Technical Interview Best Practices That Actually Work

# Technical Interview Best Practices That Actually Work

Technical interviews are often broken. They test for the wrong things, create terrible candidate experiences, and fail to predict job performance. Here's how to do better.

The Problem with Traditional Tech Interviews

### What's Broken - Whiteboard coding tests memory, not ability - Algorithm puzzles favor recent grads - Take-home projects disrespect candidate time - Inconsistent evaluation leads to bad decisions

### What We Should Measure - Can they solve real problems? - Can they write maintainable code? - Can they collaborate effectively? - Can they learn and grow?

A Better Technical Interview Process

### Stage 1: Initial Screen (30-45 min) **Goal**: Verify basic qualifications and interest

- Technical background discussion - High-level problem-solving - Culture and motivation fit - Answer candidate questions

### Stage 2: Technical Deep Dive (60-90 min) **Goal**: Assess technical skills in realistic context

Options: - Pair programming on a real problem - Code review exercise - System design discussion - Debug an existing codebase

### Stage 3: Team Fit (45-60 min) **Goal**: Evaluate collaboration and communication

- Meet potential teammates - Cross-functional collaboration assessment - Working style discussion

Designing Good Technical Exercises

### Principles - Reflect actual work - Respect candidate time - Allow for discussion - Have clear evaluation criteria

### Examples

**Pair Programming** Work together on a realistic feature. Assess how they: - Approach problems - Write code - Communicate thinking - Handle feedback

**Code Review** Review real (anonymized) code from your codebase. Assess: - Ability to read unfamiliar code - Quality of feedback - Communication style

**System Design** Design a system relevant to your product. Assess: - Architectural thinking - Trade-off analysis - Communication of complex ideas

Evaluation and Decision Making

### Structured Scorecards Rate candidates on specific criteria: - Problem-solving ability - Code quality - Communication - Technical knowledge - Culture fit

### Calibration - Define what "good" looks like for each criterion - Train interviewers on evaluation - Review decisions as a team

### Bias Mitigation - Standardize questions - Use diverse interview panels - Focus on evidence, not gut feeling

Candidate Experience Matters

### Before the Interview - Clear communication about process - Preparation materials - Scheduling flexibility

### During the Interview - Warm, welcoming environment - Opportunity to show their best - Time for their questions

### After the Interview - Timely feedback - Constructive even in rejection - Leave them wanting to try again

Great technical interviews identify great engineers while creating positive experiences. It takes effort to design them well, but the payoff in hiring quality is worth it.