Get a demo<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/coderpad.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/illustration-of-two-people-chatting-in-app-windows.png\")
\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n
Enormous benefits from going language-agnostic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Allowing candidates to choose their assessment language comes with a list of benefits, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Increased candidate pool \u2013 <\/strong>When you\u2019re not just limiting yourself to Java engineers or React developers, you can drastically increase the number of candidates who can take \u2013 and pass \u2013 your assessment.<\/li>
- Improved candidate experience \u2013 <\/strong>Candidates will have a more pleasant experience when they can code in a familiar language rather than one they\u2019re forced to use.<\/li>
- Better understand a candidate\u2019s problem-solving process \u2013 <\/strong>When candidates can focus on solving the issue at hand rather than the nuances of coding in an unfamiliar language, you can better see how they can work through a problem.<\/li>
- Question reusability \u2013 <\/strong>You won\u2019t need to rewrite the question for other languages.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Despite the benefits of language-agnostic programming questions, implementing them can be a little tricky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we\u2019ll show you precisely what you need to do to make them work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elements of a good language-agnostic question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some critical themes in the example above make this a good language-agnostic question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- It\u2019s \u201cgeneric\u201d enough that a candidate can code it in any language<\/strong> \u2013 For example, API and data visualization libraries are available in just about every language.<\/li>
- It\u2019s based on an actual business case<\/strong> \u2013 nothing turns a candidate off more than having to do a project that\u2019s completely unrelated to the work they\u2019d be doing on the job.<\/li>
- It\u2019s not an algorithm question<\/strong> \u2013 algorithm questions<\/a> are notorious for not really testing anything of importance. Instead, they just test a candidate\u2019s ability to memorize a not-often-used piece of university-level trivia.<\/li>
- It explains why knowing how to do this task is important<\/strong>\u2013 in this case, it\u2019s a standard feature request that directly helps our customers.<\/li>
- It emphasizes collaboration<\/strong> \u2013 By encouraging candidates to communicate issues they encounter, you create a greater rapport with them and improve the interview process. Additionally, the questions they ask will help clarify what areas they\u2019d need help with if they worked with you and what parts of the question you could communicate better. <\/li>
- It has criteria for success<\/strong> \u2013 The candidate knows what they need to do to complete the task. <\/li>
- All the resources are readily available<\/strong> \u2013 This includes links to documentation, request\/response code samples, or database schemas that a candidate would need to complete the task.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Language-agnostic programming interview question template with example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of the best types of questions that lends itself to a language-agnostic format is the use of APIs to process and\/or present data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, at CoderPad, we have an API that allows users to communicate with different pad-related resources<\/a> (like the pad itself, the question bank, and other data related to pad usage).<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe regularly get requests from customers asking to view data related to their CoderPad usage, so for us, an excellent business-related question for our candidates looks something like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n