Thread by @jmcrawford45

After months of interviewing for my next #SoftwareEngineering gig, I wanted to give my two cents on the process 1/N 🧵

Most notable for me was how drastically different the interview experience was compared to my last time job hunting 6 years ago. 2/N

Back then, my first coding interview was to implement a roman numeral parser on a whiteboard in a language of the interviewer's choice. It was an experience that felt much closer to hazing than a relevant technical assessment. 3/N

Nowadays, it seems most conduct coding screens with a collaborative coding env like @coderpad or @hackerrank. Many don't care if you look up syntax, run / debug, or write tests to verify correctness and spot edge cases, but there are occasional word processor holdouts. 4/N

The problem spaces are also much more relevant. I prepped with hundreds of @LeetCode / @projecteuler questions, but these were only occasionally directly useful. After completing 29 coding interviews, I had 0 DP problems and only a couple of leetcode hards. 5/N

Companies are emphasizing programming methodology instead of obscure algorithms / data structures: writing a couple of functions based on a design doc, basic requests, library design considerations, etc. 6/N

I think these are very positive changes that allow teams to get much better signals on technical competency. The more aligned your assessment is with your job requirements, the better your signal will be in evaluating candidates. 7/N

In my opinion, the #SystemDesign interview continues to be a difficult one to conduct effectively. There are vast differences in expectations on content and structure. 8/N

In many settings, the challenge isn't designing a system; it's quickly identifying your interviewer's biases and aligning with them before your hour is up. 9/N

Some panelists prefer a structured checklist approach a la Grokking System Design, while others would rather focus on the specific problem space instead of common systems design building blocks. 10/N

A few companies have abandoned traditional systems design interviews entirely in favor of an inverted approach: candidates prepare to chat collaboratively about a system they've already designed. 11/N

This provides an opportunity to discuss tradeoffs and considerations that are often more practically important than green field systems design principles. I hope to see more companies rethinking their systems design interviews in the future. 12/N

I had two panels for #security roles where no interviewers had a security background, which made communication / evaluation difficult. I suspect this is a result of companies leaning too far into global hiring pipeline consistency and randomly assigning panelists. 13/N

Overall, the specific markets I was applying in have definitely softened a bit, but plenty of companies are still hiring. However, sudden layoffs, role eliminations, and incomplete offers are a more common occurrence now. 14/N

For those in the midst of their search, feel free to reach out. The times may be more uncertain, but remember that you bring unique skills and experiences to the table. Your dream role is out there, and it's waiting for you! #JobSearch N/N