Questions on job interviews, concerning preparation for and attending job interviews, as well as designing job interviews for recruiting employees.
50
votes
11answers
3k views
How common is it for a team to write everything in-house?
In a recent interview I asked the interviewers "how do you go about evaluating new technologies and libraries (such as SignalR) and bringing them in to use?". They said they don't, that instead they ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
What are good interview questions for a Software Tester with focus on automation? [closed]
Today's testing is not much like yesterday's testing. More services, more distributed systems, more automation. I want the kind of testers that are self-starters and will constantly work themselves ...
-3
votes
0answers
157 views
C# Developer Interview in Quant Trading Firm [closed]
I have a senior developer interview coming up with a quantitative trading firm. It is a first interview after the pre-screening online test in C#.
Can someone guide as to what areas to prepare for?
-1
votes
2answers
159 views
Do programmers (using an IDE) need to know namespaces? [duplicate]
I got into a discussion with a coworker over an interview question that was asked of a potential employee. "Name some namespaces/what do they do/what namespace is involved with x".
I'm of the opinion ...
10
votes
9answers
1k views
Card deck and sparse matrix interview questions
I just had a technical phone screen w/ a start-up. Here's the technical questions I was asked ... and my answers. What do think of these answers? Feel free to post better answers :-)
Question 1: ...
-3
votes
0answers
166 views
Simple Algorithmic Interview questions? [closed]
I will be taking some interviews for an intern position. And it will be a telephonic phone screen for around 45 minutes.
So I am looking for some simple algorithmic interview questions that I can ask ...
2
votes
3answers
402 views
Please tell me I'm not alone (can't program on paper) [duplicate]
So I went to a job interview today. Long story short, the interviewers were delighted with my knowledge and experience, they were practically showing me to my new desk. Needless to say, what delighted ...
16
votes
3answers
893 views
How to avoid jumping to a solution when under pressure?
When under a particularly strict programming deadline (like an hour), if I panic at all, my tendency is to jump into coding without a real plan and hope I figure it out as I go along. Given enough ...
0
votes
0answers
129 views
Coding “style” interview questions [closed]
I'm looking at coding interview questions and most of them are either algorithms or knowledge questions but sometimes I'm asked simple questions that don't involve a lot of thought just to see how I ...
0
votes
1answer
122 views
What to expect from a 'peer interview' for a new grad position? [duplicate]
I apologize if something like this has been asked, I did try to look for something similar.
I am graduating May 16th, and I applied for a position posted as '.NET Application Developer' requiring 1-2 ...
26
votes
12answers
17k views
How do you respond to “Tell me a little bit about yourself.” question in interviews? [closed]
I've been asked this in a few interviews. And it always catches me off guard.My professional and academic background are already in the resumé, which the interviewer has obviously looked at. What more ...
-1
votes
2answers
438 views
What are some interview questions I can expect for a technical evaluation? [closed]
I am 20 years old and I've been doing some web development work for about 2 years or so. I have an interview for a Junior Web Developer position and the company knows that but I'll still be going ...
10
votes
2answers
461 views
General thought process for “How would you build this website/app” interview questions
I've collected a bunch of interview questions like "Describe how you would design a photo album application", "Describe how you would design this particular feature of this particular website" (e.g. ...
2
votes
1answer
197 views
Moving forward in the programming world
I have been placed in a recent position where my job title does not adequately represent what my current duties entail. I am worried that this classification will affect me later in my career as the ...
3
votes
9answers
1k views
Does studying logic puzzles help to pass interviews or limit you? [closed]
It is still under question—a Programmers.SE question—if competence in solving logic puzzles is a good assessment of programming skills. Nevertheless, they're still used, and chances are high that you ...
9
votes
1answer
226 views
What is a development stack?
I am just now in the process of looking for jobs as I am about to graduate from college. An interviewer asked me what my current 'development stack' is?
I know this is probably a really basic ...
13
votes
3answers
6k views
Why is 2^16 a “special” number?
OK, I feel stupid asking this - but in Jeff's article: Getting the Interview Phone Screen Right and originally stated in the 5 essential phone screen questions:
They shouldn't stare blankly at you
...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
Logical reasoning skill tests [duplicate]
I'm job hunting so I decided to sharpen a bit of my skills. I've been working on implementing solutions to some of the "Project Euler" problems, but I would like to work on stuff which is not specific ...
11
votes
9answers
1k views
Should a web developer understand TCP/IP and how routers manage requests?
I had a job interview today for a Job position as developer on an important site. They asked tonnes of programming language related questions, which I managed to answer without problems, but then they ...
13
votes
7answers
17k views
How can I evaluate a candidate's knowledge of Html/CSS during an interview?
I am trying to determine some good interview questions to assess the ability of people coming in for a Html/CSS job, however that topic is extremely broad, and I'm not sure what sort of questions I ...
-4
votes
1answer
168 views
“Your career path and promotions are up to you”? [closed]
I just interviewed for a large Silicon Valley company (you are probably using their products right now). One of the engineers told me that "Unlike IBM, where you follow a career path, here your career ...
21
votes
12answers
4k views
Do I need to understand algorithms and data structures to be called a programmer? [closed]
It has been six years since I have been coding. Coding into all kinds of things like ActionScript, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ajax, XML HTML, ASP, etc. I have used arrays, maps, linked lists, sets, etc ...
1
vote
2answers
217 views
How do I evaluate programming interview preparation websites? [closed]
I ran across the CareerCup website which says they can help prepare you for programming interviews with various US based top tech companies. They don't "guarantee" anything, and the site appears to be ...
-1
votes
1answer
123 views
Interview for UX/UI Javascript [closed]
I am interviewing for a job where the requirements are for...
UX practice with UI and Javascript expertise
I am expecting questions perhaps about MVC, maybe some specific frameworks, like backbone, ...
49
votes
14answers
5k views
Get 100 highest numbers from an infinite list
One of my friend was asked this interview question -
"There is a constant flow of numbers coming in from some infinite list
of numbers out of which you need to maintain a datastructure as to
...
0
votes
1answer
312 views
Problems for Sample Code [closed]
I was recently asked to write some sample code that solves a difficult technical problem. I've been mulling over what kinds of problems might be good to solve in code to demonstrate my skills in such ...
4
votes
2answers
424 views
Began with iOS development, skipped CS, and getting hit hard at interviews? [duplicate]
I'll start with a brief background: my degree is in Recording Arts, so mainly audio engineering and stuff relating to the music industry, with some synthesis and stuff which was my link into coding ...
-1
votes
2answers
200 views
Apply for a software job via WebService call [closed]
The idea would be to set up a simple webservice that a job applicant could call that would contain contact info, webpage link, etc. This would allow the company to screen potential employees that A) ...
24
votes
5answers
5k views
Upcoming Google interview, looking for some preparation advice [closed]
Well I've been hitting the books wherever I can. I have an interview coming up, first one via phone, for a software engineer position. I've read all the blog posts, I've read all the accounts of ...
0
votes
3answers
246 views
How to build Algorithm confidence and where to practice? [closed]
I have a pretty highly extensive background in development, I understand, can visualize and code from the top of my head any data structure. I understand running time complexity inside and out and can ...
2
votes
3answers
310 views
How do you find the first common element in two arrays
The way I did it was to loop through each at the same time and add the current value to a separate set for each of the lists. Also, check if the current element is already in the other list's set. I ...
57
votes
14answers
17k views
Tricky logic puzzles - Are they really useful in assessing programming skills?
In the last interview I attended, I was asked to solve a puzzle where I was expected to measure exactly blah liters of water given two buckets with capacities - blah and blah liters respectively. I ...
12
votes
8answers
871 views
In an interview, is it better to code a brute-force solution to a tough question, or to spend the interview examining the question carefully?
Sometimes interview questions are hard, whether the interviewer intends them to be, or not. It can come down to a choice of whether to use the limited interview time to code up an ugly, inefficient, ...
4
votes
12answers
630 views
does “spontaneity” sell in a software interview? [closed]
Person "X" and "Y" are software engineers. They are "equal" -- in terms of qualifications / experience / skills -- whatever.
Person "X" goes to an interview...
"X" answers all questions ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
Will You Use an Online Technical Skills Test to Hire a Senior Developer? [closed]
There are online services such as IKM that offer skills tests in many areas, including programming.
Would you use these kind of tests when hiring for a senior developer position?
What about just ...
-4
votes
1answer
276 views
Program to verify all words in a crossword puzzle are valid
I have my own solution and wanted to check it against something online but couldn't find any examples. How would you solve this one. (I can post my code if necessary). I just want to see if someone ...
3
votes
2answers
256 views
What are some JavaScript selectors? [closed]
I was at an interview recently and although they knew that I was a beginner in javascript they asked me what selectors I used before? I didn't know what to say.
I came back home and searched for it ...
44
votes
12answers
9k views
How to recognize a good programmer? [closed]
Our company is looking for new programmers. And here comes the problem - there are many developers who look really great at the interview, seem to know the technology you need and have a good job ...
2
votes
1answer
454 views
Try to find a word in the dictionary that has most letters given
Given some random letters , For example "a,e,o,g,z,k,l,j,w,n" and a dictionary.Try to find a word in the dictionary that has most letters given
I was going through some old interview questions and ...
7
votes
6answers
8k views
Interview Questions in OOP
I faced the below interview questions in OOP under PHP language. Kindly clear my clarifications regarding this. I am very confused. As i am a beginner to OOP i got too confused. Could anyone clarify ...
-1
votes
1answer
110 views
Technical interview graphics-related concepts fundamentals [closed]
I'm having a technical interview with a graphics society in a few time and I'd like to expand my knowledge related to the following subjects:
TLB (translation lookaside buffers and their role)
low ...
5
votes
6answers
1k views
How Do I interview Front-End Web Developers?
For the first time I'm in the position where I'm helping interview potential front-end developers. The other interviewer is more business & PM-focused, although he is a former developer. I probe ...
39
votes
6answers
4k views
Engineering interview candidate refuses to use whiteboard
Today I experienced a first in a technical interview. The candidate refused to use the whiteboard to solve an algorithm question, as I requested. There was no sort of disability at play or anything ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
What are some guidelines for submitting test cases with the code for an interview question? [closed]
I was interviewed by a big internet company. After describing the problem to solve, the interviewer requested that I also submit test cases with the code via email.
I'm not sure if I should reveal ...
3
votes
2answers
484 views
what to make of a Microsoft Most-Valued-Professional who believes that .NET types are either primitive or complex? [closed]
I thought that in .NET types are either value types or reference types. But this guy, when asked about .NET types, talked about "primitive types" and "complex types".
I understand that people ...
9
votes
5answers
601 views
Interview puzzle on traveling on a line segment
Here's an interesting question I came upon:
Let's just say on a number line of length M, where 0 < M <= 1,000,000,000, you given N (1 < N <= 100,000) integer pairs of points. In each ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Are these advanced/unfair interview questions regarding Java concurrency? [closed]
Here are some questions I've recently asked interviewees who say they know Java concurrency:
Explain the hazard of "memory visibility" - the way the JVM can reorder certain operations on variables ...
0
votes
1answer
372 views
What is meant by Distributed Systems Coding interview questions
I was told that I will be asked coding questions in my interview and that the context will be related to Distributed Systems (I took ONE Distributed Systems course and I don't even remember much from ...
8
votes
6answers
1k views
Should I go to a job interview even though I know I won't get it? [closed]
Here is the opportunity I've been given.
I'm currently a freelance web developer and completely self-taught. I have but an NVQ in Business Administration. However, I am passionate and committed to ...
50
votes
10answers
2k views
Is it wise to ask about design decisions made on a product during an interview?
I've been thinking about interview questions lately and I've been reflecting on bad interview experiences I've had in the past. One of particular note is where I had asked the interviewer why the team ...
