IT interviews often do not check what is needed in the job. Let's Analyze Why Interview Tasks and Real Developer Tasks Are Two Different Worlds.
Many novice developers face a paradox: they learn to write code, create projects, understand technology, but fail in interviews. The reason is often not a lack of knowledge, but the fact that the interviews themselves test completely different skills.
In real work, a programmer solves applied problems: writes business logic, fixes bugs, reads someone else's code, and interacts with the team. At the interview, he is asked to turn the binary tree, find complex algorithms or solve a problem that he will never encounter in his daily work.
Algorithms vs. reality
For an interview: problems on data structures, graphs, dynamic programming.
In progress: work with APIs, databases, application logic, and code support.
Companies explain this by the fact that algorithms show the candidate's level of thinking. However, in practice, most developers rarely face such tasks. Instead, they use ready-made libraries, frameworks, and solutions.
Example of an interview problem:
def is_palindrome(s):
return s == s[::-1]
Such problems are simple, but in real work, no one asks if you know how to check palindromes. More important is how you build architecture, how you deal with bugs, and how you maintain code.
Ideal conditions vs. real constraints
At the interview, the candidate solves the problem in a vacuum: without deadlines, without someone else's code, without team pressure. It is an artificial environment.
In real work, everything is different. There are deadlines, there is a legacy code, there are business requirements that may contradict the "ideal" solution.
For an interview: «Write the best solution».
In progress: «Make it work 'til tomorrow morning».
Lack of teamwork
Interviews are almost always individual. The candidate sits alone and solves the problem, sometimes under the supervision of an interviewer.
But real development is a team process. It is necessary to discuss solutions, participate in code reviews, take into account the opinion of other developers and architects.
The ability to communicate and explain your decisions is often more important than the ability to quickly write an algorithm.
Why companies do this
Despite the obvious differences, there are reasons for this approach.
Scalability. Algorithmic problems are easy to standardise and compare candidates.
Quick check. In 30-60 minutes, you can assess the basic level of thinking.
Candidate Filter. This is a way to quickly weed out weak candidates in conditions of a large flow.
However, the problem is that such a filter often cuts off strong developers who simply did not prepare for interviews in the format of a "task book"».
What is really important in the work of a programmer
When you look at the developer's actual activities, key skills look different:
— ability to read and understand someone else's code;
— Bug work and debugging;
— Knowledge of application architecture;
— Interaction with the team;
— the ability to quickly find solutions, and not invent them from scratch.
These skills are rarely tested in classic interviews, but they are the ones that determine the effectiveness of the developer in the long run.
How to adapt to this system
Understanding the difference between an interview and a real job provides an important advantage.
First, You need to prepare separately for interviews. It's a separate skill, like an exam.
Secondly, You should not assess your competence only by the results of the interview. They do not always reflect the real level.
Third, It is important to develop practical skills through projects, working with code, and real-world tasks.