Brainteasers during interviews

So, we all know that brainteasers are basically FUCKING BULLSHIT AND POINTLESS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH A CANDIDATE'S ABILITY TO DO THE JOB

Given this, how often are they asked during summer analyst interviews? Full time analyst interviews?

All input is appreciated.

 
BankerC159:

Google thinks so, what say you guys?

Just prepare for your typical interview by reading answers to hypothetical interview questions on this forum, and review any company specific information such as 10-Ks.

"It's very easy to have too many goals and be overwhelmed by them... The trick is to find the one thing you can focus on that represents every other single thing you want in life." -- @"Edmundo Braverman"
 

I like the question: "How many giant pillows does Larry Page need to sleep at night?" It could be a joke like the light bulb joke. Just don't use it as a joke in an interview.

"It's very easy to have too many goals and be overwhelmed by them... The trick is to find the one thing you can focus on that represents every other single thing you want in life." -- @"Edmundo Braverman"
 

Most brainteasers are either 1) ridiculously easy (order of magnitude estimate questions), or 2) abstract and turn on the understanding of a small nuance. For #1, I think it absolutely says something about a person's intelligence if they can't deal with a simple Fermi problem. For #2, I don't think any reasonable person would rely solely on the accuracy of your answer, they just want to see that you don't just fold under pressure from a difficult question and that you can at least make a reasonable attempt to approach the problem. The majority of the time with #2, the interviewer will help you along with clues if you're having trouble, so long as you are actually attempting at an answer.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 

“We found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time,” Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, told the New York Times. “They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.” (QZ.com)

My thoughts exactly.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." --Abraham Lincoln
 
OkComputer:

“We found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time,” Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, told the New York Times. “They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.” (QZ.com)

My thoughts exactly.

And I suppose you think questions such as "asking people to describe a time they solved a difficult problem", as suggested by the article, are meaningful indicators of future job success?

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
NorthSider:
OkComputer:

“We found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time,” Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, told the New York Times. “They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.” (QZ.com)

My thoughts exactly.

And I suppose you think questions such as "asking people to describe a time they solved a difficult problem", as suggested by the article, are meaningful indicators of future job success?

No?

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." --Abraham Lincoln
 
Best Response
OkComputer:
NorthSider:
OkComputer:

“We found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time,” Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, told the New York Times. “They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.” (QZ.com)

My thoughts exactly.

And I suppose you think questions such as "asking people to describe a time they solved a difficult problem", as suggested by the article, are meaningful indicators of future job success?

No?

Maybe your point is just that interviews themselves are just not a very good predictor of job performance? Anyone who is solely relying on the ability to make order of magnitude estimates to hire for a job at Google is a moron, but any high caliber candidate who can't walk through a simple Fermi problem raises red flags in my book. The inability to perform basic multiplication is a deal-killer to me. Is that unreasonable?

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
NorthSider:
OkComputer:
NorthSider:
OkComputer:

“We found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time,” Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, told the New York Times. “They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.” (QZ.com)

My thoughts exactly.

And I suppose you think questions such as "asking people to describe a time they solved a difficult problem", as suggested by the article, are meaningful indicators of future job success?

No?

Maybe your point is just that interviews themselves are just not a very good predictor of job performance? Anyone who is solely relying on the ability to make order of magnitude estimates to hire for a job at Google is a moron, but any high caliber candidate who can't walk through a simple Fermi problem raises red flags in my book. The inability to perform basic multiplication is a deal-killer to me. Is that unreasonable?

That's a little closer to what I was getting at. Some of the questions asked at interviews are, in my opinion, a waste of time. Ask questions specific to the job, grill them on their resume, and even use the interview as a whole to judge the demeanor/personality of the interviewee. I think what you're saying is reasonable too.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." --Abraham Lincoln
 

I think simple case studies are better for interviews than brain teasers. I think technical skills are something anyone can learn on the job, but I think more than anything fit should be the key. You are spending and interacting with the new hire (more so than in other careers due to the long hours), there needs to be a level of connection that doesn't make going to work a drag.

 

For me, I got the most "challenging" brainteasers from Macquarie, Credit Suisse, and Goldman in this order. This is for IBD. The other banks are all pretty similar from my experience.

Different people will probably have different experience and trading positions are known to have more brainteasers than IBD interviews.

 

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