Let's hear it!
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
Let's hear it!
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
Latest comments (49)
I haven't had an interview for a programming job, but I once had an interview where I had more experience in having interviews than the guy who saw me as a prospective client.
I had a first interview in a company that was looking for a frontend developer but also would be in charge of customer support. They thought I was great for the position but I was lacking better spoken English to be attending customers, so they told me they would keep me in mind for future positions.
A year later, their HR department calls me saying they have the perfect role for me. I get to the interview with 3 people from their team and they start asking me backend questions. I had some experience dealing with WP and Magento but backend wasn't my thing. Then, the "senior" developer stands up, laughs to my face and says: "If you have no experience with backend why the fuck would you apply to this position?"
I was so in shock that I wasn't even able to say that I never applied, they called me.
I think this is mischievous. I once interviewed for a microfinance institution. The job advert was:
Looking for Software Engineer Intern to join our engineering team
Here is the funny part:
I was meeting with the two founders of this startup business. One of them greeted me and was very friendly. We sat down in a small room and awaited the other founder. Soon after he enters the room, talking loudly on his phone. He ends the call, shakes my hand, sits down, puts his feet up on the table and asks "So, what can you do for us?".
I did not get the job, nor did I want to work for that man. One year later I get an email saying they are disbanding. I couldn't help to smile.
Oh gosh. Def have a couple...
One was at a startup - I arrived early and no one was in the main office. I could overhear everyone was in a meeting in one of the adjacent rooms, so I took a seat near the entrance and waited. A few minutes passed and I overheard them mention that I was late, so I got up, stood in the doorway and clarified I had actually been here waiting. Super awk and great way to start an interview, lol. Then during the actual interview, the interviewer actually put his feet up on the desk during the whole interview. Needless to say, I did not pursue that opportunity further.
Another was for a panel interview. I walked into a room of 6 or 7 people sitting around a table and they instructed me to take a seat, handed me a list of questions, and said they would get started. Then they went around the room, each person asking one question robotically, with no feedback, conversation, or anything. It felt very impersonal and it was quite stressful... ahh interviews.
I will say, interviews are a great insight into what your actual experience would be like with that org/company. They've helped teach me that they're just as much about you interviewing them and finding the right mutual fit. :)
In-person it was my first ever interview right after finishing Masters. The interview was in a luxury hotel (for some reason) and I was waiting in the hall inside along with other candidates. I could see others go into a room in the middle of the hallway and come out after half an hour or so. I went in, it was a very tiny, suffocating room with a chair for me and there was a board of 4-5 interviewers sitting across the desk from me and they asked me specific questions I had no answers to. Many awkward silences when I couldn't answer back then as they creeped the hell out of me by asking questions in very harsh tones. As it went, I was walking out of the hotel with total embarrassment on my first ever interview in a city I had been to only for this reason!
What about the time I got into a good cop/bad cop interview? It was for a local college instructor position. I was interviewing with the HR lady (who looked like a runway model) and some manager. The manager, the "good cop", asked me about my professional achievements, what programming languages I knew, and he seemed impressed with my answers. The HR lady, the "bad cop", asked questions like "Why do you want to leave your current job?" "Will your current company make you a counter offer?" The whole interview was aimed to portray me as someone who was just looking for an offer to get a raise and my current position.
After the interview I was told that "they had other candidates to interview, and I would hear back from them if I was chosen". I never did, and thankfully not. What they were looking for was someone to help get their online computer courses content. That meant, I was to prepare the content itself, which meant hours upon hours of research, and once set up, they would profit from that work for years from the work I did once.
The worst job interviews for me were always the ones where you respond to a job listing with your resume, get an interview call, then show up and it's an hour-long presentation trying get get you to join their multi-level marketing scheme.
I think I've mentioned this before - it was when the owner of an agency said I had enough experience and is qualified for the django gig at upwork but the recruitment person said I wasn't qualified lol
I once got to an interview 20 minutes early and entered the address given to find a reception desk, I asked at the desk for the person I was told to inform id arrived and was told "we don't know who that is, go back into the foyer and open the door under the stairs, shout the name in there". When I opened the door it was a tiny room with about 20 young developers sat shoulder to shoulder (and I mean touching) to fit in the room and in front of there workstations. I got the attention of a guy who lead me back to the reception and told me to sit and wait. He disappeared off, and then as he passed to go back to his desk told me the interviewer would be with me in a minute. 25 minutes after the interview was supposed to start I was finally taken into the interview.
Q1. what do we do?
A. What I have researched and know about the company.
The interviewer shoots me an angry look then says "that's not us at all, we actually..." then proceeds to recite word for word what I have just given as my answer. Before requesting I leave and marching me to the door.
My experience : Recently I got interviewed and at first it started with an online assessment.
WEEK 1:
Typical OA questions. Then I got into the next round which was a full day coding round.
WEEK 2:
A series of problem solving questions were asked back to back immediately after solving a particular problem.
I was a Java guy and I even brought this into their notice that I am from Java background. They were fine with it. But when the coding started, they asked me to code in C program. When I again told, they allowed me to use Java but do not use any Collections, other functions, sorting function have to be done on our own. But somehow I was having some practice on implementing quicksort, so sorting was ok, but since Collections should not be used made a bit difficult.Then on the evening of the same day some other behavioral kind of questions.
WEEK 3:
Then again the next week one day full project coding round.
It was like they give a use case, we have to do backend, frontend, database design everything. They allowed to use any framework. And the sameway, they again asked some behavioral and techinal question at the end of the day.
WEEK 4:
Then for the next round it was fully technical about 30 min.
WEEK 5:
But then I got a mail that I am shortlisted for the project coding round for a full day again. I mailed them saying that I have already completed it and gave every details but yet again they have to conduct this round for me.Ok desparate for the switch I attended it.
It was supposed to be project coding round like giving a use case, do the backend, frontend, database design. But they asked me to implement hashmap, hashset, binary search tree etc etc etc... HOLY!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought of ending at that moment when I was asked to implement this . But yet, I need a switch so I continued and selected for the next round.
A GAP AFTER WEEK 5 :
Then came the next round where I have to visit one of their hub office which was some 3-4 hr from my area.There was no confirmation given from them for this interview. And on that day, I just woke up, sat on my desk, opened my system and was continuing with my company work. Then the interviewer called me, where are you?.😂
Wow, I said I am in my home and no confirmation given for me to attend this interview.
He said "Hold on a minute" and he said "Yeah it was a problem from the HR.".
Another WOW moment. He asked me to come to the office, which is 3-4 hr from my home. OK, I need a switch, let's go there.
I went to the hub office, attended the interview, it went well and he said will be called for the next interview. WHAT AGAIN, ANOTHER INTERVIEW.
I FORGOT ABOUT THE WEEK :
For the next round, the interviewer starts like he is some monster in his field, he is everything and there is no other one greater than him. Ok thats great.
Then he gave me a math problem to do. A MATH PROBLEM...
I need to prove a statement which he gave with all the steps. Not just assuming, he need the real proof. Not just taking some example and proving, he need the real proof.
I was somehow doing it and at the moment, he told "Stop looking at the internet, I don't want any answer from the internet".
But what, looking at the internet. I paused for a minute and he said, "I don't want answers from internet". Don't know why he said that, till now I haven't done such things and gave answer only for those I have a knowledge. I didn't continued with the MATH PROOF thing and I said I can't continue.
Then he said, OK.. Lets us do a coding problem.
I need to sort the array based on its frequency. WOW Cool problem, just take count using hashmap, then use a custom comparator to compare based on the frequency and sort the array. Pretty straightforward for me.
So I started explaining my logic, with an example and he quickly bursted out.
"STOP... I don't want to know any of your logic, If you can do, do it. Don't tell anything. How much time do you need and do in C language".
C language, I said I am a Java guy and this was the problem I was facing from the very end, I communicated this very clearly with them and they were OK with it, yet they need me to code the problem in C language.
He allowed me to code the problem in C language, but again no Collection Framework. THANKS...
But that's OK, but the thing he shouted and said like he don't want to hear my thought process was very heart touching one and I said I don't want to continue this round and stopped the interview.
And on the next day, some other interviewer called me to schedule a meeting and I told I don't want to continue with this company and I am stopping this process.
He don't know what happened and he stopped my process.
Long 3 months, conducted all the different rounds they have in their hand, not ready to even know the candidates feelings, his thoughts. I was looking for the switch badly, so I just gone with the process till the moment which effects my self respect and mental health and made up in my mind that I will not in my life will interview with this company.
And career update : I am joining a product based company this week, who is a leader in database services.