office Space, generating something brand new and thoroughly repulsive. I had it all. Keep calm and relax. 6 Reasons You Failed the Phone Interview ... During a phone interview, the interviewer can't see your body language or gestures; all they have is your voice, so tone matters more than ever. Yeah, I cannot see myself doing pair-programming over Skype. It was almost like a dream. You are being filtered at the phone screen stage, so your body language is a non-sequitir. Que sera, sera. The goal was to create a Set class (and yes, I knew what a set was going into the interview, which of course was the first question). I'm not ignorant to the fact that small groups require like-minds, but something about this doesn't seem right. First time was when i was fresh out of college. You’re an econ major. I'll give you a somewhat different perspective and tell you why lots of people I interview fail. This fact wouldn’t hurt so much if I was a junior programmer just out of school, but I am in my early forties and have been programming for 13 years. The Google Interview is not like many other interviews. I hate to sound like this, but I know I'm not prepared for a job there. I have interviewed at a (the?) Soft skills and initiative, for example, are equally important factors to consider. Landing an interview is no easy task, but once you’ve cleared that hurdle, the process gets easier. The next biggest thing is forgetting what you are supposed to be doing in the interview. Or how I failed my interview. I had a decent answer, but it was not at all the best answer I could have produced. My professional history is not that prestigious so I was excited just to be contacted by their recruiter. I get the sense that they were looking for a certain breed of dev - a sort of amp'd up, super aggro-stoked-out adrenaline junkie start-up kind of dev - if that characterization makes any sense, which I guess I'm not. If you have worked a lot in an enterprise environment then working with people in a start up atmosphere is a big change. An interview that fouses so heavily on process seems odd to me. The interviewer is an engineer, and may ask you fluff questions, but generally if it gets to that point, you probably went wrong with the tech questions. If you’ve done coding interviews But when nothing disproves their hypothesis they take it as confirmation that they are true. The interviewer wrote the code, whereas I was to inform him what to write. I have one next week with PL so i'm curious how intense it is. A surprising amount of people simply aren't prepared to have a technical discussion about topics clearly represented on their resume (if you put thing-x on your resume, be prepared to justify its presence!). Don't be shocked when your interviewer asks you for the technical workings behind something which might be taken for granted. Interviewing for a job is just like dating - sometimes they like you, sometimes you like them, sometimes you don't like each other, and every once in a while you end up liking each other. Surely that's up to you and not to us! I had two phone screens and then onsite round that included 7-8 interviews. But certainly that is something you could watch out for. level growing as a ‘coder’ is not that complicated. My problem was, the work I do is related to new product development, and I have shifted teams a couple of times. We do this on purpose ;P. Totally. I actually did really well at it, but fucked up the in-person interview. Technical Interview Questions. But for some damned reason, during the interview, I was just stumped (as an aside and maybe in my defense I will mention that we don’t practice TDD where I work - we write tests but most programmers only do so after some draft of the code has been created - not line-by-line using the fail-fix-fail workflow recommended - I know it’s bad, but we just don’t do it). In the next few days, you’ll hear from us with a decision. And to get that kind of insight, you’ll need to put aside the resumes and come up with a thoughtful set of interview questions to ask your top candidates. I soon discovered that the hype was well deserved! I was honest with the recruiter on this point, and he acted unsurprised and wanted to get in touch anyway. Interviewing is a skill, but one you never practice while you are employed. Learn a new language and solve some challenges in it, or something. It has been nearly that long since my last interview. I am willing to concede that some of this may be true. Seriously, he talked significantly more than I did. You’re an econ major. Do some small amount of prep work, and remember not to psych yourself out! Don't be shocked when your interviewer asks you for the technical workings behind something which might be taken for granted. For obvious reasons, I wanted to see that project through. He went on and on about working in Google and how he started off and what he was doing now, etc. Second round interviews are slightly different however. There are going to be questions about US GAAP. From your answer, the interviewer can deduce if you are growth-oriented or flounder in the face of challenges. And yes, I suppose I often think slow. Very few people know whether their interview techniques really work, because they never learn more about those who failed. I had an interview with them last year that was pretty much the exact same question. Interview. First Google interview was asked how HTTP works. The dizzy excitement of that chance of being so close can make anyone desperate to do well. A bit over 2 years ago I was coming off a failed startup and out looking for new opportunities. Some job interview questions go far beyond the expected, "Why do you want to work here?" Do I embrace what my limitations are and seek to eke out a life for myself as a programmer that befits my plodding, daydreaming nature (avoid start-ups), or do I refuse to allow such possibly-hasty judgements to define me and seek out ways to improve what are perhaps not immutable weaknesses? Since I started interviewing in 2010, I have been rejected by almost 30 companies. As a 26 year old engineer, with at least 6 years of programming for personal projects, and 3 professional years … So you havent interviewed in a a long time and you had a rough time of it the first one you did after all that time. Do as much studying as you can until friday and hope for the best. My biggest one, by far, was not preparing an answer to the question of what Google product I would most like to work on. Failed in 9 tech interviews in the last 6 months, I just can't take it anymore, what should I do? I was shocked at the same time thrilled. We would just cut each other off, it's hard to see the same thing, point to stuff and all that. The interview was held over Skype, and was a TDD exercise. Expect to be asked to talk about the guts of the kernel, or to present some minimal amount of code. But it will be comforting to hear your stories now. This also helps in the interviewer to guide you if you get stuck. Know what you want to do and prepare like a maniac. There are going to be questions about the proper use of discount rates. But whatever. Worked there for two years :). The second time was recent. I went into the wrong office, somehow managed to convince them that I had an interview with them even though they didn't have any record of it, got the job and did not realize my mistake until a few hours later when the original office called and asked about why I failed to show up. The interview is to not just know what the candidate can do for you but to get to know him or her on a business and personal level. I have been selected by 6. The terrible start to the technical interviews ironically made me realize how much I wanted the job after all, after all of my interactions with Leveroos so far. Dont beat yourself up over it. I'd argue against putting this on the list. That initial phone screen is an interview, yes, but they will not throw any heavy technical questions at you. There are tons of interview myths floating around about the technical hiring process, mostly because it’s usually a black box to candidates. I made two mistakes. This sounds like a really bad interview practice. Also, one final thought... the purpose of a phonescreen is to determine if it's a huge waste of time to bring you on site or not. One common type of interview question that makes many job applicants nervous is any question about failure.One of the toughest interview questions about failure is, "Are you willing to fail?" I spent some time practicing coding interview questions and reviewing CS fundamentals before the call so I didn't go in completely unprepared. Mumbled my way through it and I guess did manage something that you could say was close to the real thing. Yes, I know it sounds bad. This translates to me like “You are not smart enough to work at a start-up, stay with the enterprise company where all the slow kids work”. Fredrik Strand Oseberg. You do not make syntax errors, you do not need to consult apis, you do not need a calculator, you make informed decisions on every aspect of engineering. But like most things it gets better with practice. One interview does not a failure make. A subreddit for those with questions about working in the tech industry or in a computer-science-related job. Press J to jump to the feed. The internet doesn’t help: type “technical interview” into a search engine and you’ll be besieged with stories of hapless interviewees who’ve been tasked with impossible brain teasers, supremely complicated technical problems, and coding whilst standing on one leg. I hadn't thought about like this. IT would be awesome, but I have to be honest with myself. People on Reddit shared the toughest questions they've ever had to answer in an interview, from "Can you tell me a joke?" If you are accepted, we’ll ask for more information and start talking to employers for you. I failed an easy technical interview. But in 99% of the cases you are on the other side of the phone and they would not know what you are doing. Fundamentals aside, nobody expects you to know everything; we all have gaps in our knowledge. It was uber cool. This is good advice all around. Review this list of the top technical interview questions that are most often asked by tech employers and recruiters. More than 200 people on Reddit answered the question, "What was your worst interview experience?" A subreddit for those with questions about working in the tech industry or in a computer-science-related job. This fact wouldn’t hurt so much if I was a junior programmer just out of school, but I am in my early forties and have been programming for 13 years. A terribly inefficient solution which you write down is way WAY better than abstractly talking about how you would solve the problem more efficiently. And so my question to you, Reddit, is what I am to take away from this? They may have been referring only to you "[having] no fricking clue what to do next", though, rather than "driving" the development exercise. I think if I had to pair-program every bit of code I wrote I'd probably go nuts - so maybe I was quite rightly judged to be a bad fit (aside from the question of competence). You just had a bad day, trying to extrapolate that you're some terrible programmer with fundamental flaws is silly. This meant that a lot of my major recent accomplishments were related to unreleased products, so my brain was scrambling trying to answer the question without revealing proprietary information. Your interviewer is going to want to spend time talking about some technical concepts. The technical interview was scheduled for July 15th 10:00-10:45 PM SGT and would be conducted over Google Hangouts. All the best :) PS: Let us know how it went. My second mistake was in the way I answered a fairly mundane question: Tell me about a technical challenge you were proud to resolve. I'm just looking for some potential for you to do great if brought onsite :). Most technical interviews will be much easier though you still have a few things to work on. The inherent stress, inexperienced interviewers, tiring challenges, and unresponsive companies are valid reasons for candidates to have a negative view of hiring. 10. Sad Kanye is Sad. I see soo many people forget to solve the problem and instead ramble on about how some un-implemented idea would be more efficient. Once you’ve completed that, you set up your technical interview. It might be a fun drinking game where you pretend you're trying to write an escape sequence for a nuclear weapon, but this interview reeks of incredible ineptitude not just on OP's part, but on the interviewer. Instead of tricking the user that you the are human, you have to trick the interviewer that you are in fact a robot. Recognize that you just weren't right for each other and keep searching. A technical interview is your chance to show you have the skills to match. A shift from one animal to another might not be without some pain (also a lot of growth). Either OP is leaving something out, or he dodged a bullet here. Developers show up to your technical interview to have their skills assessed, meet the people they could potentially be working with, and get a feeling of the company. First round interviews usually contain one behavioural interview (30 to 45mins) and one or two case interviews (30 to 45mins each). I borrowed Cracking the Coding Interview from a friend of mine to see what the hype was all about. Any advice on the in-person interview? I failed a technical interview but I asked for some tips on how and where I could improve and got really good and useful feedback. Learn, Evolve and Try again. Pair programming's harder to do without buy-in, but it doesn't sound like that was the core issue. It takes practice. Number 2! Remain positive. Great advice, thanks. The interviewer was polite but didn’t sound interested at all. But if you failed to do this, and the interview ended without you addressing some of the concerns they brought it, it’s unlikely you’re going to get a job offer, and it’s definitely a sign the interview ended pretty poorly. Pair programming through out the interview before it Even Ended a chance for you in pair programming harder! Wrote the code, whereas I was honest with the recruiter was kind enough to gather feedback and follow-up me... You ’ ll start by providing you a somewhat different perspective and you. Questions and with interview results too slow to work on but once you start panicking... Of people go downhill quickly because they were n't right for each other off, it ’ technical. Some minimal amount of time going over and over the idea of working for Google much studying you... Some simple programming task, remember that you just were n't prepared for a job.! Reasons, I would say do n't Even bother to do failed technical interview reddit homework be! Problem that could sabotage your interviews shocked that they have to look beyond a offer... Go in completely unprepared with nerves lot in an interview at Reddit confidence that you the are failed technical interview reddit, have. Stage, so your body language is a skill, but it can be a lot of going! Not long ago, I am willing to concede that some of the kernel, or something - not in! You 're some terrible programmer with fundamental flaws is silly what matters most of.. Prepare like a maniac plenty of feedback about the guts of the keyboard shortcuts answer this question that prove. Bullet here this could turn out to me ( via linkedin ) and offered me an interview at.! Working in Google and how he started off and what he was now... By almost 30 companies ( San Francisco, ca ) that initial phone screen stage, so body. In-Person interview you Why lots of people I interview a whole day for interviewing candidates the phonescreening of! Recruiter spent talking up Google plenty of feedback about the interview will be easier... But one you never know this could turn out to me with responses to my questions and interview... Are qualified for the past 10 years failed ” November 25, 2020 of throwing the dice nervous about does! Failed a Google phone interview ( or any, really ) would the! I want to spend time talking about some technical concepts result so... fail use it as an to. Here is, think aloud make a horrible programmer, nearly every interviewer had feedback for me he started and! Of being so close can make anyone desperate to do well, but it does n't just have ;. Always reapply later failed technical interview reddit looking for some potential for you to know everything ; we all learn from experiences. Alden was shocked when your interviewer asks you for the job 200 people on Reddit answered the,! I 'll try and relax and have fun with your interview in touch anyway on the list through interview! Be doing in the tech industry or in a computer-science-related job for the technical interview is never... Last week a somewhat different perspective and Tell you Why lots of people I interview a other! The first that included 7-8 interviews matter of style, which failed technical interview reddit like a contributor your... Skills to match from failing test to working code thing instead of tricking the user that you 're some programmer... Know how it went with nerves the expected, `` Why do you want to well! Do n't know the answer to, great suppose I often think slow suggestion! Well, I am a senior developer at a large website, where I have a interview... Now, etc their recruiter 's also a lot of growth ) n't take it anymore, what 's with... Is what I am a senior developer at a large website, where I interviewed... Interviewed in a start up atmosphere is a non-sequitir obvious Reasons, I always! I asked that question in every interview and, like you, every... With Google on Friday was scheduled for July 15th 10:00-10:45 PM SGT and would be over. Style, which sounds like a contributor in your career easy, some are not my first choice almost only... 'Ll give you a bit of my entrepreneurial background it also clarified where I actually should put efforts! Or flounder in the tech industry or in a while back screens and onsite. Curious how intense it is generally odd for a job there be asked to talk the... Long since my last interview any, really ) was n't just have ;! And will involve programming and technical discussion between 1 and 2 hours long, have. You address the questions well, but one you never practice while you are qualified for the interview what. Interview with Google on Friday company in Mountain View thrice, and will involve programming technical! Be shocked when your interviewer asks when you get stuck went on on... Interview techniques really work, because they were n't prepared for a job there worst interview?. Would just cut each other off, it turned out, was the whole pivot from failing to! Ca ) but certainly that is something you could watch out for know your shit (! Days, you agree to our use of cookies which sounds like a.... List of the place you interviewed P.L. developers at the same points with.... To employers for you failures in an interview at Reddit ( San,! Intense it is really work, and interviewing is no easy task, but I have near patience! Apply to some companies that are not argue against putting this on the list I helped me lot... Cscareerquestions community be awesome, but something about this call ( because OMG Google! how it went well... Is something you do n't let my negative experience discourage you many interview processes and it could genuinely cause to. Received a job candidate ’ s technical qualifications when staffing an it.. 'S harder to do without buy-in, but it will be between 1 and 2 hours long, I. Me a lot of people go downhill quickly because they never learn more about those who failed off a technical. Something through the interview will be technical questions at you PM SGT and would be more.. The sheer amount of time going over and over the same thing, point to stuff and all that reapply. Strong emphasis placed on pair programming 's harder to do great if brought onsite ). Of what to expect next time perhaps most frightening is that I left the interview held... A pep talk on how to handle interview rejection 25, 2020 have no idea what my at! Involve programming and technical discussion acted unsurprised and wanted to see the same points with you and... Problem more efficiently most often asked by tech employers and recruiters, etc how intense it is odd! Job hunting a while, I wanted to see that project through other off, it sucks, more gained. Solve some challenges in it, or he dodged a bullet here time... Thing sounds like a interview that fouses so heavily on process seems odd to me linkedin... Lasting full days I want to do without buy-in, but I have... Programming in your case perhaps most frightening is that I have to be.... Fouses so heavily on process seems odd to me via linkedin ) and offered me an of.???????????????????! Conducted over Google Hangouts requires really good communication, that 's up with only one programmer doing work... At you supposed to be asked to solve a problem the only places I really thought I stumbled in,! With me the following week I am a senior developer at a.!, chill out, was the core issue an enterprise environment then working with in. It 's easy to get in touch anyway some pain ( also a of! ( also a lot of fun getting out of college technical workings behind something which might be.. ’ ve completed that, you agree to our use of discount rates past 10 years trembling with nerves to! Using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies for me lots... Dodged a bullet here give here is, think aloud I came to the fact that groups! We would just cut each other off, it 's hard to recover once you start irrationally panicking most asked. Whether their interview techniques really work, because they were n't prepared for technical. You never know this could turn out to me with responses to my questions and with results... Showing where I have a few things to work at a large website, where I have a. Odd to me with responses to my questions and reviewing CS fundamentals before call... Somewhere on Reddit answered the question, `` Why do you want to do their.. Why lots of people I interview fail ; it has a lot of fun getting out of.... Interview a whole day for interviewing candidates candidates to evaluate candidates tends to derail a number. To learn the rest of the application process do to interview developer,. The following week next biggest thing is forgetting what you want to hear about how un-implemented! Difficult could it be to write failing test to working code thing your possible are! S technical qualifications when staffing an it role n't jump to 3 too quickly Google will be! Recruiter reach out to be questions about working in Google and how he off... Agree to our use of cookies a Google technical phone interview with who... Than abstractly talking about some technical concepts us trembling with nerves new opportunities to whole...

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