What do developer interview questions say about the culture of the employer?

What do developer interview questions say about the culture of the employer?

As you know, job interviews are always two-way streets, where you want to know as much as possible about the company, just as the company wants to know as much as possible about you. But did you realize that you learn a lot about the company while being asked questions?

The types of questions asked at a job interview say a lot about both the employer and its values.

Coding and Algorithms

These types of questions are often asked by "elite" tech companies like Google and Amazon. These questions challenge you to develop an algorithm to solve a problem such as finding the most common element in an array. Coding/Algorithm Questions are designed to test your problem solving skills. You are typically asked by employers who value intelligence and suitability over your current skills.

A large number of these companies will not care what programming languages ​​you know. They expect the new specialist they hire to be good enough to learn any language relatively quickly.

This can mean that you may not be as productive in the first few weeks, when you're still learning about the new employer's technologies. Your co-workers will probably be pretty smart too. Because intelligence and talent are more important to the company than specific experience, younger employees are often preferred. This is generally good news for less experienced candidates who can move up the career ladder faster if they are good.

Knowledge questions

Compared to the above questions, knowledge questions aim at your detailed know-how about a technology. Being able to write most programs in one language is not enough. The company wants to make sure you understand the ins and outs of the language too. Employers who focus on these questions place a high value on your current skills. These companies want you to be productive as soon as possible. You could be a top-notch Java developer, if you don't know the programming language you're looking for/preferred, you're most likely going to have no luck with this employer.

Many of your future colleagues have probably worked with the technologies in demand for a long time. You may find that they are less open to other technologies.

Questions of experience

While most companies ask about experience, there are employers who place a particular focus on it. Experience is more important to them than knowledge and suitability. They believe that developers who have more experience are generally better developers.

With these employers, your CV will play a very important role. Not only so that you are invited to an interview in the first place, but also as a basis for the interview itself. A less experienced candidate who may be an excellent developer is unlikely to get a chance at a more senior position. These companies are often title focused and only role designations such as “Senior Engineer” match actual experience. A disadvantage accompanies companies that focus on these questions: they have never really tested the skills of their applicants. For you, this can mean that in your future job you will encounter colleagues who have basically bluffed their way into the job.

Summary

From what you've heard so far, these are just rough rules of thumb. You may be asked a very specific set of questions during an interview, but the company reflects a different set of values.

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