The JavaScript Interview Panic

//One of the worst interviews that I had, that made me feel genuinely bad, was this one. //I tried to capture the mood of how it went, as I did not get to say any words. Some of the actions I describe are what I assume happened on the other end of the phone, based on the sounds that I heard. //Me: Greetings! Thanks for letting me interview you. Are you ready and prepared? //Candidate: I am ready. //Me: Alright. Let us start. *introductions and a bit of relaxing smalltalk, candidate is very cool* Ok, so your resume lists about 5 different programming languages. Are you good in all of them? //Candidate: I am good in Javascript and PHP, and ok in Java. //Me: Ok, so which is your favourite language? //Candidate: Definitely Javascript! I did a lot of work in Javascript! //Me: That is good. Can I ask you a question or two in Javascript? //Candidate: *silence for about 10 seconds* //Me: Hello? Are you still on the line? //Candidate: Yes, yes. I am on the line! //Me: So is it ok if I ask you a question or two in Javascript? //Candidate *with a nervous tremble*: Yes, I think, I can try my best to answer. //Me *reminding self: soft gentle gloves, we are not trying to break the candidate*: Ok, so you know what odd numbers are, right? Like 1, 3, 5, and so on? //Candidate *voice has relaxed a bit*: Yes! Yes, I know odd numbers! //Me: Ok, so my question is this: Using your favourite language, Javascript, can you find all the odd numbers between 0 to 100? //Candidate: *audibly heavy breathing, but no words, for about 10 seconds* //Me: Hello? //Candidate *speaking with major effort, voice in near-total-panic-mode*: I am... I... finding... uh... odd... I... the odd numbers... uhhh... //Me *attempting some damage control*: It is ok. Why don't you take a few minutes to write down the answer, then read it to me after you are finished and ready? //Candidate *excited and breathless*: YES! yes, I write it down first. Ok! Ok, I am writing it down now! //At this point, I believe the candidate put the phone down, and started writing. I could hear some gentle scribbling/scratching for about two minutes, then some furious scribbling for a minute, then the *fzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* sound of someone crossing out many lines on a paper. Then came a minute of very heavy, very fast breathing, but no scribbling sounds. //Candidate *voice completely broken*: I think I... I... the odd numbers... uhhh... I think... ummmm... //Me *making a fatal error by asking*: Is everything ok? //Candidate: No. NO! NO! I cannot! This... no! How to... the odd... the odd numbers? I... I cannot do this. I cannot do this ANY MORE! I am sorry, I have to go. I have to go, now! Right now! I MUST go! //Me: Ok, no problem. Maybe we can continue this later. //Candidate: Yes, maybe tomorrow. *click* //Candidate *in a calm, polite email, much later that day*: At this time I regret that I must decline the interview. Perhaps the timing will be better at some point in the future.

A long text screenshot presents a fictional phone interview in which a candidate who claims JavaScript as their favorite language becomes increasingly panicked when asked to find the odd numbers from 0 to 100. The joke is the absurd escalation: a trivial beginner programming task is treated like an impossible ordeal, ending with the candidate abandoning the interview and politely declining later by email. It is shared as a reaction to coding anxiety, overdramatic panic, or an unexpectedly difficult interview question.

• @gentoomemes / 6968 2023-10-26