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2021: Technical Interviews Don't Have to Suck!

2021: Technical Interviews Don't Have to Suck!

Technical interviews for engineering jobs are notoriously dreadful-- but they don't have to be. In this talk, you'll learn practical strategies for conducting technical interviews that are more welcoming, more useful and more fun for everyone involved.

Presented by Kaitlin Jones-Muth at EmberConf 2021

EmberConf

March 24, 2021
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  1. Technical Interviews Don’t Have to Suck 💁 Presented by Kaitlin

    Jones-Muth 🎉 EmberConf 2021 Bonus Stream
  2. Planning ahead • What does your team need? • How

    do you evaluate that? • Adjust as you go
  3. Coaching candidates Let’s say we want to add an interactive

    table to our page. What are some things we can do to make sure our table is accessible?
  4. If we want to add an interactive table to our

    page. What are some things we can do to make sure our table is accessible? Stuck or less experienced Be more specific What about someone who is visually impaired but isn’t using a screen reader? If making the page more accessible required design changes, how would you approach a designer or stakeholder about that? Pivot to a different skill
  5. If we want to add an interactive table to our

    page. What are some things we can do to make sure our table is accessible? Make the task more complex What if the columns of the table need to be resizable? Very experienced
  6. If we want to add an interactive table to our

    page. What are some things we can do to make sure our table is accessible? Missing important details Ask directly What things would we want to use ARIA for, and when would we want to use semantic HTML instead? Have you had to deal with this before? What problems did you run into? Ask about personal experience
  7. If we want to add an interactive table to our

    page. What are some things we can do to make sure our table is accessible? Stuck or less experienced Be more specific Make the task more complex What about someone who is visually impaired but isn’t using a screen reader? What if the columns of the table need to be resizable? If making the page more accessible required design changes, how would you approach a designer or stakeholder about that? Very experienced Pivot to a different skill Missing important details Ask about personal experience Ask directly Have you had to deal with this before? What problems did you run into? What things would we want to use ARIA for, and when would we want to use semantic HTML instead?
  8. Coaching candidates • Adjust to the candidate • Use concrete

    examples • Prep ahead of time if you need to • It’s okay to do a lot of coaching!
  9. Giving useful feedback • Capture feedback while it’s still fresh

    • Make time to reflect • Address strengths and weaknesses • Provide concrete examples • Include feedback on soft skills