Hello,
Context:
- Dev with 10+ years of experience
- Last 2 years in an architect role with technical leadership responsibilities
- Planning to apply for senior roles at FAANMG
Question:
I am fairly good at solving system design and scenario based questions, but I am confused about what resources to use to prepare for whiteboard/programming questions (not 100% sure if these are relevant at senior level?). Below is the list of resources I was suggested:
1. Cracking the Coding Interview
2. Elements of Programming Interviews
3. Online Judge - LeetCode, HackerRank etc.
I have used cracking the coding interview for my interviews right out of school, but I was told that it is not relevant anymore and I should focus on Elements of Programing Interviews.
Same with Online Judge, I was told to use an online judge (LeetCode, HackerRank) over books.
Other companies will treat you as more of a human, and less as a cog. In my current job, I asked to see production code when interviewing. I flipped over every stone I could, to know what I was getting into. I saw the good and the bad. FANGs? You must prove yourself to gatekeepers before even knowing if there are teams with personalities you will agree with. You have no guarantee there's something on the other side of the gatekeepers, that you're even remotely interested in.
Money is important, but for a small haircut you can have better WLB, less competitive peers (though still be growing in your career: you can challenge yourself, without being surrounded by hyper-competitive personality types), amazing culture, and a greater level of transparency.