Re:Live coding interviews measure stress, not coding skills
by lurking_swe on Saturday August 02, 2025 @03:19AM
(#44765463)
one thing that helps me psychologically is not caring. Or tricking myself into not caring.
I learned this in my 20’s. I made it to about 10 different on site interviews over a summer, and was totally burnt out. I was spending hours prepping before each interview, and really putting in the effort! At the last minute a company tried to squeeze me in for an interview before a vacation i had planned. I reluctantly agreed, and i completely winged it. Zero prep, i showed up ready to (mentally) go on vacation lol. Guess what? I aced most of the interview and ended up getting an offer 3 days later.
Of all the interviews i performed the best when i went in with 0 expectations and 0 stress on myself. That’s when it clicked for me.
Easier said than done though. It’s not always easy to get into that mindset.
I learned this in my 20’s. I made it to about 10 different on site interviews over a summer, and was totally burnt out. I was spending hours prepping before each interview, and really putting in the effort! At the last minute a company tried to squeeze me in for an interview before a vacation i had planned. I reluctantly agreed, and i completely winged it. Zero prep, i showed up ready to (mentally) go on vacation lol. Guess what? I aced most of the interview and ended up getting an offer 3 days later.
Of all the interviews i performed the best when i went in with 0 expectations and 0 stress on myself. That’s when it clicked for me.
Easier said than done though. It’s not always easy to get into that mindset.