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đźš©7 Red Flags During A Software Engineering Job Interview
Watch out for these red flags during job interviews to avoid getting stuck in a mess
1. Theoretical questions that aren’t relevant to the role
If the interviewer asks you a theoretical question that isn’t relevant to the role, such as the Fibonacci sequence, it suggests the company prioritizes theoretical knowledge over practical skills.
Hi! I’m a software engineer with many years of experience. I’ve participated in hundreds of interviews and conducted even more to hire software engineers for the companies I’ve worked with. This has given me deep insight into the early warning signs candidates should watch out for.
Most likely, you’ll end up working with people who lack practical experience or focus on aspects that don’t contribute to delivering high-quality results. Big red flag 🚩 — this is a good moment to consider ending the interview and saving your time.
If you still want the job but don’t remember the algorithm, you can respond like this:
*”During my 10-year career as a software engineer, I have consistently delivered high-quality, performant code. While I learned concepts like the Fibonacci sequence and similar algorithms during my formal education and successfully passed algorithmic tests, I haven’t needed to use them in my professional work since.
If understanding the Fibonacci sequence is crucial for this position, I’m happy to refresh my knowledge. However, I’m confident that my extensive experience and proven coding expertise more than compensate for this gap in theoretical knowledge.
2. Failing to Explain Why Their Approach Is Better
The interviewer asks you a question or requests you to write some code. You complete it, and then they ask why you didn’t use a different approach.
At this moment, you should explain your reasoning — perhaps you’ve used this approach before, and it has worked well for you. However, expressing openness to learning about other approaches and their benefits is key.
