wtf are you talking about? whose money and whose rules? i remember one poor fellow who got laid off at bofa and replaced with someone who doesnt know how to use deodorant blew his brains out afterwards, so yes it is worth complaining about
The Horrifically Dystopian World of Software Engineering Interviews
- Thread starter Aquarians
- Start date
That is your opinion, I respect that.
I chose a different path. I prepared very little for any interviews ever. Some polishing, only, really. I prefer to work my ass off in a very specific area to gain a deep level of expertise (as much as possible anyway, given limited resources). With that I generally walked into quant trading interviews confidently. I never could answer every single puzzle but I tried and when I did not know something I admitted I did not know. But I always tried to steer the conversation to my area of expertise and it worked surprisingly well. People who know something very well and talk about it with amazing passion are the most attractive candidates imo. Example: GS interviewer walked into the room, peppered me immediately with puzzles, I solved some but we both got hung up on one puzzle, he claimed my solution was wrong. I walked him through the rational why I thought it was correct. I suggested to let it be but that I would stand by my solution. He reacted very annoyed. I politely thanked him for the interview. The same day I replied to him with proof that my solution was correct. I was pretty sure that guy would not let me pass but I was annoyed enough and contacted HR at GS and said I was not interested in further considering this opportunity. I also explained that I felt that interviewer behaved very unprofessionally and that I had no interest to work with and learn from such type of person. Obviously that was the end of it. It happened right after grad school and I was quite confident, and it was a buyer's market and had other interviews lined up. Point being, I believe in speaking up even if that ruffles feathers or I take a personal hit. That's the only chance to potentially make things better.
My dream job I got through 1 single interview with a different firm. The top guy of the entire prop group seemed to have a policy to want to interview even more junior people. Why he was the first to interview me I don't know. There was not a single puzzle or brain teaser, just general conversation, we got into what I really wanted, I got into talking about my specialization and I became very passionate, he asked questions about it back and forth, after 25 minutes I was out and a few days later I received an offer letter in the mail. Could not believe it. Easiest interview of my entire career and my dream job. It was fantastic. 2 years later the entire bank went under. That was it. But I try to share how being passionate and knowledgeable about a specific area, more than anyone else, can sometimes be way better than trying to know a little about everything.
I chose a different path. I prepared very little for any interviews ever. Some polishing, only, really. I prefer to work my ass off in a very specific area to gain a deep level of expertise (as much as possible anyway, given limited resources). With that I generally walked into quant trading interviews confidently. I never could answer every single puzzle but I tried and when I did not know something I admitted I did not know. But I always tried to steer the conversation to my area of expertise and it worked surprisingly well. People who know something very well and talk about it with amazing passion are the most attractive candidates imo. Example: GS interviewer walked into the room, peppered me immediately with puzzles, I solved some but we both got hung up on one puzzle, he claimed my solution was wrong. I walked him through the rational why I thought it was correct. I suggested to let it be but that I would stand by my solution. He reacted very annoyed. I politely thanked him for the interview. The same day I replied to him with proof that my solution was correct. I was pretty sure that guy would not let me pass but I was annoyed enough and contacted HR at GS and said I was not interested in further considering this opportunity. I also explained that I felt that interviewer behaved very unprofessionally and that I had no interest to work with and learn from such type of person. Obviously that was the end of it. It happened right after grad school and I was quite confident, and it was a buyer's market and had other interviews lined up. Point being, I believe in speaking up even if that ruffles feathers or I take a personal hit. That's the only chance to potentially make things better.
My dream job I got through 1 single interview with a different firm. The top guy of the entire prop group seemed to have a policy to want to interview even more junior people. Why he was the first to interview me I don't know. There was not a single puzzle or brain teaser, just general conversation, we got into what I really wanted, I got into talking about my specialization and I became very passionate, he asked questions about it back and forth, after 25 minutes I was out and a few days later I received an offer letter in the mail. Could not believe it. Easiest interview of my entire career and my dream job. It was fantastic. 2 years later the entire bank went under. That was it. But I try to share how being passionate and knowledgeable about a specific area, more than anyone else, can sometimes be way better than trying to know a little about everything.
In the old days when I did IT work, I got hired as a contractor and usually (not always) got a job offer (including Microsoft in 1986). I always hated technical interviews as I froze and usually incoherent when under the gun. Later I was interviewed at Google when it was just a startup. I am not sure who interviewed me. It must have been one of the bigshots or early architects.
I did not get the offer. I got an offer at Morgan Stanley, in San Francisco, Tibco in Palo Alto all after working there as a contractor, first.
The interview for a contractor usually(not always) was lower key as a contract is legally easier to terminate than a full-time hire.
I did not get the offer. I got an offer at Morgan Stanley, in San Francisco, Tibco in Palo Alto all after working there as a contractor, first.
The interview for a contractor usually(not always) was lower key as a contract is legally easier to terminate than a full-time hire.
So, it must be racial discrimination? Can't be top talent pooled? Look at any top ibank's trading floor in NYC or London, you won't find a more racially diverse group. Are you claiming non citizens were hired because they are cheaper than Americans?
Yeah, when I was interviewing for developer roles at most of the investment banks in the City of London, it was 1 hour interview, maybe starting with a 15 minute tech test, although even that was rare, most times it was just a technical chat. And was all you needed to land a high paying contract gig.
Dont know if they still do it that way, mate got a gig like that Goldmans, 1 hour interview, he stayed there for 8 years cause he was so good.
"Hire quick, fire quick" was the moto when it came to hiring contractors.
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Let’s keep in mind that many, if not most or all of those giant tech companies were started by people who wouldn’t pass an interview at their own company.
While if every talented person got hired by any company they wanted to work at, we might’ve had only a handful of tech companies today.
And as new companies spring up, they initially have lower barrier to entry. I remember when Robinhood was begging anyone who wants to learn how to code to join their team...
While if every talented person got hired by any company they wanted to work at, we might’ve had only a handful of tech companies today.
And as new companies spring up, they initially have lower barrier to entry. I remember when Robinhood was begging anyone who wants to learn how to code to join their team...
That could not be farther from the truth. For a new grad, the key is to do some sort of internship before graduating. Also, for every big tech job, there are thousands of other jobs in the field.
Tell her to stay away. Its a sausage fest/boys club. Where your skills become out of date every five years and you have to keep up with latest tech buzz words.
Better to be a Doctor or even Teacher i reckon. Where women are more dominant.
Although the correct decision is to follow her passion, although not all passions pay as well as Tech.
I think you made the right choice. My brother who works for one of the country's largest power suppliers and manager of electricity grids told me how his company now wants to install sensors at each grid point (I forgot the terminology he used) and apply AI to optimize power distribution and backup supplies. Sorry, again, I use layman terms for lack of knowledge. He told me the company has zero clue about AI but set aside tens of millions of dollars as budget to invite external consultants and contractors to pitch their ideas. He further said, it's incredibly easy to impress senior management with some glossy PowerPoint and some demo software and wanted me to pitch as well. I have zero clue about power grids but essentially told him that any proposal will end up in failure because as of today no sensor data exist and hence it would be impossible to train any model with nonexistent data. My brother said it would not matter, management is prepared to dole out big bucks, one reason is to just show they invest big bucks in new technology, regardless of whether the end product works or not. This company is a publicly owned operator. I was shocked when I heard this story but sounds like consultants and contractors would at least get a pretty decent shot at landing a presentation and pitch.