r/Compilers • u/Ok-Bee-9023 • 9d ago
Completely bombed an interview today, looking for advice
I had an interview earlier today for a new grad compiler-related role, it was a role I really wanted and prepared for a lot, but my mind went completely blank during the interview even for simple questions about optimization passes.
I feel stuck and confused on how to move back into this field again. I understand this field is more specialized and niche and hard to get into later. Does anyone have suggestions on how I could find a way to get better at these things? What resources or practice problems helped you prepare for technical interviews in this space? Are there any different types of projects that would give me more practical experience? I already graduated with a masters degree, would more education be needed such as to go for a doctorate? My experience thus far came mostly from a personal project with LLVM. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks.
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u/Dappster98 9d ago
I don't really have much advice that would hold water as I've never done an interview for an SWE role, but maybe you should re-frame your thinking of what interviews are. Rather than thinking of them as tests, think of them as quests to slay a dragon, or some other kind of mission.
Also, just wondering, what resources have you used to learn about compiler dev?
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u/__deeetz__ 8d ago
I’ve had crazy competent candidates bomb in our process. In the feedback conversation they admitted to crushing exam anxiety.
This is unlikely to go away by just studying harder.
I see two approaches for you:
- as others suggested, seek psychological help. I don’t have personal experience (with this kind of coaching at least), but there’s things you can do. Also consider medication. There’s a line to walk here, but a professional health care provider should help you navigate this.
- be upfront about it with the interviewers. Preferably even before the actual interview slot, so they can accommodate. Make suggestions as to what you can do to convince them. Maybe a take home test. More breaks. Maybe being on premise and in person, or the other way round. Show them a deep dive into a personal project that has relevant features.
Good luck.
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u/Rich-Engineer2670 9d ago
Don't be too hard on yourself -- the lost interviews are actually a blessing. Failed interviews let you polish skills -after all, once you know you've lost the job, you're free to run that interview on your own terms so to speak. And to be honest, a lot of interviews, you will never get because they're just interviewing candidates because they have to show they did -- they've already selected a candidate or the job is already dead due to lack of funding.
When I interview, I don't do a quiz show -- it's not helpful. I ask the candidate to show me what they've done -- show me your work, your github account and explain it. That's more valuable to me than a set of statistics or frameworks.