Can Engineers from Tech Giants Solve Whiteboard Questions Easily?
August 18, 2018
By Franz Wong
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Engineers from tech giants like Google and Facebook are often renowned for their exceptional problem-solving abilities, particularly in algorithmic and distributed systems design. One aspect of the interview process that often comes under scrutiny is the ability to solve challenging whiteboard questions. This article delves into the capabilities and training of these engineers, highlighting the factors that contribute to their proficiency in tackling such questions.
The Challenge of Whiteboard Questions
Whiteboard questions are a common part of the technical interview process at companies like Google. These questions can be complex and often revolve around NP-hard problems or require a nlogn solution. For someone like Franz Wong, who works at Google, these questions can be challenging. He notes that even though he has passed the interview process, he still struggles with these types of questions. However, many Google engineers are highly proficient in solving whiteboard questions.
Common Challenges and Preparation
There are several factors that contribute to engineers' ability to excel in whiteboard questions:
Practice: Like most skills, consistent practice is crucial. Engineers who frequently engage in coding exercises and algorithms can perform better in interviews. Algorithmic Primitives: Knowing the fundamental building blocks of algorithms can greatly enhance problem-solving skills. These primitives form the basis of modern algorithms. Common Problems and Solutions: Familiarity with commonly encountered problems and their solutions can significantly reduce the learning curve during the interview. Intellectual Exercise: Google engineers often look forward to discussing challenging, abstract problems related to ads or search, which can be seen as an intellectual workout.While some engineers might not be as comfortable with pure algorithmic puzzle questions, the majority have enough proficiency to tackle the questions effectively. Franz, for instance, remains competent enough to feel comfortable interviewing again and confident in his ability to solve the questions at hand.
Distributed System Design Questions
Another area where Google engineers excel is distributed system design questions. These questions often require a deep understanding of distributed systems, fault tolerance, and scalability. Franz notes that a random senior software engineer at Google is significantly better than the vast majority of candidates, even those who have successfully passed other rounds of the interview process.
Google's program does an excellent job of teaching candidates about distributed system design, making the team highly competent in this area. This proficiency translates to a clear advantage in technical interviews, where candidates are often judged on their ability to design robust and scalable systems.
Fairness in the Interview Process
To get a truly accurate representation of an engineer's abilities, it would be ideal to have a controlled environment where random, very hard algorithmic questions are presented to a panel of engineers. This would provide a more objective measure of their proficiency and might even be beneficial for the interviewees themselves, as it would simulate the pressure and challenge of real interview scenarios.
Ultimately, while whiteboard questions can be daunting, they serve as a valuable test of an engineer's problem-solving capabilities. With the right training and practice, engineers from tech giants can indeed solve these challenges easily.
Conclusion: The ability to solve whiteboard questions, especially at tech giants like Google, is a combination of skill, practice, and problem-solving experience. While challenges do exist, the structured interview process helps identify the most competent engineers capable of designing efficient, scalable, and robust systems.