Anyone applying for a junior position should expect to have skills matching or exceeding the other people applying for the same position. Saying candidates should get a free pass because of age sounds far more discriminatory than an even playing field.
If you've been in the industry for years, have a stalled career, and are looking down the ladder for a job is there a sinister bias against age, or are you just not qualified?
I didn’t say free pass. I didn’t say they shouldn’t have the skills needed to do the job. This is about CS trivia interviews, non-applicable to the job. In these cases, fresh graduates have an advantage.
I also never said that it is a "sinister bias". Are some of them not qualified? Obviously. But there are people who, believe it or not, are experienced and qualified but have other circumstances which force them to step down a rung on the corporate ladder.
As I have stated elsewhere, I don’t think this is a widespread problem. I certainly don’t think anyone should get a free pass.
From my other comment:
>The issue (again, my interpretation) is taking something that is taught in school, somewhat rarely applied in practice (or, is replaced by a tool/library/whatever in practice) and putting some sort of spin on it then expecting someone to be able to answer it. Or taking a problem which already has an industry-accepted solution and asking the candidate to remake the wheel in 30 minutes.
If your fresh out of school you're more likely to remember that one obscure class you took few months ago which covered some trick situation. Or you'll remember that class which taught you about that industry-accepted solution and the why behind it.
If you've been in the field for 15 years using some tool/library to solve the problem, you're less likely to remember that one obscure class you took 15 years ago which explained the origin. Or that class which covered the trick situations.
I didn’t say free pass. I didn’t say they shouldn’t have the skills needed to do the job. This is about CS trivia interviews, non-applicable to the job. In these cases, fresh graduates have an advantage.
And they are at a great disadvantage if they get a whiteboard architecture interview. If you want to apply for a job as a junior developer in an environment where they care about leetCode skills, you have to be willing to put in the effort. I am not willing to do so. Therefore I’ve optimized my skillset, my network and where I’ve chosen to live so I don’t have to.
I didn’t say free pass. I didn’t say they shouldn’t have the skills needed to do the job. This is about CS trivia interviews, non-applicable to the job. In these cases, fresh graduates have an advantage.
There are all loads of websites and books that can get you back up to speed with that if you need it.
If you've been in the industry for years, have a stalled career, and are looking down the ladder for a job is there a sinister bias against age, or are you just not qualified?