Unveiling Company Values in Interviews
Companies value output more if the result is more valuable than the actual value for clients. The interview process results from that cynical way of viewing the business. Of course, I can’t say this is the organization’s fault but the people in it. Individuals conform to teams, and those teams work for the whole organization.
In my experience during the interview, I’ve seen cues about the actual state of the team that is interviewing or the company as a whole. There are two different types of companies. Companies want to know if you can crank code without introducing any performance problems. The other wants to see if you know how to use the tech stack they are using and if the candidate will do it well or for a legit purpose.
Companies want to know if you can crank code without any performance issues. These companies are positioned within the FAANG category. Most of these companies’ problems are already solved and are trying to scale or maintain what they currently have. The vibe within the company is quite chill, and that’s why they ask all these questions that no candidate will see. Yet, since so much code has been written in the past, they would like to avoid hand-holding you for a long time when you are in it, even when practices like Code Reviews and Pair programming are well-known in the industry and used in one of these companies. There will be a ton to learn inside, but only a little to implement your ideas. Usually, this was a red flag based on my aspirations rather than the company’s fault.
Companies want to know if you know how to use the current stack. Companies that both care about technology and customers. The company as a whole is more interested in correctness than performance. This aspect doesn’t mean that the company doesn’t have other problems. Yet, since they focus on improving the business, they try to iterate toward improvements. There’s no such thing as an optimal interview process because the process depends on the company’s culture. Depending on what the company currently *is* different from what they exactly *needs* will shine through the cracks of the interview. Yet, it is fair to speculate on what would be a good approach for companies to identify their following candidates.
