Have coding interviews gotten harder?

NeetCodeIO

28 Jan 202403:51

Summary

TLDRThe transcript covers the evolution of coding interviews over time, contrasting the experience of a former Google tech lead in 2009 with the more rigorous algorithm-focused interviews seen nowadays on platforms like LeetCode. There is discussion around how the interview bar has risen as more engineers specifically prepare for these tests, with companies responding by asking increasingly difficult technical questions. The speaker ultimately argues this arms race is unhealthy, as mastery of algorithms and data structures is not the sole measure of a strong engineer. He does confirm though that Google still mostly asks LeetCode mediums rather than hards in interviews.

Takeaways

😊 Conrad didn't use LeetCode to prepare for interviews back in the day because it didn't exist yet
📚 Instead he used books like Cracking the Coding Interview and practiced with others
⏳ LeetCode was created in 2015, so it's a relatively new resource for interview prep
📈 Google initiated the trend of asking more algorithm and data structure problems in interviews
🚀 Many LeetCode questions come directly from Google's internal question bank
🤯 The bar for passing coding interviews has gotten higher over the years as more engineers specifically prepare
🙅‍♂️ Asking LeetCode hards in interviews often backfires by testing if candidates have seen that exact question before
☹️ The overemphasis on algorithms in interviews doesn't necessarily surface the best engineers
😅 You're still more likely to be asked a LeetCode medium than a LeetCode hard, even at Google
😡 Don't be a jerk interviewer who only asks LeetCode hards!

Q & A

When did the concept of the modern coding interview start, and who pioneered it?
-Google pioneered the modern coding interview with data structures and algorithms problems in the 2000s.
What resources were engineers using to prepare for interviews before platforms like LeetCode existed?
-Before LeetCode, engineers prepared by reading books like Cracking the Coding Interview and practicing problems together.
How do many LeetCode questions originate from Google's internal question bank?
-Many LeetCode questions come from Google's internal question bank, often being posted publicly years after first being asked in interviews.
Why does the interview bar seem to keep getting higher as engineers prepare more?
-As more engineers specifically prepare for algorithm questions, companies compensate by asking harder questions to maintain their hiring bar.
What are the issues with companies asking extremely difficult algorithm questions?
-Asking very hard questions often just tests if candidates have seen that exact problem before, which is not a good evaluator.
How has the state of the economy impacted coding interviews recently?
-In the current economy, the coding interview bar has been exaggerated and made more difficult.
What is the most common difficulty level of coding questions asked today?
-Most coding questions today are still at the medium difficulty level, even at top companies like Google.
Why are algorithms questions not the best indicator of engineering skill?
-Algorithms knowledge is important but not a complete indicator of what makes a good engineer.
What advice does the speaker give to interviewers?
-The speaker advises interviewers not to ask extremely hard algorithm questions.
What resources does the speaker recommend for preparing for interviews today?
-The speaker recommends LeetCode as better preparation for modern coding interviews than books like Cracking the Coding Interview.

Outlines

00:00

😂 Lead code interview practice in the old days

The paragraph discusses how software engineering interviews worked before platforms like LeetCode existed. The author's former lead at Google mentions solving around 400 LeetCode problems now, but when he was interviewing 10-15 years ago, candidates practiced with books like Cracking the Coding Interview and mock interviews. There were no standardized online judge platforms with curated algorithm questions back then.

😲 Google created the modern coding interview

The author explains how Google was the first company to start asking data structures and algorithms style coding problems in interviews. Many LeetCode questions are sourced from Google's question bank. The author interviewed at Google in 2009 and got a dynamic programming problem that later showed up on LeetCode years afterward. This demonstrates how over time, Google interview questions end up becoming public.

😔 The coding interview bar keeps getting higher

Due to candidates specifically preparing for coding interviews, companies have increased the difficulty over time to maintain signal. Now medium questions are common, and some companies even ask hard questions occasionally. The author argues this is problematic, as being good at algorithms does not define a good engineer. While hard questions are still uncommon, the general difficulty has increased over the years unfortunately.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Coding interviews

The video discusses coding interviews, which are technical interviews where engineers are asked to solve algorithm and data structure problems. They have become increasingly difficult over the years as more engineers specifically prepare for them, raising the bar higher and higher.

💡LeetCode

LeetCode is a website where engineers practice coding interview questions. Many of the problems are taken directly from company interview question banks, like Google's. LeetCode did not exist when the speaker interviewed in 2009.

💡Cracking the Coding Interview

A popular book for preparing for coding interviews. It was one of the only preparation resources when the speaker interviewed in 2009, before LeetCode existed.

💡Google

Google pioneered the modern algorithm-focused coding interview style. Their process has influenced many other tech companies. Questions from Google's internal question bank end up on LeetCode.

💡Levels of difficulty

Coding interview questions have easy, medium and hard levels of difficulty. As more engineers train for interviews, companies have increased difficulty levels to maintain high bars.

💡Supply and demand

The speaker argues that the increasing difficulty of coding interviews is an issue of supply and demand - companies only need a certain number of engineers, so they raise the bar if too many candidates do well.

💡Being a good engineer

The speaker argues that being good at algorithms does not necessarily make someone a strong overall engineer. Coding interviews test algorithm skills specifically.

💡Memorization

If a candidate has seen a problem before, they are more likely to solve it. But this does not test problem solving skills. Just memorization.

💡Current economy

The speaker speculates that the difficult job market has further increased the competitive nature of coding interviews.

💡Interviewers

The speaker directs a message to interviewers that using LeetCode hards and expecting candidates to have memorized solutions is unreasonable.

Highlights

LeakCode was created in 2015, so it makes sense people weren't asking questions from it before then.

Cracking the Coding Interview was the main prep book before LeetCode existed.

Google started the modern coding interview with data structures and algorithms problems.

Many LeetCode questions come from Google's question bank.

A LeetCode question was asked in a Google interview years before it appeared on LeetCode.

Google doesn't ask questions that have been publicly leaked.

The coding interview bar is getting higher as engineers specifically prepare for these interviews.

If everyone can solve easy questions, companies will start asking mediums. If everyone can solve mediums, they'll ask hards.

Asking hard questions that require candidates to have seen that exact problem before is problematic.

With the economy, the coding interview bar today is definitely higher than years ago.

Algorithms and data structures don't determine if someone will be a good engineer.

Candidates today are still more likely to be asked a LeetCode medium than hard, even at Google.

Asking LeetCode hards in interviews is excessive.

LeakCode was created in 2015, so it makes sense people weren't asking questions from it before then.

The coding interview bar today is definitely higher than years ago.

Algorithms and data structures don't determine if someone will be a good engineer.