Interviewing At Stash

Interviewing At Stash Below is an article originally written by Kahne Raja, Lead Engineer at PowerToFly Partner Stash, and published on March 26, 2018. Go to Stashs page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn mora.Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowellClean Code A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Uncle BobExtreme Programming Explained by Kent BeckStash Invest Careers. Join usIf you love clean code and you want to help disrupt the fintech industry, then look no further Recently, we here at Stash have upped our recruitment game. Over the past few months, Ive seen the company ersatzdarsteller with an outstanding crew of new engineers who truly care about what they do and how they do it. We are dealing with scale issues on all fronts and we need your helpThe mission at Stash is clear. Build financial systems that work for everyone not just the wealthy.Its a big challenge and we have a long way to go. A big part of that is growing the team with the right people.As an engineer at Stash myself, I regularly host technical interviews. Here are some of my notes on what it takes to pass our first stage code pairing challenge.Back to basics.Interview preparation takes weeks even months. Do it in batches and do it well. Enjoy the nostalgia. Enjoy the beauty of math.Your regular tech work life patterns and practices are important but quite often they are not so helpful when doing interviews. Here are some ideas to help you prepare for the engineering interview at StashRead Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell.Read Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck.Watch as much Uncle Bob talking about SOLID principles as possible.Ask a friend to test you at a whiteboard over lunch.Choose a language and get comfortable with it (without an IDE).Our first line of code.When I sit down with you to pair online coderpad, this is what I am looking forA focus on data structures and algorithms.At lea st one passing unit test.A simplification of complex ideas.I want you to start by slicing off a single conditional in two to three lines of code. Something we can compile, run, test, and discuss.Example challenge Leap Year.Problem statement write a function that returns true or false depending on whether its input integer is a leap year or not. If we can get to this place within a few minutes, that is a great start We should then be able to complete a number of variations within 10 to 20 lines of code.Try to avoid spending too much time on the followingWeb app / CRUD design patterns like Controllers and Repositories.Database structures and persistence strategies.Language comparisons and platform specific features.Scorecard.After each interview, I assess candidates on the following metrics. Ability to think on your feet, communication, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, debugging, speed, management of competing priorities, organizational skill s, and test driven.Following this initial online code pairing session, youll be invited in for a half day session with a number of colleagues.At Stash, extreme programming and solid principles are at the heart of what we do. We move fast and embrace change.Please dont hesitate to hit me up on twitter kahneraja. Im always happy to help a candidate get ready for an awesome new career at Stash. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive neuerung and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.