Are Whiteboard Algorithm Interviews Good?

The rest of this lesson will be talking about approaching standardized data structures and algorithm based questions. It will be still relevant, but less so, to small sample challenges like "here's a basic setup, implement a REST API with some scaffolding".

Yes, whiteboard algorithm interviews are controversial. However, there are several reasons they still persist. Firstly, they give several strong signals to the interviewer, such as:

• Can the candidate think with clarity in front of others (what this lesson aims to address)
• Do they sound like they've prepped for the interview (signal for work ethic)
• Do they have a reasonable amount of logical ability?
• Can they tell a good solution from a bad one?
• How is their grasp of computer science fundamentals?

Secondly, they are easy to do at scale, a consideration especially important if you are a conglomerate that needs to make thousands of annual hires.

And yes, there are take-home assignments, build-a-feature type of interviews, and week-long "trial" periods. I'm sure these are all great methods.

However, the standard "can you solve this problem in front of me" data structure and algorithm questions are still very much the standard at computer programmer jobs at most software companies.

Let's figure out how to tackle them.