But what is it differentiating? And is it really the best evidence of willingness to prepare? My MSc and BA on the topics, my open source contributions, two decades of industry experience... Those aren't evidence of not only willingness but execution of preparation?
The papers and open source indicate that you can build stuff. That's not what it's testing for.
Will you put up with very long hours of insane grindy nonsense in the spirit of being a team player for a team that doesn't really remember what game they're playing?
Are you sufficiently in need of income to be fighting through this interview dance in preference to other things, such that once you join you'll be desperate to stay?
Those are extremely important questions, and a willingness to have spent a thousand hours memorising leetcode correlates strongly with the attributes sought.
It is a differentiator when you are hiring straight from college. The fact we use this beyond entry level roles is a sign the company has lost the thread and is cargo culting.
That they would ask me to prepare for that is a signal as well.
In no case is it a useful signal on if I can do my job better than someone else. Some people like this type of problem and are good at it anyway which is a good signal compared to average - but there are also above average people who don't enjoy this type of problem and so don't practice it. Note that both cases the people I'm talking about did not memorize the problem and solution.
That willingness to prepare doesn't reconcile with the realities of parenthood and all of the other responsibilities someone in their thirties may have. Consistently finding that time will be a huge ask, especially if you haven't worked on those problems in a while.
I mean, it would be illegal for them to state it outright, but most companies would prefer not to hire people with kids and other responsibilities. That's the whole reason there are specific discrimination laws for that.
LeetCode questions neatly solve the problem of not wanting to hire people who won't,
or can't,
spend hours of their free time doing things they hate for a goal they don't care about except to the extent that will feed and house them.
But what is it differentiating? And is it really the best evidence of willingness to prepare? My MSc and BA on the topics, my open source contributions, two decades of industry experience... Those aren't evidence of not only willingness but execution of preparation?
The papers and open source indicate that you can build stuff. That's not what it's testing for.
Will you put up with very long hours of insane grindy nonsense in the spirit of being a team player for a team that doesn't really remember what game they're playing?
Are you sufficiently in need of income to be fighting through this interview dance in preference to other things, such that once you join you'll be desperate to stay?
Those are extremely important questions, and a willingness to have spent a thousand hours memorising leetcode correlates strongly with the attributes sought.
It is a differentiator when you are hiring straight from college. The fact we use this beyond entry level roles is a sign the company has lost the thread and is cargo culting.
That they would ask me to prepare for that is a signal as well.
In no case is it a useful signal on if I can do my job better than someone else. Some people like this type of problem and are good at it anyway which is a good signal compared to average - but there are also above average people who don't enjoy this type of problem and so don't practice it. Note that both cases the people I'm talking about did not memorize the problem and solution.
It also means "I don't have money for food, and at this point I am desperate".
That willingness to prepare doesn't reconcile with the realities of parenthood and all of the other responsibilities someone in their thirties may have. Consistently finding that time will be a huge ask, especially if you haven't worked on those problems in a while.
I mean, it would be illegal for them to state it outright, but most companies would prefer not to hire people with kids and other responsibilities. That's the whole reason there are specific discrimination laws for that.
LeetCode questions neatly solve the problem of not wanting to hire people who won't, or can't, spend hours of their free time doing things they hate for a goal they don't care about except to the extent that will feed and house them.