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.
Can only speak for UK recruiting: I experienced at least 1 brainteaser per bank I was invited to... I have the feeling that they just want to check whether the candidate has also prepared for brain teasers since they use the same questions for several years sometimes...
Depends on the place, attitude of interviewer, lots of things. Some places go all out while other places might not ask a single one.
I know Centerview has an entire round(s) that are brainteaser interview segments, so at the very least you should try and prepare yourself for some where ever you go.
Interview Brainteasers - Useless? (Originally Posted: 06/20/2013)
Google thinks so, what say you guys?
I haven't actually ran into many interviews where they asked me a brainteaser (1, maybe 2). But I tend to agree they should a very small if any weight during the interview process.
http://qz.com/96206
Generally people don't ask you them to see if you can get them correct - especially with super abstract ones like how many golf balls can you fit in a football stadium. It's more there to see your thought process/how you react under pressure.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
These are not technically brainteasers but more are more the kind of consulting interview questions which tests an applicant's thinking process
Really, really stupid. Especially for investment banking interviews. I think simple case studies, that require a combination of analysis and computing numbers, are more relevant than abstract brainteasers that have nothing to do with the job.
Brainteasers - Please list any firms or banks (Originally Posted: 11/22/2009)
I was just wondering what banks are known to be anal with the brainteaser questions? If possible, plese list them in order going from the most anal to the least. Thanks
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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