How Technical Interviews Are Actually Changing
The standard whiteboard coding interview is losing ground. Here's what's actually replacing it.
The traditional format of solving abstract algorithm puzzles on a whiteboard has faced growing criticism for testing memorized patterns rather than real job skills, pushing companies to experiment with alternatives.
What's replacing the whiteboard
Take-home projects that resemble actual work, paired programming sessions where a candidate collaborates with an interviewer, and system design discussions focused on real trade-offs are all becoming more common alternatives or additions to algorithmic puzzles.
Why AI coding tools complicate this further
With AI assistants now capable of solving many standard interview questions instantly, some companies have shifted toward in-person, supervised coding sessions or discussions probing how a candidate reasons through a problem, not just whether they arrive at a correct answer.