Most Tech Interview Prep is GARBAGE. (From a Principal Engineer at Amazon)

Summary

The video argues that most software engineering interview preparation focuses too heavily on coding problems rather than the system design and leadership skills needed for senior roles. The speaker, an Amazon principal engineer, explains that coding is a poor proxy for assessing candidates for senior roles since larger systems require cross-team collaboration over years. Instead, behavioral questions that reveal previous experience with complex systems and leadership during conflicts make better proxies. The video advises balancing coding practice with preparing system design solutions and stories demonstrating leadership through disagreements.

Takeaways

• 😡 Most interview prep resources, especially on YouTube, are garbage for preparing for senior engineering roles
• 😵‍💫 Tech interviews exist in their current form because there's not enough time to properly assess candidates
• 🧠 Tech interviews rely on proxies that are very difficult to fake as stand-ins for actual engineering competencies
• 👨‍💻 Coding skills are necessary but not sufficient for senior roles - companies want engineering leaders
• 🌟 There are 3 levels to ace in software engineering interviews: coding, system design, and leadership
• 📈 Allocate your interview prep time proportionally based on the expectations for the role level you're targeting
• 🏗 System design questions sound situational but probe whether you have built similar large systems before
• 🌃 Leadership questions assess if you can lead teams and handle complexity without formal authority
• 🎥 Craft stories showcasing situations where you led teams through difficulties to communicate leadership ability
• ❌ Over-grinding coding problems won't help you land senior roles - focus more on system design and leadership

Q & A

Why does the speaker say most interview prep resources are garbage?

Because they are geared towards junior and entry level positions and overemphasize coding questions, when companies hiring for senior roles are looking for engineering leadership and system design skills.

What are the three levels of the software engineering interview video game the speaker describes?

1) Coding 2) System design 3) Leadership

What is the difference between situational and behavioral interview questions?

Situational questions ask what you would do in a hypothetical situation, while behavioral questions ask you to recount what you did in a past real-life situation.

Why are system design questions good proxies for leadership skills?

Because even though they sound situational, they probe whether you have experience building large scale systems in the past. Your answers reveal your level of leadership.

What percentage of time does the speaker recommend spending on coding vs system design vs leadership at different seniority levels?

For junior roles, 90% coding, 10% behavioral. For senior roles, 30% coding, 30% system design, 40% leadership. For principal roles, 20% coding, 40% system design, 40% leadership.

Why does the speaker recommend using stories to answer behavioral questions?

Stories allow you to communicate multiple dimensions of information efficiently. They have built-in character development and plot that make them memorable and able to demonstrate leadership experience.

What does the speaker mean when he says stories do work for the interviewer?

Stories serve as effective proxies that lessen the cognitive load on interviewers. By structuring information as a narrative, you make it easier for them to assess your leadership skills.

What is the danger of focusing too much on coding questions?

You may do well on coding but then be rejected because you cannot demonstrate senior level leadership skills, which is what companies hiring for senior roles are looking for.

What is the best piece of advice the speaker gives?

His best advice is to develop a stable of stories that demonstrate you have the leadership experience needed for senior roles. This is critical to show you can operate at a senior level.

Why does the speaker recommend subscribing and going on the journey together?

He enjoys making this content and wants to help guide people through the journey of growing into senior/staff/principal engineering roles that require both technical and leadership skills.