I had an interview last week. At first, I thought it went poorly. In retrospect, however, I’ve begun to believe it was actually quite successful.
I was a few minutes early. This is a startup (the kind that doesn’t think it’s worth paying a receptionist or even an admin) so there was nobody to be found. I had the hiring managers cell phone number (he didn’t answer). He came bustling in a few minutes late, unprepared.
Then he asked me to sign an NDA (an unusual although not unreasonable request for an interview). He went off to make a copy for me… and stayed away for 15 or 20 minutes, leaving me sitting alone at what may have been his desk (one of 4 folding tables in an unlighted room about 15 feet on a side; one programmer (?) sat at another table typing).
The manager came back; we went to a conference room. It was quaint – a large polished tree bole table and metal folding chairs. He asked me a few questions: When/Why would I use OO programming? In SQL, of SELECT, DELETE, INSERT, and UPDATE, which is more “expensive and why? Tell me how you designed a recent project”.
I’m not sure he really listened to my answers. He seemed to have no sense of humor and minimal facial expression. Was he bored? Was he thinking of other work he could be doing?
Then he gave me a puzzle… in dribs and drabs. I had to ask a lot of questions to get the basics and all the associated constraints. He didn’t seem to have it fully memorized and he didn’t have it written down. Without telling me anything about why I was getting the puzzle, he left the room. He asked if I wanted any water (“No…well, on second thought, sure. Thanks.”) but he never brought any.
He came back once after perhaps 15 minutes (I hadn’t solved the puzzle; I asked several more questions about the constraints). Then he went away again… I think leaving an interview candidate alone should be considered a cardinal sin. All told, he was away for at least half an hour. When he returned the second time (I still hadn’t solved the puzzle) he sat, asked me about the puzzle; told me I could send him the answer by email if I got it later; thanked me for my time. And the interview was, abruptly, over.
Away from the pressure and annoyance of the interview, I solved the puzzle 20 minutes later on the train ride home.
I understand these puzzles are becoming popular. However, in 15 or more interview situations over the past 20 years, I have been lucky enough never to have encountered one before. I hope never to encounter one again!.
Afterwards, I kept thinking that the interview went poorly (and I kept thinking that the entire experience had been a complete waste of 4 hours of my time).
But with a few days having passed, I realize that the interview went fairly well, in that it accomplished part of what an interview is supposed to accomplish. It told me whether I wanted to work for this person, for this company. I don’t. The hiring manager is preoccupied and doesn’t appear to have a sense of humor. The work environment is disorganized and chaotic. The atmosphere is dark and uninteresting. The puzzle question was lame and badly handled.
But I learned things; I learned that I would not want to work there. That’s important. I learned how I feel about “puzzle” questions (and how I might consider responding if I ever get one again!). I asked around, afterward, for other people’s opinions about When/Why OOP and got a set of interesting answers (perhaps I’ll use one in the future!).
So, in retrospect, perhaps the interview (time sink that it was) did not go as poorly as I first thought. I didn’t get a job, but I got a “learning experience” 🙂
vlbrown-mzydt 
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