Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? The podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by James Wilson and Matt Sinclair, we talk honestly about what it takes to build a meaningful career in tech.
In this week's episode, we dig into the most debated topic on dev Twitter and LinkedIn: Should software engineers have to do coding interviews?
James recently shared a post on LinkedIn about the reality of coding rounds in interviews — and, well, let's just say it triggered some responses. In this episode, we get into what's changed, why this topic hits so hard, and what better might look like.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why live coding isn't the job — and what hiring managers should be testing instead
- What Matt means when he says: "Some engineers are still living in 2019"
- Why engineers can't afford to be picky anymore (and why that sucks)
- How to evaluate engineers without a whiteboard test
- The tradeoffs between tasks, take-homes, pairing, and probations
- The importance of initiative, communication, and knowing what you're "known for"
Whether you're applying for your next engineering role or hiring your next dev, this one's got real talk, practical advice, and a few rants.
🎧 23 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.
⏱️ Chapters
- 0:00 Intro: shorts day in London and a retro shirt
- 0:51 James's LinkedIn post: the candidate who didn't want to do coding
- 3:33 Why live coding isn't the job: nobody watches you code, bar trading floors
- 5:48 Why companies screen: CV, intro call, tech screen, then multiple rounds
- 6:58 Still living in 2019: a buyers' market now, so look at their public code
- 8:43 Coding is not the whole job, and LLMs are shrinking the typing part
- 10:25 James: it's one early component, usually an algorithm, kept casual
- 11:28 What's the alternative? Matt's 18 back-to-back interviews, no live coding
- 13:49 What he'd do differently: desk-check public code, not 15 in a day
- 14:47 The whiteboard algorithm test: "let me Google that for you"
- 15:29 The market has changed: four or five rounds, and nobody is out to trick you
- 16:32 For hiring managers: frame it as pairing, and don't lead with a take-home
- 18:24 Long probation periods: the real test is working on the team
- 20:03 Initiative: propose a better way to be evaluated and jump the queue
- 21:21 Wrap-up: it's just another day's work, and thanks for the emails
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