I recently had an interview for a senior software engineering position at a well-known bank in the UK, primarily focused on React development. The interview was fairly straightforward until the last part, where I was asked to create components solely using HTML and JavaScript. They wanted me to fetch mock data from an endpoint and display it using card components, complete with edit functionality and the ability to save or cancel edits. I was thrown off by this request since it's been years since I've worked directly with pure JavaScript and DOM manipulation, especially given the evolution of frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue. I'm curious—does this approach still happen in interviews, and is it still relevant to ask candidates to build components in such an 'old-fashioned' way when frameworks are so prevalent?
4 Answers
As someone who's been in the industry for a while, I think it's reasonable for employers to want a solid grasp of core JavaScript fundamentals. They might be evaluating whether you're just relying on frameworks without understanding what's happening under the hood. That said, it does seem odd that the interview had such a large focus on this when most of the work would be in React. Maybe they are considering migrating away from it or have legacy systems to deal with?
Honestly, I think assessing core JS skills is totally valid, but there’s a time and place for it. If the job is primarily about working with frameworks, diving into pure JS under extreme pressure doesn't seem necessary. Perhaps discussing fundamental concepts would be more effective and less stressful.
Right! And it's all about how those questions are framed. Instead of just firing pressure-filled requests, a conversation that encourages explaining thought processes would showcase both understanding and practical skills.
It sounds like they were looking to differentiate between candidates who only know frameworks and those with a well-rounded skill set. A common practice is to test fundamental skills to see if someone can handle various tech stacks, including legacy code. Still, it seems a bit much to ask for a complete component build during an interview with time limits.
Exactly! Just walking through the logic and discussing how you'd approach it might showcase your problem-solving skills better without the pressure of coding something complicated.
I've encountered similar scenarios in interviews, where testers want to see if you can think critically and solve problems without relying solely on libraries. But being asked to do so without any resources feels unrealistic, especially for a senior role. It’s definitely a fine line between assessing core knowledge and stressing candidates out with unreasonable expectations.
Agreed! It’s more about understanding the concepts than memorizing APIs. If you're great with React, knowing the nuances of vanilla JS should at least come with some leeway in interviews.
Yeah, having a strong understanding of vanilla JavaScript is essential, especially when things go wrong with frameworks. But I wouldn't expect someone to come up with a complete solution on the spot—time constraints and stress can make that tricky.