[nv-vn]

That mindset pisses me off so much. Every time someone asks me about advice for an interview and I don't mention doing hours of leetcode studying they accuse me of lying and trying to sabotage them because _obviously_ the only way to pass an interview is to memorize every possible question the interview can ask! It's so crazy to me how people think this and then I'll sit down with them for a mock interview and watch them completely stop communicating or treat me like I'm a binary switch that only comes on when they have the optimal solution.

[lmilcin]

Nothing to be pissed about. You are correct and so are interviewers.

Interviewers and interviewees have different incentives.

My job as an interviewer is to see through bullshit as efficiently as possible and decide on some realistic compromise when selecting candidates.

I also sometimes look for job myself. Technically, I could go with the flow and do whatever other candidates are doing. But I don't want to and I don't need to. I have over two decades of both development and interviewing experience and I know that just being myself and not trying to impress anybody is already going to impress interviewers a lot.

I gladly offer information about which parts of the requirement I am lacking and also I will immediately say that I don't know something when I don't -- without trying to impress on the interviewer that I know more than in reality. This alone lets me stand out from other candidates.

There is one more reason not to try to game the process. It is the most important one. I want to be building trust with my manager from day one. Misleading about my knowledge and experience is best way to immediately taint that cooperation.