At Buffer, we’ve made a deliberate choice to take a different approach when it comes to hiring for technical roles: we don’t conduct traditional technical interviews. While technical interviews are a standard practice in many tech companies, we believe that they don’t always reflect the reality of a candidate’s day-to-day work or their ability to thrive in our unique company culture. Here’s why we’ve opted for a more holistic and human-centered hiring process, and how it benefits both our team and the candidates we hire.
1. Technical Interviews Don’t Reflect Real-World Work
Traditional technical interviews often involve candidates solving algorithmic problems or completing coding challenges under intense time constraints. While these exercises might assess problem-solving skills, they don’t necessarily reflect the actual work that engineers do on a daily basis at Buffer.
What we do instead: We focus on evaluating a candidate’s ability to contribute to real projects and collaborate with the team. This means more practical, hands-on tasks, like working on a small project that resembles actual work they’d do at Buffer, giving us a clearer picture of their technical skills in a real-world context.
Why it doesn’t work: The pressure of performing in a live technical interview setting rarely mirrors the collaborative, thoughtful, and iterative nature of the development work that engineers encounter in the real world. At Buffer, we value thoughtful code, long-term solutions, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving—things that aren’t easily measured in a high-stress technical interview.
A programming language is for thinking about programs, not for expressing programs you’ve already thought of. It should be a pencil, not a pen.
2. We Value Collaborative Problem Solving Over Solo Performance
At Buffer, our team works together across time zones, sharing ideas and solving problems as a group. Our success is built on collaboration, communication, and a willingness to ask for help when needed. Traditional technical interviews, which tend to prioritize individual performance, don’t account for these essential skills.
- Why it doesn’t work: Technical interviews are typically designed to assess how a candidate performs under pressure, often in isolation. However, we believe that the ability to work well with others, ask questions, and iterate on solutions together is far more valuable in a team-oriented environment.
- What we do instead: We assess candidates’ communication and collaboration skills throughout the hiring process. This involves pairing them with team members to work through a practical coding task or project, where we can observe how they approach challenges, ask for feedback, and engage with the team.
3. Culture Fit and Values Alignment Matter More Than Algorithm Knowledge
At Buffer, our culture is at the heart of everything we do. We prioritize values like transparency, empathy, and self-improvement, and we want to ensure that anyone who joins the team shares these values. Technical skills are important, but a candidate’s ability to align with our culture and embrace our values is even more crucial.
- Why it matters: A brilliant engineer who isn’t a good cultural fit won’t thrive in our environment. We don’t just want someone who can write good code; we want someone who is aligned with our mission, can work well in a remote-first team, and is committed to personal and professional growth.
- What we do instead: Our interview process places significant emphasis on values alignment. We have open and candid conversations with candidates about our company values and how they approach teamwork, communication, and self-improvement. We look for individuals who can contribute to our culture and bring a positive, growth-oriented mindset to the team.
4. We Focus on Real-World Problem Solving, Not Abstract Puzzles
In many tech interviews, candidates are asked to solve abstract algorithm problems that are often unrelated to the actual role they’re applying for. While these challenges might measure problem-solving ability, they often don’t reflect the kind of practical problem-solving that engineers face in their jobs.
- Why it doesn’t work: Solving algorithm puzzles in a high-pressure setting doesn’t demonstrate a candidate’s ability to think creatively, debug code, or tackle the types of issues they’d encounter on the job. This approach can also unfairly disadvantage candidates who haven’t spent time preparing for these specific types of puzzles.
- What we do instead: We give candidates real-world tasks that resemble the work they’ll be doing at Buffer. This could involve fixing a bug, adding a feature to an existing project, or improving a part of our codebase. This allows candidates to demonstrate their technical abilities in a practical, realistic setting.
5. We Want to Remove Bias and Stress from the Interview Process
The traditional technical interview process can be inherently stressful and often introduces biases that don’t serve companies or candidates well. Interviews that involve solving problems on the spot can create unnecessary pressure, making it difficult to assess a candidate’s true abilities.
- Why it doesn’t work: Not every candidate performs well under pressure, and stress can skew the results of an interview, leading to the exclusion of great talent. Additionally, this approach may favor candidates who have had the privilege of formal education or access to certain resources, potentially introducing bias into the hiring process.
- What we do instead: We aim to create a comfortable, supportive interview environment where candidates can showcase their skills without unnecessary pressure. By focusing on practical projects and real-world tasks, we allow candidates to work at their own pace, reducing the anxiety often associated with technical interviews.
6. Our Approach Encourages Continuous Learning and Growth
At Buffer, we believe in the importance of continuous learning and growth, both professionally and personally. Instead of expecting candidates to know everything upfront or perform flawlessly in a technical interview, we prioritize a growth mindset and a willingness to learn.
- Why it matters: The tech industry is always evolving, and no one knows everything. What’s more important to us is whether a candidate is open to learning, improving their skills, and growing alongside the team. We want to hire people who are excited about expanding their knowledge and contributing to a dynamic, ever-changing environment.
- What we do instead: Throughout the hiring process, we ask candidates about their approach to learning, how they stay up-to-date with industry trends, and how they’ve navigated challenges in the past. We also look for individuals who are excited about joining a company that values continuous learning and personal growth.
Conclusion: A More Human Approach to Hiring
At Buffer, we’ve designed our hiring process to reflect our values of transparency, collaboration, and empathy. We believe that traditional technical interviews don’t align with these values, nor do they always predict success in real-world technical roles. Instead, we focus on practical, hands-on tasks, culture fit, and a supportive, stress-free environment.
By eliminating technical interviews and prioritizing a more human approach to hiring, we create a process that benefits both Buffer and our candidates. It allows us to find individuals who not only have the technical skills needed to succeed but who also align with our culture, values, and vision for the future. Ultimately, this leads to better hires, stronger teams, and a more fulfilling work environment for everyone.