Re:The best engineering interview question I've ever gotten
by randomswede on Tuesday April 19, 2022 @02:16AM
(#31080148)
If this is the first time, at the same company, it (probably) does not matter, that much.
When I was an interviewer for a (second) technical phone interview at Google, one candidate performed pretty bad at one question. Later that week, or maybe the following week, that very interview was in the pre-HC meeting and one of the other pHC members pointed out that I had repeated a question from the first phone interview. At which point I pointed out that I had not been provided a list of previously asked questions, the candidate had not highlighted it, and the candidate's response was still sub-par.
Not mentioning the repeat counts against character and responsibility.
Not performing better at a repeat question a week later counts against competence.
That was an easy "let's not bring this candidate on-site" decision.
When I was an interviewer for a (second) technical phone interview at Google, one candidate performed pretty bad at one question. Later that week, or maybe the following week, that very interview was in the pre-HC meeting and one of the other pHC members pointed out that I had repeated a question from the first phone interview. At which point I pointed out that I had not been provided a list of previously asked questions, the candidate had not highlighted it, and the candidate's response was still sub-par.
Not mentioning the repeat counts against character and responsibility. Not performing better at a repeat question a week later counts against competence.
That was an easy "let's not bring this candidate on-site" decision.