Live Coding Interviews for Better Tech Hiring

In the fast-paced world of tech recruiting, finding the perfect candidate can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Resumes can be deceiving, and traditional interview formats may not always give you the full picture of a candidate’s technical abilities.

This is where live coding interviews come in. These interactive assessments allow you to see a candidate’s coding skills in real-time, providing valuable insights into their problem-solving approach, coding efficiency, and overall technical aptitude.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the world of live coding interviews. We’ll explore what they are, how they work, and why they’re such a powerful tool for tech recruiters. We’ll also provide some practical tips on how to conduct effective live coding interviews and ensure you’re getting the most out of this valuable assessment technique.

Here’s a roadmap for what we’ll cover:

The Power of Live Coding: Why live coding interviews have become a game-changer in tech recruiting.
What is a Live Coding Interview?: A breakdown of the format and how it assesses a candidate’s technical skills.
Benefits of Live Coding Interviews: Exploring the advantages for both recruiters and candidates.
Crafting Effective Live Coding Challenges: Tips for creating the right problems to assess a candidate’s skillset.
Conducting a Successful Live Coding Interview: Best practices for interviewers to ensure a smooth and informative experience.
Beyond the Code: What to Look For: Evaluating more than just technical skills during a live coding interview.

By the end of this blog, you’ll be well-equipped to leverage live coding interviews in your tech recruitment process and identify the top talent your company needs to thrive.

What are Live Coding Interviews?

Live coding interviews are a type of technical assessment where candidates write code in real-time to solve a given problem. They share their screen with the interviewer, allowing them to observe the candidate’s thought process, coding style, and ability to overcome challenges as they code.

Importance in evaluating technical proficiency and problem-solving skills:

Live coding interviews go beyond the theoretical knowledge showcased on a resume. They provide a practical evaluation of a candidate’s:

Technical proficiency: You can directly observe their coding skills in action, including syntax, efficiency, and best practices.
Problem-solving abilities: Witness how they approach a new problem, break it down into steps, and implement a solution through code.

This real-time assessment offers valuable insights that traditional interview formats might miss.

Benefits and Challenges of Live Coding Interviews

Benefits:

There are several advantages to using live coding interviews in your tech recruitment process:

Assessing real-time problem-solving skills: Witness how candidates approach challenges, analyze problems, and develop solutions on the fly.
Evaluating coding proficiency accurately: Observe their coding style, efficiency, and ability to handle technical hurdles. Gain a more accurate picture of their coding skills than just a resume.
Providing insight into candidate’s approach to challenges: See how they think through problems, communicate their thought process, and adapt to unexpected situations.

Challenges:

While live coding interviews offer a powerful assessment tool, there are also some potential challenges to consider:

Technical issues during the interview: Glitches or internet connectivity problems can disrupt the flow of the interview and create unnecessary stress for the candidate.
Time constraints and pressure for candidates: Live coding under pressure can be nerve-wracking, potentially affecting a candidate’s performance and not accurately reflecting their true abilities.
Potential bias in evaluation: Subjective interpretation of coding style or problem-solving approaches can lead to unconscious bias during the evaluation process.

By being aware of these challenges and implementing best practices, you can ensure live coding interviews are a valuable tool for effective tech recruiting.

Tips to Conduct a Live Coding Interview

Live coding interviews can be a powerful tool for tech recruiting, but to reap the full benefits, it’s crucial to conduct them effectively. Here are some key tips to ensure a smooth and informative experience for both you and the candidate:

Preparing Well-defined Coding Challenges:

Tailor the challenge to the role: The coding problem should be relevant to the specific skills and experience required for the position.
Start with a clear problem statement: Provide a well-defined scenario or question that the candidate needs to solve with code.
Offer varying difficulty levels: Consider having multiple parts to the challenge, with increasing complexity. This allows you to assess a wider range of the candidate’s abilities.
Provide relevant resources (optional): Depending on the complexity, you might offer access to libraries or code snippets relevant to the challenge.

Setting Up a Conducive Interview Environment:

Choose a reliable platform: Use a well-established platform designed for live coding interviews to minimize technical glitches.
Test your setup beforehand: Ensure both you and the candidate have a stable internet connection and familiarity with the chosen platform.
Create a comfortable atmosphere: Put the candidate at ease by establishing a friendly and professional interview environment.

Providing Clear Instructions and Expectations:

Outline the evaluation criteria: Explain what you’ll be assessing during the live coding session, such as problem-solving approach, code efficiency, and communication skills.
Set realistic time constraints: Allocate enough time for the candidate to understand the problem, write code, and potentially test their solution.
Encourage questions and clarifications: It’s important for the candidate to fully understand the problem before diving in.

Offering Support and Guidance During the Coding Session:

Strike a balance between observing and assisting: Don’t be afraid to offer hints or ask clarifying questions to guide the candidate’s thought process, but avoid giving away the solution entirely.
Focus on problem-solving skills: Observe how the candidate approaches challenges, breaks down problems, and communicates their thought process.
Be mindful of time constraints: If the candidate gets stuck, you may need to gently nudge them in the right direction to keep the interview moving forward.

Using Standardized Evaluation Criteria:

Establish a rubric beforehand: Develop a scoring system that outlines the criteria for evaluating the candidate’s performance, such as code functionality, efficiency, and problem-solving approach.
Evaluate multiple candidates consistently: By using a standardized rubric, you can ensure a fair and objective evaluation process for all candidates.

By following these tips, you can conduct effective live coding interviews that provide valuable insights into a candidate’s technical skills and problem-solving abilities. This will help you identify the top talent who can make a significant contribution to your team.

How to Conduct a Live Coding Interview

We’ve established the benefits of live coding interviews and how to structure them effectively. Now, let’s delve deeper into the practicalities of conducting one:

Pre-Interview Preparation:

Designing Coding Challenges:

Tailor the challenge: As mentioned before, ensure the coding problem directly relates to the skills and experience required for the specific role you’re hiring for.
Start clear and concise: Provide a well-defined scenario or question the candidate needs to solve with code.
Consider difficulty levels: Think about incorporating multiple parts to the challenge, with increasing complexity. This allows you to assess a wider range of the candidate’s abilities.
Offer relevant resources (optional): Depending on the complexity, you might offer access to libraries or code snippets relevant to the challenge, but avoid providing a full solution.

Selecting Appropriate Coding Platforms:

Choose a reliable platform: Use a well-established platform specifically designed for live coding interviews. These platforms offer features like code sharing, collaborative editing, and input/output simulation, minimizing technical glitches and fostering a smooth interview experience.
Consider your needs: Some platforms offer features like pre-loaded coding environments or built-in testing tools. Choose a platform that caters to the specific needs of your interview format and the type of challenges you’ll be presenting.
Test it out: Before the interview, ensure both you and the candidate are familiar with the chosen platform. Conduct a test run to get comfortable with the interface and functionalities.

Identifying Qualified Interviewers:

Technical expertise is key: Choose interviewers who possess strong technical skills and experience relevant to the role you’re filling. They should be able to understand the coding challenge, assess the candidate’s approach, and ask relevant technical questions.
Communication matters: Effective interviewers can clearly explain the challenge, guide the candidate through the process, and provide constructive feedback.

During the Interview:

Introducing the Interview Format and Objectives:

Set expectations: Briefly explain the format of the live coding interview and the skills you’ll be assessing.
Outline the evaluation criteria: Transparency is key. Inform the candidate what aspects of their performance will be evaluated, such as problem-solving approach, code functionality, and communication skills.

Facilitating the Coding Session:

Create a comfortable environment: Put the candidate at ease by establishing a friendly and professional atmosphere.
Encourage questions and clarifications: It’s important for the candidate to fully understand the problem before diving in.
Offer guidance, not solutions: Strike a balance between observing and assisting. You can offer hints or ask clarifying questions to nudge their thought process, but avoid giving away the solution entirely.

Guiding Candidates Through Challenges:

Focus on problem-solving skills: Observe how the candidate approaches challenges, breaks down problems, and communicates their thought process as they code.
Manage time constraints: Allocate enough time for the candidate to understand the problem, write code, and potentially test their solution. If they get stuck, offer gentle nudges to keep the interview moving forward without giving away the answer.

Post-Interview:

Providing Feedback to Candidates:

Timely communication is essential: Aim to provide feedback to the candidate as soon as possible after the interview, even if they’re not moving forward in the process.
Focus on constructive criticism: Offer specific and actionable feedback on their performance. Highlight areas where they excelled and suggest areas for improvement.
Maintain a positive relationship: Regardless of the outcome, thank the candidate for their time and interest in the position.

Reflecting on Interview Outcomes for Process Improvement:

Analyze interview effectiveness: Review the interview with the assigned interviewer(s). Discuss how the coding challenge worked, if the difficulty level was appropriate, and if the evaluation criteria were clear.
Gather candidate feedback (optional): Consider sending a brief survey to candidates after the interview to gather their feedback on the live coding experience. This can provide valuable insights for improving your future live coding interviews.

By following these steps and best practices, you can ensure your live coding interviews are a valuable tool for effectively assessing technical talent and identifying the perfect fit for your team.

Assessing the Candidate After a Live Coding Interview

So, you’ve conducted a successful live coding interview. Now comes the crucial step: evaluating the candidate’s performance. Here’s how to ensure a well-rounded assessment that goes beyond just the code itself:

Evaluating Coding Skills:

Assessing code quality and correctness: This is a core aspect. Did the code function as intended? Was it well-structured, readable, and easy to understand?
Reviewing problem-solving approach: Observe how the candidate approached the challenge. Did they break down the problem logically? Did they consider different solutions or edge cases?
Code efficiency and optimization: While not always essential, depending on the role, consider if the candidate’s code could be optimized for better performance or memory usage.

Soft Skills Evaluation:

Live coding interviews are a great opportunity to assess not just technical skills, but also a candidate’s soft skills:

Communication during the interview: Did the candidate explain their thought process clearly? Were they able to ask relevant questions and effectively communicate their ideas?
Collaboration and adaptability: Observe how the candidate interacts with the interviewer. Did they demonstrate a willingness to collaborate and adapt their approach based on feedback or suggestions?
Learning agility: Pay attention to how the candidate handles challenges. Do they approach difficulties with a willingness to learn and overcome obstacles?

Feedback and Decision Making:

Providing constructive feedback to candidates: Regardless of the outcome, offer feedback to the candidate. Highlight their strengths and provide specific areas for improvement observed during the live coding session.
Making hiring decisions based on interview performance: Use the evaluation from the live coding interview alongside the candidate’s overall application and interview performance to make informed hiring decisions. Consider not just the technical skills demonstrated, but also the candidate’s cultural fit and potential for growth within your team.

By following these steps, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the candidate’s technical abilities and soft skills. This will allow you to make data-driven decisions and identify the top talent who can not only solve coding challenges but also thrive in your work environment.

Final Thoughts: Building a Strong Talent Pipeline with Live Coding Interviews

In today’s competitive tech landscape, finding the perfect candidate with the right blend of technical skills and soft skills is crucial. Live coding interviews have emerged as a powerful tool to assess a candidate’s problem-solving abilities, coding proficiency, and overall technical aptitude in a real-time setting.

By incorporating these strategies into your tech recruiting process:

Crafting well-defined coding challenges: Tailor them to the specific role and consider offering varying difficulty levels.
Conducting effective live coding interviews: Set clear expectations, provide a conducive environment, and use standardized evaluation criteria.
Assessing beyond the code: Evaluate not just technical skills but also communication, collaboration, and learning agility.

Live coding interviews, when implemented effectively, can become a game-changer in your talent acquisition strategy.

Don’t wait any longer! Start leveraging live coding interviews today to identify top technical talent who can make a significant contribution to your team’s success. Build a strong talent pipeline and ensure your organization has a steady stream of qualified individuals ready to take on new challenges and drive innovation.

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Revolutionizing Mobile Talent Hiring: The HackerEarth Advantage

The demand for mobile applications is exploding, but finding and verifying developers with proven, real-world skills is more difficult than ever. Traditional assessment methods often fall short, failing to replicate the complexities of modern mobile development.

Introducing a New Era in Mobile Assessment

At HackerEarth, we're closing this critical gap with two groundbreaking features, seamlessly integrated into our Full Stack IDE:

Now, assess mobile developers in their true native environment. Our enhanced Full Stack questions now offer full support for both Java and Kotlin, the core languages powering the Android ecosystem. This allows you to evaluate candidates on authentic, real-world app development skills, moving beyond theoretical knowledge to practical application.

Say goodbye to setup drama and tool-switching. Candidates can now build, test, and debug Android and React Native applications directly within the browser-based IDE. This seamless, in-browser experience provides a true-to-life evaluation, saving valuable time for both candidates and your hiring team.

Assess the Skills That Truly Matter

With native Android support, your assessments can now delve into a candidate's ability to write clean, efficient, and functional code in the languages professional developers use daily. Kotlin's rapid adoption makes proficiency in it a key indicator of a forward-thinking candidate ready for modern mobile development.

Breakup of Mobile development skills ~95% of mobile app dev happens through Java and Kotlin — This chart illustrates the importance of assessing proficiency in both modern (Kotlin) and established (Java) codebases.

Streamlining Your Assessment Workflow

The integrated mobile emulator fundamentally transforms the assessment process. By eliminating the friction of fragmented toolchains and complex local setups, we enable a faster, more effective evaluation and a superior candidate experience.

Old Fragmented Way vs. The New, Integrated Way — Visualize the stark difference: Our streamlined workflow removes technical hurdles, allowing candidates to focus purely on demonstrating their coding and problem-solving abilities.

Quantifiable Impact on Hiring Success

A seamless and authentic assessment environment isn't just a convenience, it's a powerful catalyst for efficiency and better hiring outcomes. By removing technical barriers, candidates can focus entirely on demonstrating their skills, leading to faster submissions and higher-quality signals for your recruiters and hiring managers.

A Better Experience for Everyone

Our new features are meticulously designed to benefit the entire hiring ecosystem:

For Recruiters & Hiring Managers:

Accurately assess real-world development skills.
Gain deeper insights into candidate proficiency.
Hire with greater confidence and speed.
Reduce candidate drop-off from technical friction.

For Candidates:

Enjoy a seamless, efficient assessment experience.
No need to switch between different tools or manage complex setups.
Focus purely on showcasing skills, not environment configurations.
Work in a powerful, professional-grade IDE.

Unlock a New Era of Mobile Talent Assessment

Stop guessing and start hiring the best mobile developers with confidence. Explore how HackerEarth can transform your tech recruiting.

A New Era of Code

Vibe coding is a new method of using natural language prompts and AI tools to generate code. I have seen firsthand that this change makes software more accessible to everyone. In the past, being able to produce functional code was a strong advantage for developers. Today, when code is produced quickly through AI, the true value lies in designing, refining, and optimizing systems. Our role now goes beyond writing code; we must also ensure that our systems remain efficient and reliable.

From Machine Language to Natural Language

I recall the early days when every line of code was written manually. We progressed from machine language to high-level programming, and now we are beginning to interact with our tools using natural language. This development does not only increase speed but also changes how we approach problem solving. Product managers can now create working demos in hours instead of weeks, and founders have a clearer way of pitching their ideas with functional prototypes. It is important for us to rethink our role as developers and focus on architecture and system design rather than simply on typing c

The Promise and the Pitfalls

I have experienced both sides of vibe coding. In cases where the goal was to build a quick prototype or a simple internal tool, AI-generated code provided impressive results. Teams have been able to test new ideas and validate concepts much faster. However, when it comes to more complex systems that require careful planning and attention to detail, the output from AI can be problematic. I have seen situations where AI produces large volumes of code that become difficult to manage without significant human intervention.

AI-powered coding tools like GitHub Copilot and AWS’s Q Developer have demonstrated significant productivity gains. For instance, at the National Australia Bank, it’s reported that half of the production code is generated by Q Developer, allowing developers to focus on higher-level problem-solving . Similarly, platforms like Lovable enable non-coders to build viable tech businesses using natural language prompts, contributing to a shift where AI-generated code reduces the need for large engineering teams. However, there are challenges. AI-generated code can sometimes be verbose or lack the architectural discipline required for complex systems. While AI can rapidly produce prototypes or simple utilities, building large-scale systems still necessitates experienced engineers to refine and optimize the code.

The Economic Impact

The democratization of code generation is altering the economic landscape of software development. As AI tools become more prevalent, the value of average coding skills may diminish, potentially affecting salaries for entry-level positions. Conversely, developers who excel in system design, architecture, and optimization are likely to see increased demand and compensation.
Seizing the Opportunity

Vibe coding is most beneficial in areas such as rapid prototyping and building simple applications or internal tools. It frees up valuable time that we can then invest in higher-level tasks such as system architecture, security, and user experience. When used in the right context, AI becomes a helpful partner that accelerates the development process without replacing the need for skilled engineers.

This is revolutionizing our craft, much like the shift from machine language to assembly to high-level languages did in the past. AI can churn out code at lightning speed, but remember, “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” Use AI for rapid prototyping, but it’s your expertise that transforms raw output into robust, scalable software. By honing our skills in design and architecture, we ensure our work remains impactful and enduring. Let’s continue to learn, adapt, and build software that stands the test of time.

Ready to streamline your recruitment process? Get a free demo to explore cutting-edge solutions and resources for your hiring needs.

What is Systems Design?

Systems Design is an all encompassing term which encapsulates both frontend and backend components harmonized to define the overall architecture of a product.

Designing robust and scalable systems requires a deep understanding of application, architecture and their underlying components like networks, data, interfaces and modules.

Systems Design, in its essence, is a blueprint of how software and applications should work to meet specific goals. The multi-dimensional nature of this discipline makes it open-ended – as there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to a system design problem.

What is a System Design Interview?

Conducting a System Design interview requires recruiters to take an unconventional approach and look beyond right or wrong answers. Recruiters should aim for evaluating a candidate’s ‘systemic thinking’ skills across three key aspects:

How they navigate technical complexity and navigate uncertainty
How they meet expectations of scale, security and speed
How they focus on the bigger picture without losing sight of details

This assessment of the end-to-end thought process and a holistic approach to problem-solving is what the interview should focus on.

What are some common topics for a System Design Interview

System design interview questions are free-form and exploratory in nature where there is no right or best answer to a specific problem statement. Here are some common questions:

How would you approach the design of a social media app or video app?

What are some ways to design a search engine or a ticketing system?

How would you design an API for a payment gateway?

What are some trade-offs and constraints you will consider while designing systems?

What is your rationale for taking a particular approach to problem solving?

Usually, interviewers base the questions depending on the organization, its goals, key competitors and a candidate’s experience level.

For senior roles, the questions tend to focus on assessing the computational thinking, decision making and reasoning ability of a candidate. For entry level job interviews, the questions are designed to test the hard skills required for building a system architecture.

The Difference between a System Design Interview and a Coding Interview

If a coding interview is like a map that takes you from point A to Z – a systems design interview is like a compass which gives you a sense of the right direction.

Here are three key difference between the two:

Coding challenges follow a linear interviewing experience i.e. candidates are given a problem and interaction with recruiters is limited. System design interviews are more lateral and conversational, requiring active participation from interviewers.

Coding interviews or challenges focus on evaluating the technical acumen of a candidate whereas systems design interviews are oriented to assess problem solving and interpersonal skills.

Coding interviews are based on a right/wrong approach with ideal answers to problem statements while a systems design interview focuses on assessing the thought process and the ability to reason from first principles.

How to Conduct an Effective System Design Interview

One common mistake recruiters make is that they approach a system design interview with the expectations and preparation of a typical coding interview.
Here is a four step framework technical recruiters can follow to ensure a seamless and productive interview experience:

Step 1: Understand the subject at hand

Develop an understanding of basics of system design and architecture
Familiarize yourself with commonly asked systems design interview questions
Read about system design case studies for popular applications
Structure the questions and problems by increasing magnitude of difficulty

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

Plan the extent of the topics and scope of discussion in advance
Clearly define the evaluation criteria and communicate expectations
Quantify constraints, inputs, boundaries and assumptions
Establish the broader context and a detailed scope of the exercise

Step 3: Stay actively involved

Ask follow-up questions to challenge a solution
Probe candidates to gauge real-time logical reasoning skills
Make it a conversation and take notes of important pointers and outcomes
Guide candidates with hints and suggestions to steer them in the right direction

Step 4: Be a collaborator

Encourage candidates to explore and consider alternative solutions
Work with the candidate to drill the problem into smaller tasks
Provide context and supporting details to help candidates stay on track
Ask follow-up questions to learn about the candidate’s experience

Technical recruiters and hiring managers should aim for providing an environment of positive reinforcement, actionable feedback and encouragement to candidates.

Evaluation Rubric for Candidates

Facilitate Successful System Design Interview Experiences with FaceCode

FaceCode, HackerEarth’s intuitive and secure platform, empowers recruiters to conduct system design interviews in a live coding environment with HD video chat.

FaceCode comes with an interactive diagram board which makes it easier for interviewers to assess the design thinking skills and conduct communication assessments using a built-in library of diagram based questions.

With FaceCode, you can combine your feedback points with AI-powered insights to generate accurate, data-driven assessment reports in a breeze. Plus, you can access interview recordings and transcripts anytime to recall and trace back the interview experience.

Learn how FaceCode can help you conduct system design interviews and boost your hiring efficiency.

How To Use Live Coding Interviews in Tech Recruiting?