Inside the 6 Stages of Stack Overflow's Technical Interview Process

Companies area unit wanting to have a radical method for conducting technical interviews, however it’s usually troublesome determining wherever to begin. Sound familiar?

These bumps may be attributed to a scarcity of education for the interviewers and as a result, interviewers’ placement with the company’s hiring processes. (Yikes!). So, it’s vital to decipher what’s presently operating in your organization’s interview method...and what simply wants work.

The good news is, there area unit several corporations that have well-tried to achieve success during this space (and we are able to learn from them!). One company particularly is Stack Overflow, a premier question-and-answer platform targeted at developers. As a mover-and-shaker within the technical school trade, Stack Overflow has had a good share of technical school talent practice its doors over the years. this suggests it's tons of and many technical interviews underneath its belt—so it sure enough is aware of a factor or 2 regarding this topic!

In our latest Hiring Hacks webinar, Stack Overflow’s Engineering Manager Matt Sherman takes listeners through the company’s technical interview method. Despite the fact that it's going to be a challenge, conducting technical interviews the correct manner is vital.

In this journal, you’ll find out how to form a stellar interview method to make sure you rent the correct folks, grow a solid team, and overall optimize your company’s technical efforts.

Recruiting: A Company-Wide Initiative

It helps once recruiting has been a company-wide initiative since day one (or as getting ready to day one as possible!). Stack Overflow will attest to the present, as it’s created a corporation culture from the point in time that's targeted around recruiting, due to continual support from its leadership team.

Companies with govt buy-in have additional engaged workers conducting interviews, that ultimately results in higher interview feedback for the hiring manager and recruiting team. as a result of leadership has inspired a culture of conducting interviews well, interviewers area unit well-versed during this arena. they're assured during this role, knowing precisely that skills and qualities to seem for in a very candidate and the way to scan between the lines. And on high of this, they perceive the vital half they play within the hiring process—they recognize that their feedback and recommendation is instrumental in creating a good rent and strengthening the organization as a full.

This holds true at Stack Overflow—engineers on workers area unit associate degree integral a part of the technical interview method. Why? Having associate degree actual engineer conduct the interview makes for stronger and additional comprehensive interviews. These area unit the that recognize whether or not a candidate would slot in culturally still as whether or not they would be able to accomplish the quantity of labor necessary. And, they're those WHO would actually recognize whether or not a willdidate can code at the amount expected of them. And from a candidate's perspective, this set-up permits them to visualize primary WHO they might be operating with and learning from.

In order to form this thoughtful expertise, Stack Overflow provides data-based interview coaching still as mock interview coaching for every querier at the corporate. Thorough coaching is crucial to make sure that the querier feels ready and cozy in their role come back the $64000 interview. The icing on the cake is that they'll abrade that comfort and relaxation onto the candidate, creating for the most effective interview potential.

Stack Overflow’s Competitive Advantage

Beyond its 3 physical workplace locations, Stack Overflow staffs remote staff in over ten countries! [If your company isn't within the most fascinating of locations (e.g. massive metropolitan areas), raise yourself if staffing remote engineers may be a risk. If so, this may open up the gates, permitting you to succeed in additional of the talent pool].

With the quantity of remote staff Stack Overflow hires, in-person interviews are literally a rare prevalence. Most interviews area unit conducted on-line through Google Hangouts. the net format means that a much bigger reach to additional talent, however it conjointly means there should be a solid interview method in situ so as to create the net format triple-crown.

So, however do {they do they area unit doing} it? There are half dozen stages to their technical interview process:

Stage 1

The first stage is that the initial résumé review stage, merely called TEDPG: target, experience, depth, passion, and “get things done.” Let’s outline these terms:

Target: confirm that the candidate includes a targeted application for the work in question—that it’s not a generic résumé they're causing to alternative corporations, too.

Experienced: Engineers should have 4-6 years of expertise and be full stack engineers.

Depth: A candidate's résumé should show that they're not simply acquainted with the fundamentals of sure software however that they shrewdness to use them within & out.

Passion: The résumé should reveal that the candidate completely loves programming—that, perhaps, it’s attention within and out of doors of the workplace.

Gets Things Done: The candidate ought to be able to complete a project from begin to complete by a declared point.

Stage 2

If a candidate has four out of 5 of the on top of attributes, they're affected on to a 30-minute code screen. The code screen interview is associate degree “easy” stage within the interview method. Matt shares that it merely permits Stack Overflow to visualize whether or not willdidates can offer an answer quickly and expeditiously, that speaks to their ability to “get things done” by a firm point. If they're not capable to complete the screen in half-hour, they'll not move to future stage, the good interview.

Stage 3

The good interview is associate degree in-depth recursive question. This interview is meant to be difficult, however at an equivalent time, it’s meant to be colloquial. At Stack Overflow, it's vital to listen to the candidate's thought method and perceive however they’ve acquired the resolution—it’s not as regards to the destination; the journey is critical, too. By asking them to run through the method aloud, the hiring team will see if the candidate embodies the thinking skills and characteristics that area unit required within the role.

Stage 4

If the candidate passes the good interview stage, they then partake within the “get things done” interview. Here, the candidate styles a complete application. Since Stack Overflow solely hires full stack engineers, it very needs to visualize however associate degree engineer will develop associate degree application from setting out to finish.

Stage 5

So, the candidate has currently capable 3 technical interview stages, providing Stack Overflow with a transparent indication of the candidate’s suitableness for the role. Following the technical screenings, the candidate conjointly meets with a member of the merchandise management team in order that the candidate may be familiarized with the goals of the business as a full, not simply with the goals of their own department. Stack Overflow sees meeting with the merchandise team as a good chance to supply a comprehensive understanding of the corporate. Since ultimately the engineer are building out sure product for users, it’s vital for everybody to not solely be aligned within the method however to conjointly gain insight into what makes users happy.

Stage 6

Lastly, the VP of Engineering can scan through every of the opposite interviewers’ feedback. This helps to arrange them for the last interview stage, wherever they'll attempt to “sell” the candidate on the position. marketing the candidate shouldn’t simply be regarding “Hey, we wish you” however rather, describing thorough what the candidate would withstand, ought to they settle for the role, and the way the chance would match and facilitate to enlarge their skilled aspirations.

The Secret Is within the spoken language

What very sets Stack Overflow except alternative technical school corporations is that every interview it conducts isn't meant to be daunting and isn't meant to be a quiz. Instead, all of Stack Overflow’s interviews area unit meant to be a spoken language. As antecedently touched on, even once the candidate is conferred with code tests, Stack Overflow likes to listen to the candidate's thought method, particularly if they created a slip-up (since that happens in real life). That way, the corporate will see thoroughly however they approach a tangle and, ultimately, however they solve it, even once inevitable obstacles get within the manner.

Want to receive further tips and suggestions on the way to optimize your technical interview process? hear the total webinar here. Learn techniques to urge before of and have interaction engineering talent and see that reading materials you ought to grab ahold of to extend your engineering vocabulary.