Coding Interviews:

When you're stepping in to lead a team, the coding interviews you conduct are a critical touchpoint. They're an opportunity to assess talent, but just as importantly, they're a reflection of your leadership style, technical competence, and the kind of environment you aim to build. Projecting professionalism and ensuring the process is transparent and fair is key to avoiding suspicion and building trust from day one.

I. Setting the Stage: Pre-Interview Professionalism

Technical & Logistical Readiness:

• Do: Master Your Tools: Be thoroughly familiar with the collaborative coding platform (e.g., CoderPad, HackerRank, shared IDE), video conferencing software, and any other tools you'll use. Test everything from your end – audio, video, screen sharing, and the coding environment itself.
  Why it matters: Fumbling with tools looks unprepared and can frustrate candidates.
• Do: Prepare Relevant & Standardized Questions: Design coding problems that are relevant to the work the team does or the skills required. Have a clear problem statement and examples. For fairness, try to use a similar level of difficulty and type of question for candidates interviewing for the same role.
  Why it matters: Irrelevant or "trick" questions can seem unprofessional or raise suspicion about your understanding of the role. Inconsistency breeds unfairness.
• Do: Define Clear Evaluation Criteria: Have a rubric or a clear set of criteria for what you're assessing (e.g., problem-solving approach, code clarity, efficiency, testing, communication).
  Why it matters: This promotes objectivity and helps you provide consistent evaluations, which is vital when building a team.
• Avoid: Last-Minute Scrambling: Don’t prepare questions or test your setup minutes before the interview.

Communicating Your Role (Subtly):

• Do: Briefly Introduce Yourself & Your Vision (Contextual): As someone new taking over, a brief, confident introduction about your role and perhaps a high-level, positive remark about your vision for the team can help establish your leadership.
  Why it matters: It provides context to the candidate and shows you're thoughtful about the team's direction.
• Avoid: Over-Sharing or Focusing on Problems: Don't dwell on past team issues or overly detailed future plans not relevant to the candidate's role. Keep it concise and positive.

II. During the Coding Interview: Projecting Fairness & Competence

Environment & Demeanor:

• Do: Maintain a Professional Environment: All the previous advice on good lighting, a clean background, clear audio (use a good headset/mic), and professional attire applies. Ensure you won't be interrupted.
  Why it matters: This shows respect for the candidate's time and the seriousness of the process.
• Do: Be Punctual & Respectful: Start on time. Introduce yourself clearly. Be polite, attentive, and create a welcoming atmosphere. Remember, candidates are often nervous.
  Why it matters: Professional courtesy is fundamental. Making candidates feel comfortable can lead to a more accurate assessment of their abilities.
• Do: Explain the Process Clearly: Outline the interview structure, how much time they have, what you're looking for (e.g., "I'm interested in your thought process, so please think aloud"), and how interaction will work (e.g., "Feel free to ask clarifying questions").
  Why it matters: Transparency reduces anxiety and helps candidates perform their best. It shows you have a structured approach.

Conducting the Technical Assessment:

• Do: Focus on Problem-Solving, Not Just the "Right Answer": Encourage candidates to talk through their approach. Ask probing questions like "What are the trade-offs with that approach?" or "How would you test this?"
  Why it matters: This reveals their thinking, which is often more important than just memorizing solutions. It avoids the suspicion of a "quiz" rather than an assessment.
• Do: Be an Active & Engaged Listener: Pay full attention. Don't type loudly (if taking notes, mention it briefly: "I'll be taking some notes as we go") or appear distracted.
  Why it matters: Shows respect and genuine interest in the candidate's abilities.
• Do: Provide Clarification When Needed: If a candidate misunderstands the problem, gently clarify. The goal is to assess their skills, not their mind-reading ability.
  Why it matters: Ensures they're solving the intended problem.
• Do: Manage Time Effectively: Keep an eye on the clock. If a candidate is going down a completely wrong path for too long, you might gently guide them back or transition if time is short.
  Why it matters: Respects everyone's time and ensures you cover what you need to.
• Avoid: Interrupting Constantly or Being Condescending: Let the candidate think and speak. Avoid any comments or tones that could be perceived as arrogant or dismissive. Never belittle a candidate's approach, even if it's incorrect.
  Why it matters: This is highly unprofessional and can quickly create a negative reputation for you and the company.
• Avoid: "Gotcha" Questions or Unrealistic Expectations: The goal is to see how they approach realistic problems.
  Why it matters: Builds suspicion that you're trying to make candidates fail rather than genuinely assess them.
• Avoid: Having a Pre-conceived "Perfect" Solution: Be open to different valid approaches. If a candidate offers a novel but correct solution, acknowledge it.
  Why it matters: Shows you're adaptable and value diverse thinking, not just adherence to your own preferred method.

Wrapping Up:

• Do: Allow Time for Candidate Questions: This is a crucial part of the interview for them to assess you and the team. Answer genuinely.
  Why it matters: Shows respect and offers transparency. Their questions can also be insightful.
• Do: Explain Next Steps & Timelines: Let them know what to expect regarding feedback or the next stage.
  Why it matters: Professional courtesy and manages expectations.

III. Post-Interview: Maintaining Integrity

• Do: Evaluate Based on Pre-defined Criteria: Refer back to your rubric to ensure fairness and consistency in your evaluations across candidates.
  Why it matters: This is key to avoiding bias and suspicion of favoritism or arbitrary decision-making.
• Do: Keep Notes Objective: Focus on observed behaviors and skills rather than subjective feelings.
  Why it matters: Important for fair comparisons and if feedback needs to be reviewed later.
• Avoid: Discussing Candidates Inappropriately: Maintain confidentiality and professionalism in how you discuss candidates with other stakeholders.

By thoughtfully managing your technical setup and interview conduct, especially when new to a leadership role, you project competence, fairness, and respect. This not only helps you hire the best talent but also starts building a positive foundation for your new team.