For Interviewers/ HR- Unfinished project, part of interview, how do you evaluate this?

Question

I recently went through a series of interviews, for an internship, and was then given a small project to complete. Now the project was rather simple but I was unable to finish because the allotted time was not enough for me because in addition to creating the logic and planning on how to finish the project I also had to :

• learn the API of a couple dependencies
• learn more about JSON, processing them, creating them, etc. (First time working with it although I have read about it in the past)

Now I rather not give excuses and take responsibility for not finishing in time but (imagine you're my recruiter) would you still see me unfit for the position? Or would you appreciate the fact that I was able to learn two new things and post an incomplete project that showcased the new things I learned?

I was unable to finish the logic because I focused a lot on parsing JSON, and learning my way around the two dependencies I needed.

Answer 1

You failed to complete the assigned task in the allotted time.

Only the interviewing company can come up with a proper evaluation, since only they know their expectations.

Either they don't expect candidates to finish, but just want to see how far they get, or they do expect candidates to finish. In the latter case, it's possible that candidates who fail to finish are rejected.

I was unable to finish the logic because I focused a lot on parsing JSON, and learning my way around the two dependencies I needed.

It possible that what you did is exactly what they hoped a good candidate would do. It's also possible that they expected candidates to be fluent enough in JSON that this wouldn't take up all of your time.

The only way to know is to wait to hear from the interviewing company/recruiter.

Answer 2

In most cases, these candidate assignements aren't about getting a finished product, or a complete understanding; they are about assessing the candidate's approach to the problem. In these cases, you are not always told that completion is not expected.

I would check with the recruiter, see how you fared compared to the competition.

Answer 3

Depend on the Job requirements. But in any case take this experience to learn what are the kind of things you need to know to be successful in an interview. JSON for example is very common structure to move data around so you should try to practice a litle more before your next interview.

I have some problem during my first interview, then I use that experience to know what where my weakness and study those themes for one month. The next interview was much more easier.