I enjoy programming challenges and do them for fun and I see their value as an exercise in thinking, but the problems I solve with them aren’t a reflection of the real world work I do or have done. I’ve never needed a topological sort in my day jobs.
If a company asks me to complete a leetcode style code challenge they are not getting a representation of the work I’ll do day to day, so I always make a point in an interview to say, “I may have passed your test but please don’t judge me on that basis, let’s discuss my work”.
They’re garbage as a hiring tool for lots of reasons, but mostly it comes down to the reality that they just aren’t representative by any stretch of the imagination.
If a company asks me to complete a leetcode style code challenge they are not getting a representation of the work I’ll do day to day, so I always make a point in an interview to say, “I may have passed your test but please don’t judge me on that basis, let’s discuss my work”.
They’re garbage as a hiring tool for lots of reasons, but mostly it comes down to the reality that they just aren’t representative by any stretch of the imagination.