Inside the Interview Room: A Tech Tale of Tangled Code

During a campus interview, the candidate walked in, closed the door, and said "Good Evening". It was actually morning, but I could tell he was nervous.

Before we dive into the intricacies of this interview story, it's important to acknowledge a fundamental truth: there's no definitive playbook for conducting interviews. Each interview is a unique opportunity to identify talent and skills in candidates, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving this goal. The journey of assessing potential is as diverse as the individuals involved, and what matters most is the genuine effort to recognize and nurture talent in all its forms. With that in mind, let's embark on this tale of discovery and growth.

Easy Question

After the initial introduction, we began, and the first question was to write a JAVA program to put a list of 5 given names in order from A to Z

The candidate quickly wrote the program within 1 min.

Moderate Question

The next challenge I presented was more difficult, yet once again, the candidate impressed me by delivering a program within a couple of minutes. This time, I asked for a program to generate the Fibonacci sequence using recursion. And then without recursion.

Tough Question

It was evident that the candidate had practiced and was proficient at solving "known questions" swiftly. However, it was time to venture into unknown territory, and that's when things got interesting.

I challenged the candidate and asked "Imagine you are reviewing code written by me. These are my codes. Can you identify five issues in each of the programs."

However, the twist came when the candidate struggled to find any flaws in the code. It became apparent that he was unfamiliar with the concept of code review. I had hoped for at least some feedback, such as "the code lacks documentation".

Surprise

Interviewer: "What happens if I remove 'static' word from 'public static void main' - the first line of main JAVA function"

Candidate: "Why would someone do that?"

Interviewer: "But, if we missed that by mistake"?

The candidate's response to the challenge was revealing. When asked about removing static keyword and then similar questions for other keywords in the program, it became apparent that the candidate lacked awareness of basic programming principles. It turned out that his focus had been primarily on competitive programming, prioritizing programs and outputs over building fundamental concepts. However, the candidate graciously accepted the feedback and acknowledged his oversight.

Learning

While competitive programming and hackathons can be valuable experiences, it's crucial to complement them with a solid foundation of basic programming knowledge.

In today's era of readily available code and powerful tools, it's tempting to rely solely on these resources to build systems quickly. However, having a deep understanding of fundamental concepts and Problem Solving are indispensable.

In the long run, investing time in mastering basic principles pays dividends by fostering adaptability, problem-solving skills, and a deeper understanding of computer science concepts.

Was the candidate got selected in this interview?

Whether the candidate was selected would depend on the specific needs and preferences of the team and company.

Each organization has its own criteria for evaluating candidates, and the decision to select or reject a candidate is highly subjective.

In this scenario, I'll leave the outcome open-ended, allowing you to decide based on the information provided :)

PS: With over 20 years of experience conducting interviews across various prestigious institutes including IITs, NITs, and other renowned institutions, both on campus and off campus, as well as in lateral hiring, I've had the opportunity to gather valuable insights. It's important to note that my views and perspectives are purely personal and are shaped by my extensive experience in the field.