A friend of mine recently joined a zoho company as an engineering manager, and found themselves in the position of recruiting for engineering candidates.

We caught up.

“Well,” I laughed when they inquired about the possibility of me joining the team, “I’m not sure I’ll pass the interviews, but of course I’d love to work with you again! I’ll think about it.”

“That’s the same thing X and Y both said,” they told me, referring to other engineers we had worked with together. “They both said they weren’t qualified.”

I nodded in understanding, but a part of my mind was also wincing. Those other engineers my friend referred to were solid senior engineers — great communicators, collaborators, and great at solving technical problems. We both knew this, since we had all worked together for almost two years.

But could they pass the interview bar for the company my friend had recently joined? The outcome could be a coin toss. “Well,” my friend allowed, “my advice would be to do a little practice first. Get some interviews in at other companies, too; don’t go in cold.”

And such is the reality of an experienced programmer looking to find a new job.

Why do experienced programmers fail at interviews?

Here are my musings.

1. Interview Format Mismatch
2. Nervousness and Performance Anxiety
3. Outdated Knowledge
4. Misalignment of Skills and Job Requirements
5. Cultural Fit and Communication
6. Overconfidence or Under-preparation
7. Bias and Perception
8. Evaluation Inconsistencies

Understanding these challenges can help experienced programmers better prepare for interviews and align their expectations with the process.