How to be a professional algorithm interviewer?

May 30, 2017

Introduction

It is a natural question to ask yourself how to be a professional algorithm and data structure interviewer/ interviewee. After practicing mocking more than 40 times, Julia starts to think about this small research topic. This is the first time she experienced so many mocking experience, and then she asks herself what is motivation to continue, what she learns, what surprises her, what she likes most.

Julia has the chance to know the company refdash and also experienced once how a professional interviewer perform the mocking experience. A professional algorithm interviewer will meet over 1000 people through mocking experience in less than one year.

A small research 

The research topic is for fun and also bring into some good thoughts later. 

Google and find one article about what Google to look for: 

"We are not simply looking for engineers to solve the problems they already know the answers to; we are interested in engineers who can work out the answers to questions they had not come across before." 

Interviewers will be looking at the approach to questions as much as the answer: 

* Does the candidate listen carefully and comprehend the question? 

* Are the correct questions asked before proceeding? (important!) 

* Is brute force used to solve a problem? (not good!) 

* Are things assumed without first checking? (not good!) 

* Are hints heard and heeded? 

* Is the candidate slow to comprehend / solve problems? (not good!) 

* Does the candidate enjoy finding multiple solutions before choosing the best one? 

* Are new ideas and methods of tackling a problem sought? 

* Is the candidate inventive and flexible in their solutions and open to new ideas? 

* Can questioning move up to more complex problem solving? 

Google is keen to see really high quality, efficient, clear code without typing mistakes. Because all engineers (at every level) collaborate throughout the Google code base, with an efficient code review process, it’s essential that every engineer works at the same high standard.

Things to learn:

1. Take mocking notes - time, what question ask/ being asked?
2. Prepare hints
3. Learn to have a quick code review - find bugs, sort priorities
4. Learn to rate the peer using 1 - 4, understand 2.5 passing bar.
5. Know 3 things to interview, knowledge, analysis, execution.

Advice:
A - Ask correct questions
C - Comprehend the problem
L - Listen carefully
M - Find multiple solution, choose optimal one
O - open to new idea, inventive and flexible
U - move up to more complex algorithm

Study Refdash/ Interview Kickstart

1. UVA career center - article is here.
2. Havard junior talked about interview and how to structure the interview. The article is here.

• Repeat the question to make sure that you understand it and have all the relevant details.
• Clarify the function input and output.
• Check assumptions.
• Give an approach to solving the problem.
• Discuss the tradeoffs of the approach.
• Code the solution.
• Test the solution with a normal test case.
• Test the solution with some edge cases.

3. Fast company article about interview platform - article is here. 

4. Quora question - the link is here. 

5. Interview Kickstart - quora link is here. 

June 6, 2017

Hiring Series - blogs written by jocelyn goldfein. Link is here.