Questions tagged [interviewing]
Questions relating to interviews and the interviewing process.
3,816
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716
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Potential employer flew me out for interview, cancels return flight
A company I was interested in just flew me out for an interview. It was on the other side of the country, so they paid for my flight and hotel. Unfortunately, the interview went disastrously. I ...
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505
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21
answers
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Is it rude to leave an interview early if you have already made your decision?
A friend of mine went on an interview recently for a software developer position at a well known company. It was a senior position, and he had very relevant business experience in the industry. I ...
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328
votes
22
answers
64k
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What to make of bizarre off-topic questions during job interview
Last week, I interviewed for a mid-level programmer position. It ended up being the strangest interview of my life. I won't name the company, but it was not a startup and was full of people who have ...
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19
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Why is it 'expected' that software developers work on their own projects in their spare time?
I have been working in software development for the last five years, and have had a number of jobs during this time - most of them have been fixed term contracts, but I've also had a permanent ...
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244
votes
13
answers
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Was it really inappropriate to write a pull request for the company I interviewed with?
This happened to me last year while I was interviewing with a company for a position I didn't get. I'm currently employed elsewhere but I'd like to know for future applications.
I had an excellent ...
user90809
214
votes
20
answers
57k
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Candidate's answer during an interview disqualifies them. Is it unprofessional to immediately inform them of this?
As a senior software developer (based in the UK), my manager has me conduct interviews for junior developers alongside either himself or another senior developer. For the most part, he gives us a free ...
user34587
200
votes
24
answers
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A programming task is scaring off candidates, should we ditch it?
It is the first time that I am doing HR, and we are looking for a developer. The selection process is three rounds: technical phone interview, programming task (0.5 - 1 hr challenge), and then finally ...
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197
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17
answers
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Is it acceptable to do a security test on a company's open WiFi before an interview?
I was invited to an interview for an IT position in an organization called XYZ.
While waiting in the lobby, I found an open WiFi network called XYZ. I connected to it and was greeted with a web page ...
- 1,588
194
votes
4
answers
23k
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What should I do when my dream company is interested in me before my skills are developed?
There is a company I adore and working there would be my dream job. My plan was to continue working on my programming skills (which are currently underdeveloped) and then start contributing to this ...
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191
votes
14
answers
36k
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Dilemma of explaining to interviewer that he is the reason for declining second interview
During a recent interview for a job, I got a very bad feeling about the person who would be my team leader. The job itself would have suited me, but I disliked the person (his interview style was ...
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175
votes
5
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New employer wants me to pay for ISO 9001 accreditation before employment begins - is this a scam?
I recently went for an interview for a new job, the interview took place in the restaurant of a hotel in Euston, UK.
They called 2 days later to inform me I got the job of a customer service advisor ...
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174
votes
11
answers
47k
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How do we evaluate a candidate who would not speak to any women during the interview process?
In our small company with a few employees, everyone's input is important. We call each candidate in for two interviews, one with the owners and another with the Head Developer and a team member who ...
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169
votes
5
answers
24k
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How do I coordinate the process of pursuing multiple job opportunities at the same time?
In the hot field of software engineering, a competent programmer wanting to switch jobs will be able to apply and interview easily for at least a half dozen jobs. However, coordinating the speed at ...
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168
votes
11
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How to handle interview technical tests that are absurd (e.g. an unreasonably large task with a short time limit)?
If an interview includes a technical test involving an unreasonably large task and short time limit, does it make sense for a candidate to turn in work that does not meet the candidate's quality ...
- 2,543
168
votes
10
answers
33k
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My current job follows "worst practices". How can I talk about my experience in an interview without giving off red flags?
At my job, there's absolutely no code review, no testing, no version control, no organization of software architecture, no concept of "test vs production servers", no code commenting. In fact, all of ...
user107107
165
votes
13
answers
18k
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How can I ask a potential employer to show production code?
In my experience, managers and even employees at a potential employer tend to emphasize the commitment to quality in their company or their team during interviews. I am also routinely asked about my ...
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162
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10
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29k
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Providing post-interview feedback to a candidate who I suspect was googling answers
I'm a fan of providing concrete feedback to candidates after an interview, if for no other reason than because it was something I would want if interviewing myself.
However, I have someone that I'm ...
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159
votes
13
answers
30k
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Is it reasonable to ask a potential employer for samples of their code and/or employee contact information, to determine if I want to work there?
I'm currently looking for a new job as a developer. There are two things that companies usually require that bother me a lot: long programming assignments and reference checks. There are plenty of ...
- 1,251
157
votes
13
answers
36k
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How can we handle overqualified applicants for an entry level position?
My company is interviewing several people for an entry-level programming position later this week. We have a couple of applicants that appear to be overqualified (they both could apply to senior level ...
- 1,122
156
votes
8
answers
22k
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Should I share my opinion of my former manager (from a different company) who's interviewing to be my new manager?
I previously worked under "Mr Jones", who was a terrible team leader/manager - no shielding from stakeholders, no support with issues, promised the world to stakeholders and the team but never ...
- 1,193
153
votes
17
answers
38k
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How to respond to "You should have skipped college" in an interview?
In seeking my first full time position related to my college major, I was at a "cattle call" type job fair. One of the managers I was sent to looked at my resume and commented that I didn't have any ...
- 21.3k
153
votes
12
answers
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Company threatening to call my current job after I declined their offer
I declined a job offer last week for cultural fit reasons, over email, and this morning I received an email back from the hiring manager saying that he's very disappointed in me and he'll be calling ...
user106072
145
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8
answers
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Turned down a client after accepting dinner, how could I have handled this better?
I was approached by a guy recently who wanted me to be involved in his startup. He asked me to meet him, he bought me dinner, talked about funding and market potential, etc, then invited me to see the ...
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143
votes
8
answers
31k
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The mysterious salary formula
I've been observing a trend in several European and American software companies when it comes to salary negotiations. Basically, HR says we have a "formula" to calculate the salary for our employees ...
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137
votes
17
answers
82k
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How can I ask my interviewers for feedback following an interview?
Recently, I had an interview with Amazon. At first, things went smoothly and well. After two interviews, they decided not to move forward with the process. I'm the type of person who wants to ...
- 1,473
137
votes
7
answers
30k
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Why do companies not want to hire over qualified people?
I've heard stories of how people looking for jobs have been turned down by companies because they are over-qualified, even when they are willing to take a (sometime substantial) pay-cut.
Why do ...
- 1,103
136
votes
15
answers
35k
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Candidate brought parent to interview
I had an interview with a potential employee who applied to our company. The interview didn't go badly, but the candidate came with her mother who waited in our waiting room during the interview.
I ...
- 1,137
136
votes
14
answers
40k
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Prospective employer asking for my current pay slip during interview
I recently did an interview (location is the EU) for a smallish IT consulting firm.
They have been quite insistent in asking salary, benefits and contract type of my current job. In the end, the HR ...
- 1,001
135
votes
12
answers
25k
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How can I take an interview while at a job that tries to prevent interviewing?
I'm a software engineer. At my job people often will call me if I go to the bathroom or the break room. They don't need anything, they just want to make sure that I'm still at the office and that I'm ...
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131
votes
10
answers
24k
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As an interviewee, how to handle situations where the interviewer is unprepared or asking the wrong questions?
I was interviewing for a software engineering position, but one of the interviews was... off. The primary interviewer in one was:
Not prepared (didn't seem to have questions prepared)
Having a hard ...
- 110k
129
votes
16
answers
38k
views
Why is it not a good idea to "badmouth" a previous employer?
My life is miserable at the company I work for. I'm in the tech industry in an organization with one of the best companies in the world, yet the workplace I'm in is completely toxic. People seriously ...
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128
votes
15
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Rejected in the fourth interview round, citing insufficient years of experience [closed]
I have been interviewing with a very prominent software company, having completed one HR and two technical rounds (one with the team's manager) before. In the fourth round (coding round) I did very ...
- 1,003
127
votes
14
answers
177k
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How can I respond to "Why shouldn't we hire you?"
Can someone please explain what the employer wants to get from the question, "Why shouldn't we hire you?"
What type of answers are generally acceptable responses to this question?
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Is staying in the first job for a long time (>2 yrs) a bad thing?
I am a software developer with about 2 years of professional experience. Some of my buddies (who also work in IT) tell me that the 2-year mark is a time where you should start looking for a new job ...
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125
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16
answers
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Should I go to an interview I don't intend to accept the job (if offered)?
In a conversation with a friend, he slipped that he intended to go to an interview for a senior position in software development. I was surprised, since I was under the impression he liked his current ...
- 1,361
124
votes
3
answers
35k
views
Leaving a job that I just took based on false promise of a raise. What do I tell future interviewers?
I was approached to fill a position in an organisation, and during salary negotiations, I was told that they wouldn't budge on the salary because employees were expected to get a pay raise in April ...
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122
votes
14
answers
35k
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Interview was just a one hour panel. Got an offer the next day; do I accept or is this a red flag?
I just had an interview for a software developer job and the whole process was simply a 30 minute phone call, followed by a one hour panel interview (around 5 people).
The panel interview went fine ...
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120
votes
3
answers
21k
views
What to put in "reason" when asking for days off for job interview at another place?
I need to take a couple of days off for a job interview I need to fly to get there. What should I say at the "reason" part that won't make it too suspicious?
119
votes
9
answers
25k
views
How to acknowledge an embarrassing job interview, now that I work directly with the interviewer?
I work at Mega Large Company Inc.
A year ago I was a new hire and very unhappy with my position, so I interviewed around internally in this massive company. I had major anxiety issues at the time (...
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118
votes
12
answers
23k
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Is it okay to ask for respect from interviewer?
In a past interview for a company I had several one-on-one interviews with several different people. With one individual, the interviewer's phone rang and he answered the phone and talked to his wife ...
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117
votes
6
answers
23k
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What should I do if I'm not able to complete a take home task for an interview?
I'm a Software Engineer who interviewed for a position as a Software Product lead. The first interview went well and I was given a practical - case study to submit back within a week. I'm a person who ...
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116
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13
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22k
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How can I filter out software engineering jobs where I'll be asked to write algorithms in the interview?
I rarely act as a "programmer" in my daily job. I lead a team of engineers and consider myself an engineer. I build features, fix bugs, work on APIs, DBs, etc., but I rarely ever have to ...
- 1,840
116
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6
answers
29k
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I encountered my boss during an on-site interview at another company. Should I bring it up when seeing him next time?
I have been casually looking around for a new job for a few months now and had some Skype interviews so far. One of the companies I interviewed with flew me in for an on-site interview last week.
We ...
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115
votes
14
answers
27k
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Why is it bad to show you are desperate?
During a recent job interview, I made it clear that I was somehow desperate to get a job (I did not say I am desperate, but my answers made it clear I am).
How/why is it bad to have such an attitude ...
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115
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9
answers
24k
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Do I have to bring up a candidate's troubled history?
About 3 years ago, my coworker "Charles" convinced 14 people in my org to join a Fantasy Football league with a $100 buy-in. (14 people pay $100 at the beginning, and then the $1,400 would be ...
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111
votes
15
answers
24k
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Is it right to ask candidate why he is applying for developer while he was a leader?
I got a CV to review of a candidate who was previously a team lead and now he is applying for a developer role in our team.
I see it as downgrade of ones career but I don't want to make an ...
- 1,860
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10
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31k
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What does it mean when an interviewer is rude?
I've had a lot of interviews over the past 5 years and never had such an experience with an interviewer.
I had an interview yesterday and we started by chatting casually about the work. He would ask ...
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111
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11
answers
41k
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Can I ask "How did I do?" at the end of an interview?
When an interviewer asks "Do you have any questions?" at the end of an interview, is it acceptable to ask (as one of a few questions)
How did I perform/do during this interview?
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18
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27k
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When giving feedback to interviewers, should I be honest?
I recently had a job interview at company x that went terribly. I was late to the interview by less than 5 minutes (due to cell signal issues I had trouble locating the location using my cell phone), ...
user63109
110
votes
11
answers
24k
views
Working on live dev code in the interview process: ethical?
I am having an issue with this particular company's interview process and need some insight on what people think about this so that I can judge it more accurately.
Here's the situation:
After an ...
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