Sigh that melancholic feeling of being invited to a final 2-3 hr tech interview only to be denied afterwords. I feel so hopeless

It’s so fucking hard to keep your cool and collect your thoughts during whiteboard interviews. I solved the problems but was sloppy and stumbled to the solutions bc my mind was a crazed squirrel

Virtual hugs your way man :( Don't let it discourage you.

Whiteboard interviews are fucking stupid, but let us put bs into perspective.

Let's say you aced it, even though you didn't, how did you feel everything else was? were you vibing with the people?

Sometimes, you can be an absolute ace, but they already hace someoe in mind.

@AleCx04 even though you think you didn't*** my bad on that one

@AleCx04 thanks so much!! It was a three (but originally four, will explain later) panel interview with the first being a system design, second being an algorithm which was rather easy and the third was culture fit pfft. I answered the algorithm question well but the system question was a pain in the ass bc I had to write a JSON for the payload, endpoints and the guy even asked me to write a db schema within 45 mins or so.
The first guy left 2 hrs before the interview even started bc he had a baby that came earlier than expected, as I was told. I was a little sus over that. And none of the interviewers seemed happy or enthusiastic, they seemed unhappy from the beginning of each round. I’m not sure how real this interview even was

@TeachMeCode to me this sounds like more of a them problem.

I had similar interviews, they were just in a bad mod and for whatever reason took it as a reflection of me. Fuck it,fuck them.

Find a place you can vibe with man.

@AleCx04 thanks. I still have other great interviews on the way. But back to the topic, the first round of the panel was the weirdest. The interviewer gave me a UI
and I had to write a payload that wraps up JSON’d data in a post. There I was hardcoding a JSON payload for a vaguely described system that I thought up off the top of my stressed out brain not knowing WHY the fuck or WHAT the fuck I was doing just drawing brackets and values in front of some guy I never met. Barely any feedback outside of ok looks ok. He then asked me to describe and write down the database schema and I was like oh shit oh shit...ok I have to design a schema for an imaginary system still confused as hell as to what I’m actually designing. I was freaked the fuck out. I created a few tables stumbling everywhere like a goat on rollerblades making spelling mistakes and for some reason created an actual schema that’s good for the most part. I felt like shit going into the 2nd and third panels

I really don't understand why more devs don't get together and take them time to *practice* interviews *together*.

A group is strong because of its individuals.
But its only as strong as those individuals *taken together*.

@Wisecrack true. Writing an algorithm is fine but having to write and architect a damn system with vague requirements in a time constraint?? That’s super tough to do especially when someone is sitting there judging you lol

@TeachMeCode "That’s super tough to do especially when someone is sitting there judging you lol"

That feels supertough to do because it hasn't been practiced with others. You don't have to have all the answers, you just gotta show them that you know how to get the answers, or have the chops to work *toward* the answers. and thats important to remember. You gotta really know this deep down, and embrace it: you are not elon musk. They're not hiring you for your experience or what you *can* do. They're hiring you for your ability and experience to *figure out* things that you may or may not have done before.

Because the truth is, no two projects are the same, and if coding were just "put the code in the box and hit run!", then they wouldn't need us. It's about showing you can problem solve even in situations you're not exactly familiar with.

Show them your ability to communicate, uncover requirements and assumptions, research the problem, and propose possible solutions. Do that.

@Wisecrack I kick ass at problem solving. Even when it’s something new to me, but doing it in front of some guy who I never met before whos deciding to hire me makes it way harder due to nerves. It’s much easier to do when sitting in a comfy chair, no ones around and you can grab a snack, take a walk or grab a coffee to clear your mind.

@TeachMeCode ask around for somebody they'll do a mock interview with you. Trust me when I say exposure therapy works to get rid of the jitters.