I am constantly failing staff software engineering interviews.
Posted by Unable_Philosophy473@reddit | ExperiencedDevs | View on Reddit | 17 comments
I often get stuck at scaling estimates and requirement gathering. How should I go about it ? Interviewers just say few lines about the problem and expect us to come up with everything else on our own. How to get better at requirements and scaling estimates ? What kind of questions should I ask the interviewer ?
Great_Trainer@reddit
I think doing a mock interview with a service online, although expensive, is incredibly valuable. They will offer direct advice after the interview - rather than just reject you. I did one recently for DSA and it was a positive experience
Subject-Scene6537@reddit
mock interviews can be surprisingly different from real ones
SplendidPunkinButter@reddit
I’ve been on the other side of the table (not for staff positions, but for senior positions). Usually what I’m looking for is whether you seem like you’ve done stuff like this before, and whether you’re able to figure stuff out. Can you figure out what things you need to research? Are you capable of assimilating new information? Can you solve problems?
Yes, just knowing the answer right away is nice. But not every candidate will know the answer to every question. Also, maybe you know all the answers but you seem like an obstinate jerk.
It really does come down to “do we want to work with you?” more than “can you pass this test?” And yes, knowledge is important, but it’s only one of many considerations. Or at least it does at all of the places I’ve actually enjoyed working for. YMMV.
MoreHuman_ThanHuman@reddit
how did you normally go about doing scaling estimates and requirements gathering in your previous experience as a staff engineer?
ExperiencedDevs-ModTeam@reddit
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observability_geek@reddit
Which part of the world are you? Because in Europe it is different from the USA/Canada.
DapperCam@reddit
There is a lot of information online about System Design interviews. They are looking for cookie cutter answers out of the book. It’s basically just a signal that you are willing to study and regurgitate the answer they are looking for.
lokaaarrr@reddit
When asking these I always just sketch to problem, leaving out some important details and requirements. The candidate needs to ask about them, organize the facts, and summarize the important goals and constraints before proceeding.
sippin-jesus-juice@reddit
Do more interviews and it’ll come naturally, either by paying for mocks, using AI to mock, or by doing actual interviews.
Part of it is sharing your thinking process and collaborating. The interviewer is an asset to use and should be able to help answer questions. If not, you can at the least confirm requirements, and share your thinking process along the way. Something as simple as a “x needs y, but I’m not sure how to do y yet, so I would do z to learn y”
karmaboy20@reddit
Ai will just glaze and the fb isn't tuned well or precise enough. Mock interviews w real faang interviewers help you understand the rubric and pick best stories. Hello interview is who I used but there's others. It's basically like interviewing for meta except everyone is there to help. Their mock loops feel just like the real thing
snotreallyme@reddit
If these questions are hard, you're not qualified. The whole point of the interview is to be sure they can work with you and trust you, not hold your hand while you learn.
but_good@reddit
EOT
lfelippeoz@reddit
Just ask things like: what kind of scale would this system see? what problem is it trying to solve?
And then dig deeper.
The point of those questions is to see if you understand the trade-offs of different designs, since there isn't a single solution that is best for every situation.
gekigangerii@reddit
Go watch some System Design interviews. If it feels like a level of knowledge that's out of reach then you just have to learn more.
_itshabib@reddit
It just sounds like staff or even senior might not be the level u should be aiming for.
Early_Rooster7579@reddit
You kinda just have to know. You need to study up on how the big boys handle scaling. Everyones looking for similar answers or someone who has already done it
Shot_Marionberry5288@reddit
It sounds like you need a lot more practice :-/ we can’t tell you what questions to ask because it depends on the info they gave you. There’s an easy way to figure out what questions to ask, but I think figuring it out on your own is a worthwhile exercise for you. There’s point if design interviews is to test your creativity and problem solving. So like… how do you figure out what questions you should ask? What determines if a question should be asked or not in this context?