Re: Not knowing how to look can make it hard to find
Our interviews are very real-world, and of course still many people don't make the grade.
I'm sure I wouldn't. I have software deployed in C, C++, C#, Go, Python, SQL92, JavaScript, TypeScript and Kotlin on 4 different embedded ARM architectures plus Linux, Windows and FreeRTOS.
Can I remember the exact syntax, APIs, class libraries etc for all of them off the top of my head? Of course not.
Absolutely, and what about me saying our interviews are very real-world made you think I'd expect you to know all the syntax etc?
In the real world, people use Google. They look at books. They ask people for help. No, we don't let people use Google in our interviews but we do give people help and drop clues. It tells you more if someone can pick up on a clue and run with it rather than stare at you blankly (or argue that your clue is wrong). If someone says "I'm not sure but I'd look it up" I'd ask them what they would look up - it's no good searching Google if you don't know what you are searching for. It's no good reading an answer on StackOverflow if you can't understand it and tell the good answers from the bad ones - so we give people code to read and ask them to find what's wrong with it, and why. Would this code work? Could it be done better a different way? What do you mean by "better"?
etc
Still, I've had more than one candidate who couldn't write a 'for' loop without help...that much I do expect you to know, in at least one language...