Computer Science | Grinnell College

This week in CS table we will take a critical look towards the technical interview process employed in the software industry. Like the industry itself, our expectations about how interviews are conducted have rapidly changed over the last decade. Our readings, spaced 10 years apart, showcase what were some of the concerns back then versus the concerns now:

• Joel Spolsky. The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing (version 3.0). Joel on Software. October 25, 2006.
• Jeff Atwood. Why Can’t Programmers.. Program?. Coding Horror. February 26, 2007.
• Aline Lerner. You can’t fix diversity in tech without fixing the technical interview. Intervieiwng.io blog. November 2, 2016.
• Shivan Kaul Sahib. ‘Clean your desk’: My Amazon interview experience. Pistachio Musings?. December 7, 2016.

In addition to the readings, I encourage you to reflect on your own experiences interviewing for internships or jobs and bring them to share.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00-1:00pm in JRC 224B. Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department.