Also, thank you for your very kind offer for doing mock interviews. That's very generous of you! :)
I agree, and I should have probably mentioned that in my initial comment. I just don't know how common this sort of thing is. They seem like good people, and there's a lot of work to do.
maybe after doing some work like that I won't be so terrible. :)
Thanks!
Can you give us any advice on how to solve interview challenges faster and unstick under the pressure?
When you are asked technical questions, do your best to answer, but don't sweat it if you cannot answer fully. Know that with enough time you can most likely figure it out, then figure out as much as you can on the spot.
Lastly, know your stuff. Being a strong interviewee doesn't mean you can get any job. It just means that you can show off your own are of expertise well. Figure out what that is, and if need be improve on it. Side projects help a lot: to learn, to boost your own confidence and as a resume builder.
Another thing I noticed is that the less you care about the outcome of the interview, the more likely you are to succeed.
That said, it seems that the key to master those interviews seems to be the mind control, rather than raw experience and intelligence.
On your last point: I don't have any problems showing off expertise and I have a bunch of cool side-projects. The problem is that I'm weak at the low-pass filter of a basic technical screening.
I actually had the same impression from my Google interview, but at the same time they claim that they actually judge you based on you cognitive skills, rather than the output.
The amount of times when "quick thinking" and "fast-solution, now, give it, before this clock ticks!!" actually happens in day-to-day situations is ridiculously tiny. So testing for it in an interview is pointless, and I'd tell them just that.
Unfortunately, the best companies use this interview process (at least for initial screening). Yes it is broken, but I think of it just as a set of hoops you have to jump through to show your ability to commit (i.e. in this case get better at algorithmic trivia).
I'm not desperate for any job, but I am desperate for a job in a breakout company.
As for being a bad interviewee and developer, shoot me an email. I am not in SF, but I am a strong interviewer/interviewee and if you want I can do a mock/practice interview with you. As for being a bad developer, the secret truth is that most of us are terrible until we learn enough to be less terrible. We usually learn on the job, not before it. There are brilliant programmers out there, but you don't need to be brilliant to contribute value to an organization.