I failed a coding Interview 😞

“Hi Oj, thanks for meeting Matt today for a second interview. After careful consideration, we decided not to move forward at this moment…”

This is a response I received from a CTO looking to hire a React Native developer. So, what did I learn?

As a Nigerian living in Nigeria who is trying to switch jobs with an offshore company or start a career with an offshore company, It can be discouraging to hear comments like "So you have to be in the US for this job" or "we assumed you are in the US" despite the remote tag in the job description and even after a series of conversations with recruiters/hiring managers and attempting to pitch yourself and your skills; this could even be after you have scheduled a call or gotten on a brief Introductory call.

But, unlike so many prior interactions with recruiters/hiring managers, this was not the case this time, because this specific company was more concerned with your competency than your location. After an initial introductory call with the CTO, who seemed very cool, I believed this could be a good team to work with because the personality of an organisation's leader can reveal a lot about its working culture. I was already imagining myself working with this amazing team.

I was thrilled to learn more about the technical interview requirements, which turned out to be a React test rather than the more conventional algorithms test. I believe myself to be a proficient React developer and have worked with a few teams.

Fast forward to the feedback after the technical Interview.

“Hi Ojonugwa, Thank you for taking the time to interview at XYZ company (intentional omission). Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward at this time. I wish you the best in your future endeavours.”

Feedback like this can cause you to go to bed earlier than you intended. Could it be that I was nervous or rusty from attending live-in technical interviews? I thought about it for a while before deciding to contact the CTO once more.

“Hello, Apologies for bothering you, but is it possible for me to retake the technical interview?  I believe it would only be reasonable to request the opportunity to participate in another technical interview given that I consider myself to be a good developer and have been a part of a few teams that have developed decent products that have scaled. I admit to feeling nervous during my most recent attempt because it had been a year since my last live coding interview, hence the performance. I look forward to your response :).”

To my amazement, the CTO agreed to a second interview.

This time, I practiced a little based on my prior experience and concentrated on the nervousness that comes with technical interview time limits.

Fast forward to the feedback after taking the second technical Interview.

“Hi Oj, thanks for meeting Matt today for a second interview. After careful consideration, we decided not to move forward at this moment. Feedback was similar, we believe you are a knowledged developer, but the way you structure your components and your problem-solving procedures can be improved. Thanks again for being interested in XYZ company (intentional omission), best of luck!”

This time, instead of being hard on myself, I opted to carefully consider the CTO's feedback.

So What did I learn?

• Technical interviews focus on your problem-solving approach rather than merely your ability to complete the given tasks.
• Try to demonstrate your technical prowess in your code rather than applying the quick fix to the task at hand.
• As much as possible, communicate your steps and intentions aloud.
• Prior to the interview, enquire as much as you can about the requirements and the other things they expect to see from you outside your ability to do the task at hand.

Importantly, honest and detailed feedback should drive you to continue learning and improving your competence.