What NOT to Do in a Coding Interview

Coding interviews are one of the best ways to analyze a candidate. These interviews can make the candidates shaky if you make some mistakes while in the interview. This can make you lose a promising talent.

Even the most polished developers get scared in front of whiteboard screening interviews and lose themselves to self-doubt if they face the uncertain behavior of the interviewer. Being a recruiter, you must be aware of how much one small mistake can cost a candidate and the company you work for.

Here are some of the ‘Don’ts’ in a coding interview that you should note down and make sure don’t miss a good fit for your company.

To Be Underprepared

It is not only the candidate that has to be well-prepared. Being an interviewer, even you should be prepared and confident. You should have the questions, answers, and necessary things that you think might be required. You must be knowing all the things that a candidate may ask possibly.

If you are prepared and clear about your work, you might be acknowledging everything clearly that the candidate has to offer.

Not Taking Online Coding Assessment

Whether you are taking a remote coding interview or an in-office one, if you do not take the online coding assessment, you are likely not to get closer to the practical skills of your candidate. Many best online code editors allow you to test your candidate’s coding skills. This is one of the main things that you should not avoid while hiring coders.

Not Being Able To Clarify The Requirement

If you are not clear about your requirements, you will not present them to the candidate. By this, the candidate shall not be clear enough of his/her role. Presenting a clear requirement or expectations, the candidate gets a direct idea of his responsibility and contribution. He/she will trust the organization if you place the requirements just on the interview day rather than delaying it.

Not Looking Beyond The Resumes

One of the biggest mistakes a recruiter makes is to not look beyond the resume of the candidate. Here, you can check the candidate’s social media or websites that work as their portfolios. You can give an eye to their LinkedIn profile as well. Many candidates use their social media platforms as their virtual portfolio, and you can get an immense understanding of their works and interests.

Not Paying Attention (Yup! Needed to be said)

When you have your mind somewhere else while in the interview, it does not portray genuineness. After placing the question, it is your duty and responsibility to hear what the candidate has to say. Don’t just place the questions for the sake of its being and let your mind wander.

Though you might not feel so, the person opposite you clearly understands that you are not paying attention to their response. Avoid checking phones, emails, etc. Also, avoid looking away from the candidate.

Sticking To Technical Part

Sticking to only the technical part is not enough. You might get a hard-skilled developer, but what about soft skills? You should be paying attention to the candidates’ non-technical aspects such as communication, hobbies, behavior, etc. This way, you will get a brief about the overall personality of your candidate.

So, while interviewing, make sure to have some non-technical questions in your list as well.

Avoid Hiring In A Haste

Haste makes waste, and there is no doubt in it. Take time in deciding and do not place the decision as soon as the interview ends. Also, do not decide based on only a few questions. Note down all the things that you encountered with the candidate and try to study them carefully.

If you focus on the negatives, you might lose a genuine candidate, and if you avoid looking at the important aspects, you might get to deal with an unfit employee.

Take Help Of An Experienced Developer

You don’t need to have all the knowledge of the subject. Though you might prepare yourself fully for the interview and search for the answers, sometimes it may happen that you will fail to understand some technical terms used by the candidate, or you might not understand exactly what they mean.

Hence, it is recommended that you ask an experienced developer to sit with you in the interview to help you out in judging the candidate.

Not Letting The Candidate Ask Questions

It is not stated that only the interviewer can place the questions, and the interviewee has to answer. There might be times when the candidate wants to get his/her doubts clear, and it is your responsibility to answer them. If you do not allow them to speak except for the answers, they might feel dominated by you.

No one wants to work in an organization that is dominant and does not listen to what the employee offers. Let them place their questions and answer them politely. This will build trust in them and a sense of relativeness.

Do not Refrain From Having a Phone/Video Interview

Having a virtual interview should not be avoided. They can bring new challenges to the candidate and you, but they can also give you proper thoughts on judging the candidate. You can check the sincerity and honesty of the coder in a virtual interview and get to know about their on-call communication skills.

Being Impolite

While in the interview, if the candidate presents something that is not convenient, try to be polite. Being impolite and rude can create a negative impression on the candidate, and would refrain them from selecting a company that has a rude recruiter!

Try to be calm and composed while questioning the candidate. Do not show your attitude of superiority. This might confuse some candidates as they would not love to work in such a company.

Not Providing Detailed Questions To The Candidate

An unfinished question or a confusing one can puzzle the candidate as to what to answer. Maybe they know the exact answer, but they will not know how and what to answer if your question is not detailed. Thus, providing the exact details of the question is crucial.