pov: explaining technical interviews to people who don't code

@annoyinglysaucy

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Why it worked

The video uses a relatable and humorous approach to explain a complex and often daunting process (technical interviews) in a way that is accessible to a non-technical audience. The use of 'pov' and the exaggerated description of the interview process likely resonated with viewers, leading to engagement and shares.

Summary

The video explains the process of technical interviews for software engineers, highlighting the focus on solving complex problems on a whiteboard with specific patterns and optimal complexity. It emphasizes the extensive preparation required, often involving hundreds of problems and concepts like Big O notation, even for employed individuals.

Structure

1Introduction to technical interviews
2Explaining the whiteboard puzzle format
3Discussing common patterns and algorithms
4The disconnect between interview problems and actual job tasks
5The extensive preparation and practice required
6The concept of Big O notation and optimal solutions

On-screen text

pov: explaining technical interviews to people who don't code

Original caption

THANKS GOOGLE #leetcode #softwareengineer #coding #interview #faang

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Transcript

In most interviews they just kind of ask you a few questions about your experience and then you're mostly done. For software engineers, we have to solve a puzzle on a whiteboard. It's so weird. You have to sit there, be talking out your solution the entire time and write complicated algorithm in front of a stranger. Is this like an important skill? Not at all. You take it in your second year of college. There's all these patterns to use like two pointers, sliding window, dynamic programming. All of which have nothing to do with the job. So do people have to prep for these? People have to study for months before they interview and they usually do a few hundred problems. A few hundred? There's these online lists of problems that become passed around like scripture, like the blind 75. That sounds like a lot. Also, you can't just solve the problem, right? You gotta make sure you have the optimal space time complexity. It's called Big O notation. You know, chill. Because layouts are so common in our field, most people do this all the time, even while they're employed. It's a never-ending cycle of hell.