Wrong question - the right question is "which companies don't have the typical whiteboard interview".
Wrong assumption - the majority of my on-site interviews don't even use whiteboards. They involve discussing real world problems and work experiences with me. I still do not get offers from them.
To be honest, I agree with the parent that the question is wrong. No company wants employees that are bad at interviewing. No company wants employees that are bad at anything, in fact.
Maybe it helps to contact the company that rejected you and ask them why they rejected you. This would allow you to narrow down your weaknesses and improve these skills. I've never tried this myself, so I'm not sure how common such a request is, but it seems like a sensible thing to do.
Doesn't cost anything to try though. We actually do attempt to give straightforward answers to candidates that are not a good fit, although we are a smaller company that doesn't have the concerns that a large corporation has
Or any answers. At least for the US, I've read before here on HN that it may be due to the company's fear of being litigated against for some sort of discrimination.
Not the parent, but I'm someone with quite a lot of social anxiety. I fall apart when I have to give presentations (working on this skill) or I'm in a high-pressure social setting. Everyone does to some degree, but for myself and others like me, it's an order of magnitude greater.
I can certainly work with a team and I can program at least as well as most of my peers, but interviews are difficult for me.
You could go find your nearest open-mic night and sing/play for the audience. You can read poetry or sing karaoke.
It's probably going to suck the first time you do this. However, keep doing it. Eventually, you will get more comfortable and confident. It takes lots of practice.
I did a lot of stage performances as a musician. I used to vomit before going on stage. Eventually, I got used to it. Eventually, I was able to interact with the crowd. Eventually, I got comfortable. This confidence helped with many other areas of my life. It did take work and pushing through the discomfort and fear. It was not easy.
I found going to acting school a help. I doubt I could have mustered up the courage to do stuff in front of an audience back then, but being given a script to perform in front of a small group of other acting students was much easier.
How would you even go by looking people to do this? Especially someone familiar with the tech field for example? "hiring manager technology" doesn't return the best results in trying to find someone.
Gonna have to talk to friends and coworkers. I've done this (mock interviews for people who are bad at interviewing) for friends and even friend-of-a-friends, but I wouldn't want to be on a searchable directory of such people.
Yeah that seems to be the common theme, "Ask friends and coworkers" I guess I need to do a bit more networking at meetups at such. Its been word of mouth from previous clients for all these years so I never bother to reach out to build a network.
Comments
Wrong question - the right question is "which companies don't have the typical whiteboard interview".
Wrong assumption - the majority of my on-site interviews don't even use whiteboards. They involve discussing real world problems and work experiences with me. I still do not get offers from them.
To be honest, I agree with the parent that the question is wrong. No company wants employees that are bad at interviewing. No company wants employees that are bad at anything, in fact.
Maybe it helps to contact the company that rejected you and ask them why they rejected you. This would allow you to narrow down your weaknesses and improve these skills. I've never tried this myself, so I'm not sure how common such a request is, but it seems like a sensible thing to do.
I don't think you will get very straight answers from most.
Doesn't cost anything to try though. We actually do attempt to give straightforward answers to candidates that are not a good fit, although we are a smaller company that doesn't have the concerns that a large corporation has
Or any answers. At least for the US, I've read before here on HN that it may be due to the company's fear of being litigated against for some sort of discrimination.
Or even a response for that matter.
Or, if you do get a response, it's usually a "can't sue me" copout like "not enough experience" or "wrong cultural fit".
This seems like a good interview process. If you're qualified for the position, then what part of the interview is working against you?
Not the parent, but I'm someone with quite a lot of social anxiety. I fall apart when I have to give presentations (working on this skill) or I'm in a high-pressure social setting. Everyone does to some degree, but for myself and others like me, it's an order of magnitude greater.
I can certainly work with a team and I can program at least as well as most of my peers, but interviews are difficult for me.
Would you like some unsolicited advice?
You could go find your nearest open-mic night and sing/play for the audience. You can read poetry or sing karaoke.
It's probably going to suck the first time you do this. However, keep doing it. Eventually, you will get more comfortable and confident. It takes lots of practice.
I did a lot of stage performances as a musician. I used to vomit before going on stage. Eventually, I got used to it. Eventually, I was able to interact with the crowd. Eventually, I got comfortable. This confidence helped with many other areas of my life. It did take work and pushing through the discomfort and fear. It was not easy.
This may work for you.
I found going to acting school a help. I doubt I could have mustered up the courage to do stuff in front of an audience back then, but being given a script to perform in front of a small group of other acting students was much easier.
A public speaking course may also help. Things like that get you used to working through discomfort while maintaining a level of concentration.
Can you find a nearby hiring manager—someone who hires regularly—to give you an interview and tell you why you wouldn’t be hired?
I’d be happy to do this for acquaintances near me (Cambridge, Mass.)
How would you even go by looking people to do this? Especially someone familiar with the tech field for example? "hiring manager technology" doesn't return the best results in trying to find someone.
Gonna have to talk to friends and coworkers. I've done this (mock interviews for people who are bad at interviewing) for friends and even friend-of-a-friends, but I wouldn't want to be on a searchable directory of such people.
Yeah that seems to be the common theme, "Ask friends and coworkers" I guess I need to do a bit more networking at meetups at such. Its been word of mouth from previous clients for all these years so I never bother to reach out to build a network.