HACKER Q&A
📣 notdesperate

3rd party recruiter might have given me the interview questions


I'm searching for a software engineering job. I'm working with a third party recruiter on one role that is interesting to me, but I'm not that excited about it (it's currently my last choice, but, maybe I'll feel differently after this round).

This recruiter sent me some "prep" for the on-site round. It's a short list of questions. Like, round by round, here are the 1-2 questions. Including coding and system design rounds.

I did read the questions (fwiw I didn't need to -- if these questions were to be asked, I'd crush them either way). It didn't occur to me until I'd finished the document to ask myself:

- where did these come from? - who else has been given these before the round?

And from there arises the ethical dilemma. It feels like cheating. How would you handle this?

  👤 martinaperez Accepted Answer ✓
Sometimes employers might offer a list of questions to their possible employees so they can better prepare for the interview. The job interview itself is not only about questions, so even if this were the list of the same questions you would be asked, it still would not guarantee you would get a job. It’s not like an exam; it’s more complex. For instance, you can easily find a list of questions you might be asked at a job interview in an investment bank: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/resources/interviews/investm.... these questions were not leaked, and this information is not illegal. They are there to help you be better prepared for the interview, that’s all.
👤 bell-cot
Hmm. Your "last choice" job. Which {cough} the morally-challenged recruiter would {cough} never have stooped to misrepresenting to you.

I'd be looking for plausible "other" reasons to cross that one off my list. And, if that employer looks otherwise classy & respectable, for some way to drop them a tip about their recruiter problem.