Interviewing Q&A and Videos

Just curious about opinions here. My main language is JavaScript, and I know people probably assume I am a front-end developer / full-stack (reasonable biases). In reality, I've been primarily backend for several years now. Throughout my experience at Microsoft and Twitch, I've used a fair amount of Node.JS / vanilla JS, then a bit more TypeScript for the CDK constructs we all know at Twitch (our team was primarily responsible for building and debugging Amazon Builder Tools things). I've done the majority of my interviews in JavaScript and it has been mostly OK, since I've used it for so long, but just wondering if it matters. I used to do my interviews in C++, but then I got burned during a Google interview when my interviewer talked about the inefficiencies of emplace_back vs push_back (I had no idea). After that point, I just decided to do JS because I was reasonably proficient at it, and it is actually faster to write than C++ in a lot of cases (less boilerplate). The top LeetCode answers / YouTube explanations and such are usually in Java or Python, so sometimes it's also hard to find a good JS answer. I'm leaning towards Python, because it is more like JS and with less boiler-plate like Java, but I'm worried about something throwing out some random trivia about Python that I have no idea about, because honestly I haven't used it much in my career thus far.

Looking forward to some great motivation and career advice. I am 55 years old and work for a local software company as support engineer for the last 5 years. Through out my 30 year old career, I have held jobs as software engineer. But in last few years I have lost my confidence. I was advised to get into FAANG and for last 1 year I have been going through interview prep resources like LeetCode, AlgoExpert, and practicing from books like CTCI for interview prep. And then thanks to Chat GPT, AI, I lost my interest in becoming a good or even an average software engineer. So I would like to get motivated, get a software engineer buddy here on Taro, who understands challenges of mindset at my age. I would like to expand my outlook and get energized about software engineering career. Or may be launch a SAAS application of some sort. Thanks for reading.

Hey, Recently I learned that some interviewers may be biased against candidates who appear as "job hoppers", i.e., have worked for several companies in a "short" period of time (whatever short means is likely subjective). Is this perception a real thing? If so, does it actually negatively harm you as a candidate?

I completed my final rounds at Meta. I heard back from the recruiter on the same day pretty quickly that they would like to set up a call and asked for Meta references. Is this a good sign? How important are the references?

I recently asked my manager and my skip manager for an international transfer since my spouse had relocated. Upon being asked how long I could wait, I mentioned I could wait till the end of the year for a transfer, else I might leave, mentioning that it's very difficult to stay away from family. Also, I was personally really burnt out at that time and wasn't interested in working there anyway, so wasn't scared of the repercussions of such a conversation. Now I regret doing so, because it's getting very difficult to job hunt right now, and I'm worried about being laid off - they might think that I'm no longer invested in the company and will leave ultimately. I also think that what if my spouse also gets laid off in his firm due to the economy, and it just causes me a lot of anxiety, although we do have enough savings. In short, the thought of both of us getting laid off is extremely discomforting and causes palpitations. I keep wondering - how do couples manage the anxiety/stress of both spouses being laid off?

I'm applying for jobs now and am concerned that I don't know enough languages. I have a few years of work experience as a Data Engineer, so my bread and butter is Python and SQL. I'd like to get an entry-level role as a software engineer, but am concerned that I don't have the right languages. From what I can see, Java and C/C++/C# are the main languages asked for in job apps. Do I need to do a side project using these languages so I can add them to my resume? Or should I only apply to Data Engineer roles?

I’m a Data Engineer at a slow-moving finance company who’s looking for my next job in Big Tech. I just had a recruiter from Stripe reach out about scheduling an interview, which happened because I had a buddy who works at stripe refer me to the role. The position is for backend engineer. The recruiter says the call will be 20 minutes and I should come prepared with “the most technically complex project” I’ve worked on, and talk about my role, duration, number of engineers, and stakeholders. I’m nervous about this because my current role is something of a hybrid between data engineer and data analyst and I do a fair bit of data-analyst type work. It’s not that I don’t have projects I can talk about, it’s just that I’m insecure about them and I feel like they are unimpressive to a ‘real’ software engineer and this becomes apparent under sustained scrutiny. So maybe I can get by the 20 minute intro call, but there will surely be an hour-long session later where they want to go into excruciating detail. I do have some experience with backend as well, but it’s already almost 3 years ago now. My question is this: how can I go about improving my situation? I’m applying for entry-level roles (IC1) and was under the naïve assumption that I just had to get very good at DSA/Leetcode. Obviously, this is not the case. In order to better handle these project walkthroughs going forward, I see a number of potential approaches, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive: Get better at discussing projects in my current toolkit. Ditch the imposter syndrome and spend more time thinking about what I already have. Invest more in my current job to create better projects with ‘scope’ that are more impressive in interview rounds. Right now, I’m not very committed to my work and coast, doing whatever is assigned to me but in a minimalist way. My current manager has told me how he wants me to be more active in getting things done and taking on a larger role, but as a Tier-3 company, there is no expectation or requirement for me to do so (i.e. very low chance of me being let go), and furthermore, I tell myself I will be leaving soon, so why take on more responsibility? This might ironically contribute to it being harder for me to move since I don’t do the kinds of things that make it easier to interview. Do side-projects outside of work that I can discuss. But here I run into the issue that I’m not working with anyone (unless it’s open source) and this is probably not the best approach unless my side-project is really good with users. I’ve heard Alex and Rahul say this a number of times. Happy to hear anyone’s thoughts about how I can improve my situation. I probably have the wrong attitude towards my current role, as I’ve been wanting to leave it for over a year. I’ve thought about quitting a lot so I can have more time for interviewing, side-projects, networking, learning, and prep, but everyone says that’s a bad idea (especially in the current climate), so it’s easier to just muddle on in my current role. Thoughts are welcome!

Hi fellow Tarodactyls! I'm preparing for a call with a hiring manager which it'll be behavioral & my fit with the team; and, at my level (new grad), there are definitely work situations I haven't faced. That said, I'm wondering how I should prepare for questions on things I technically haven't done (i.e., "Tell me about a time you built a cross-functional feature that influenced other teams"). How do I frame my answer so that it doesn't trigger my interviewer's liar detector, but also open doors for further conversation (instead of an "I don't know" response)?

I found out I’m getting an offer for a Senior Software Engineer role, but the recruiter gave me a range to ask for instead of giving me a number. Curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on Brex. I currently have a full time job as a Senior Software Engineer at a Fortune 500 company.

Hi everyone, I joined Premium just now. My first question is: Should I re-apply to Microsoft after getting terminated? 3 years ago I was terminated due to performance. My Connects and Rewards (for 3 straight years) were good up to that point. My performance mainly suffered due to mental health and motivation issues (this was mid-2021 during the pandemic). They mentioned during my final call with them that I can re-apply after 2 years, but I'm thinking realistically and not optimistically. I didn't join another Big Tech company after that, and although I'm at a senior role now (I was level 62 at MSFT), I haven't really shown significant growth (or promotion) after 3 years at my current company. Is it worth my time to try to re-apply or get referrals there? I'm thinking even with a referral it will be an uphill battle.

I kind of unexpectedly got a new grad swe interview at Meta. I know there are already discussions on Taro about Meta interview, but I wanted to seek advice on my specific situation. I am sort of new to Leetcode. I mostly interned at startups before so LC wasn't the focus (ik I still should have done LC - my bad). So here are few questions I have: 1. How much can I delay the interview? I am thinking doing it with 4 week breaks - the first round after 4 weeks from today, next round after another 4 weeks, and so on. Is that ok? 2. How many hours should i dedicate per day to leetcode, to get good at it FAST? Asking because I am also a full-time student so I am willing to sacrifice my grades if it requires putting more time into leetcode. 3. What are the HIGHEST bang for buck activities I can do? Time is extremely limited so I want to make sure I am spending it right. FYI - I do have access to algomonster () - I am thinking of doing my LC prep there cause it's pattern based + has AI coach. I would really appreciate some advice here. Have never interviewed for a FAANG so this opportunity means a lot. Thanks!! (Also if you know of good resources, suggest them too! I am willing to invest in resources/mentors.)

I just had my onsite interview for Meta and I found it really strange that my interviewer only asked me behavioral questions for 30 mins. I used the STAR approach when describing my projects and experiences and I couldn't catch any red flags when talking about my experiences, so I'm surprised that it only lasted for 30 mins and I'm a little worried as to why it was so short. I cross referenced my answers with the junior level interview performance and it matches up with what Alex described. I did fill the remaining 15 mins with questions based on what Alex suggested. Does anyone have any thoughts?

I recently declined an offer from a company and the recruiter is asking me why I declined and where I’m heading to next. I’m wondering if there’s any benefit (or harm) to disclosing this info? I would love to talk with them again in the future but I don’t think this company is the right choice for me at this moment.

Hello Taro Community, I hope you are doing well. I was hit by a lay off mid sept and I have been unable to land a job. I enrolled in Grad school since I have limited unemployment days because of my student visa. My degree starts Jan 2024. During Grad School, I am only allowed part time work. I am still looking for part time work in the tech industry. And currently on 3 years of work experience. I want to do things right this time when I graduate and go back into the job market again after Grad School. An obvious mistake I made which was I didn’t have a clear direction of career in mind. I kinda wanted to have a tech job where I get to code, pretty vague and my applications were also shooting blind darts and seeing what sticks. I did land my first job quite fast after graduation from undergrad and got a new one a year after with a better pay and change of location which was my recent company I worked in for almost 2 years. But these last 3 months were pretty brutal, I know the market wasn’t the best but I could’ve also been more prepared. I want to improve my odds for my next job hunt. My goal after graduation: Front End Developer/ Full Stack Developer Position. Preferably in a non tech company example: Starbucks, Nike, H and M, Chase Bank etc. and I set location and pay range goal too. Question: From the seasoned in the industry here, what are some actions I can take on daily consistent basis during my Grad School to move closer to this goal and possibly achieve it when I graduate? My plan: Keep revising the fundamentals of Front End and Back End to have strong grip on interviews. Personal Projects for a stronger portfolio Open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

I got a job through a friend after getting laid off, but the day I started this new job, I got a full-time offer for another more prestigious company. Do I take it?

Here are the 2 main options I’m thinking about: Build scope here at Booking, particularly with this Perl -> Java migration where I am well-equipped. I've only been here 6 months, but I have a decent amount of good-will here with a supportive team and manager. Go to a more prestigious Big Tech company like Meta/Google

I'm fortunate to have someone who will refer me for whatever role I want at Amazon. The problem is there are tons of very different teams and I can't tell which teams are growing or impactful. My intuition is mixed: Products drive revenue, so product teams should be the most impactful right? Quite easily not so as tooling teams can also scale massive impact at companies like these. The first step I took is to reach out to my contacts at the company. I have multiple, but none of them seem to have a strong opinion, often indicating their own limited view across the company. How should I think about this? Is there public data I can tap, or should I just get in wherever and transfer later?

My company recently laid off 15% of its workforce. I'm currently in the process of updating my resume, and plan on prepping for interviews again (doing LC) once I come back from vacation. After my LI announcement of the recent layoffs, recruiters had started to reach out to me. I feel flattered by the response but I don't feel that I'm ready to take on interviews yet before I do some proper preparation. Should I ignore calendly invites and wait before aggressively reaching out (to network/connect) with recruiters when I'm in a more ready position to apply? Is there any value in starting these conversations at all at atm? Or would it be a waste of my time -- and I should instead focus my time and attention towards prepping for interviews instead? Currently, I'm not really looking to rush the process and I feel like recruiters can be pretty pushy sometimes in wanting to fill in roles for companies. Any thoughts?

In the last month I had 5 companies I interviewed for. I made it to on-site for 2 companies and got rejected after first round for 3 interviews and i'm feeling so lost on how to get better or what I'm doing wrong a series A YC startup: they ghosted me after a first round which was a HM convo about my past experience. Didn't even send an email even after follow up Wayfair associate level role (asking for 1-2 YoE): passed OA. idk what happened i thought it went well but I got rejected after first round. It was a "case interview" for data science. Dont want to leak the exam on public forum but it was something along the lines of they said u have X data, what would you use it for? How to train a model on it? and a lot of follow up questions. I took a mock interview for a system design from interviewing.io and got passed at the mid level so im not sure why i got rejected here. a series B startup: passed OA/takehome. failed on site - 4x rounds (SQL, pandas, coding/pair programming, ML theory) I thought I did fine on everything except the SQL which honestly is not my storng suit. I did ok ok on it. I kinda fumbled on 1 question out of 6 questions of the ML theory round where they asked me a stats question (find sample size needed for calculating significance of an A/B test). But I think I did well on the pandas round and the rest of ML and coding/pair programming. a really really fancy AI startup hiring ML Scientist: I did a 4 hr take home which I passed and then a 5 hour onsite no DSA but really delving into ML research skills and system design and coding. I was totally unqualified for this (they wanted strong research/math skills) so im not surprised here Series B startup: Passed OA and I got rejected after the first interview the moment the HM realized I had 6 mos of experience he ended the interview right there Didnt also make it past the phone screen for 2 companies. I presume they were looking for someone more senior based on the JD

I have 2 other developers working with me on a critical project, plus my mental + physical health is not so good. I really want to move to a more relaxed workplace, but I feel deadlocked. I'm unable to carve out time from my job. I have recently not been performing as well as I did last year/early this year due to my mental health and some changes in my personal life, and my manager noticed that too. I got promoted this year only, and if my performance drops, I get compared to my performance last year which led to my promotion. So if I try to avoid work, I'll be noticed further.