[dahart]

Could you elaborate on why you think it’s atrocious?

I’m not sure I agree that the processes are hidden, every company I’ve ever worked for (several large corps you’ve heard of + several startups) talks about hiring practices publicly. Glassdoor and other sites, including HN, have all kinds of information & stories about what happens during interviews.

[jakkyboi]

I'll give my limited perspective.

Software engineering is a field that is both requires breadth and depth at a very high bar for acceptance. From the interviewing side and the many interviews I've been through, it often feels impossible to overcome. The breadth that the field requires leaves gaps in knowledge, where anecdotally I've been asked what's a language I'm an expert in, or to detail the deep particulars of react app development, or to solve X problem with the greatest efficiency with ease and have lots of input on your thought process. I don't mean to paint a picture where you're not allowed to test anyone on anything, but as an average dev, it feels like stabs in the dark compounded with not having a clear path to improving, because everyone's interviews are different. You can improve on the fundamentals, but that only helps so much.

To me, communication and problem solving skills are the biggest factors of what makes a good SWE. I find that most technical interviews don't look for talent that's acceptable, but what's exceptional; not for who's capable, but for who's accomplished.

My firm belief is that many devs who struggle getting a job now, could have walked into any company pre 2010 and gotten a job with the skills they have now.

This is all with the caveat of the knowledge that high salary commands high talent, but my opinion is that the bar is set ridiculously high without regard for how arduous the process is.

I have had a few very fair, but challenging interviews, and I do think that's a step in the right direction.

[dahart]

Seems totally reasonable, thanks for sharing your perspective. I’d agree that a lot of interviews can range from hard to insane. I’m really curious what that means in terms of measurable outcomes... like how many fresh CS graduates are completely failing to land a job? How many companies are failing to find candidates? Stuff like that...

FWIW, I warn people I’m going to ask questions they don’t know, and I ramp the questions up until people can’t answer them. I know it can be uncomfortable, but I also like finding the bounds of what people know. I do ask a lot of easy questions, and the majority of the interview isn’t knowledge questions at all, it’s open-ended conversation, usually about experience. I don’t have a sense for whether asking a few questions that are too hard for the candidate puts my interviews in the category you’re describing, or whether you’re talking about an entirely different level of arduous.

[jakkyboi]

You sound reasonable from your comment :) hahaha

I think it's great to challenge people, and honestly a candidates reaction to a hard question is probably one of the best indicators.