Why Technical Interviews Reject Qualified Engineers: A Framework for Better Hiring
By
Fayner Brack
Summary
The article argues that traditional technical interview processes are fundamentally flawed, rejecting qualified engineers while failing to measure actual job competence. Drawing on 20 years of observation and 50 years of research (including the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition), the author presents a framework for evaluating the interview itself rather than just the candidate. The core problem is that interview filters select for the wrong attributes, cannot properly evaluate expert-level candidates, and impose high costs when they fail.
Source
Hacker NewsWhy Technical Interviews Reject Qualified Engineers: A Framework for Better Hiringfagnerbrack.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledMost companies treat hiring like a filter. Put candidates through enough rounds, ask enough questions, and the good ones will survive. The problem is that the filter is broken.
It selects for the wrong things, rejects people it can't evaluate, and costs more when it fails than most teams realize.
The Skill Spectrum: A representation of Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition applied to an expert candidate versus an Advanced Beginner interviewer
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