Critique of Technical Interview Practices: When Coding Puzzles Don't Reflect Real Job Requirements
By
foxfired
Lightly browned and well buttered. A solid pick from the rack.
Summary
The article critiques modern technical interview practices through a personal anecdote about a backend developer interview. The author describes being asked to sort a million-entry array in JavaScript, which they argue is the wrong approach for real-world backend development. The piece argues that many technical interviews test impractical coding puzzles rather than actual job-relevant skills, and suggests that interviews should focus more on practical problem-solving and system design rather than algorithmic trivia.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledIf you have a JavaScript array with a million entries, you're certainly doing something wrong
This felt like a trick question. Surely the right answer was to explain why you shouldn't be sorting millions of records in JavaScript
You're not interviewing for the job. You're auditioning for the job title
Many technical interviews test your ability to solve algorithmic puzzles rather than your ability to build and maintain software systems
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