Rethinking Tech Interviews: Why Teams Should Let Candidates Use Google and ChatGPT
Tech interviewing isn’t working like we need it to in the modern software development industry. This isn't a new opinion, but it's one that continues to hold true despite years of frustration from candidates and hiring managers alike. One of the biggest problems is hiring managers’ and peer interviewers’ insistence on making candidates solve complex coding challenges from memory, whether on a whiteboard or in an online coding editor, without any external resources. Raise your hand if you saw interview feedback from one of your team members negatively saying, “I think they were looking up answers on Google” during the Zoom interview era. I thought so.
The practice of making candidates solve complex coding challenges from memory is outdated and doesn't reflect how engineers work in the real world. It’s time to do something different.
The Problem with the "From Scratch" Mentality
Historically, technical interviews have been designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to recall and implement algorithms from memory. The conventional wisdom is that if you can't write a depth-first search or implement a linked list on a whiteboard without assistance, you're not qualified for the job. As a result, candidates have adapted by investing countless hours in rote memorization of well-known problems, often cramming hundreds of LeetCode questions in preparation for interviews Indeed, an entire cottage industry has developed around coding interview preparation.
Coding challenges, in general, probably aren’t the best way to evaluate candidates. In fact, in a previous blog post, I suggested some alternative questions that tech interviewers might use, such as scenario-based problem-solving and system design discussions. However, if we really must use coding challenges with the idea that they are a proxy for the ability to write solid code, then we should change our approach:
Instead of forcing candidates to work in an artificial environment, we should allow—and even encourage—them to use modern tools during technical interviews.
Software engineering is not about memorization. It's about problem-solving, critical thinking, and leveraging available tools to deliver solutions efficiently. In the real world, no developer writes code in isolation from memory; they use search engines, documentation, Stack Overflow, and more recently, AI coding assistants like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot to get their work done. By denying candidates access to these resources during interviews, we aren't testing their true abilities—we're testing their ability to memorize and regurgitate algorithmic trivia.
A Better Approach: Embracing Modern Tools Head-On
Instead of forcing candidates to work in an artificial environment (or downgrading them when someone suspects they might be googling the answers), we should allow them to use modern tools during technical interviews. This means giving them access to Google, ChatGPT, Copilot, IDE tools, and other resources they would normally use on the job. Doing so would provide a much clearer picture of how they:
Research and gather information – Can they quickly find relevant solutions and apply them effectively?
Evaluate and adapt code – Do they understand the suggestions provided by AI tools and know how to integrate them properly?
Think critically – How do they assess the trade-offs of different solutions and tailor them to fit the given problem?
Collaborate with technology – Can they use tools to enhance their workflow without blindly copying answers?
Identify and fix bugs – Are they able to detect bugs or missing error handling in partial solutions they find online and correct them effectively?
This approach aligns interview conditions with the actual work environment, making it easier to assess candidates based on the skills that demonstrate how they will work every day on your team, solving problems for your business.
Benefits of Allowing Tools for the Hiring Team
By incorporating tools like Google and ChatGPT into the interview process, we as engineering leaders and hiring managers can achieve several benefits:
More Realistic Assessments – Candidates are judged on their actual day-to-day problem-solving abilities rather than artificial constraints.
Reduced Stress and Bias – Removing the pressure to memorize hundreds of algorithms levels the playing field and allows a more diverse range of candidates to succeed.
Faster Evaluation – Hiring managers can focus on high-level skills such as critical thinking, system design, and communication, rather than nitpicking syntax errors.
Increased Hiring Success – By understanding how a candidate truly works, companies can make better hiring decisions, reducing turnover and improving team fit.
Potential Objections and Overcoming Them
Sounds great, right? But if you are a hiring manager taking this to your executive or engineering leadership, they might push back since the traditional style of tech interviewing is so deeply ingrained in many organization’s cultures.
Some might worry that candidates could become overly reliant on tools, but the reality is that experienced engineers know how to use these resources effectively without blindly copying code. They leverage tools to enhance their problem-solving capabilities, much like any other professional utilizes the best available instruments available in their field.
Others might argue that allowing tools could encourage dependency or even plagiarism. However, this concern can be mitigated by designing interview questions that require critical thinking, creativity, and understanding beyond mere code replication. By focusing on open-ended problems and real-world scenarios, we can see how candidates apply their knowledge and integrate tools to craft thoughtful, original solutions.
Finally, there is a concern that reliance on resources like Google and ChatGPT might mask a lack of foundational knowledge. To counter this, we can include stages in the interview where fundamental concepts of computer science and software engineering are also assessed, ensuring a balanced evaluation of a candidate's capabilities.
Addressing these concerns head-on not only strengthens the case for modernizing tech interviews but also reassures stakeholders that the process is rigorous, fair, and reflective of actual job conditions.
Time to Fix Tech Interviews
It's long past time we acknowledge that tech interviewing needs a radical shift. Allowing candidates to use the same tools they rely on in their jobs is a simple but powerful step toward making the hiring process fairer, more effective, and better aligned with reality.
If you're preparing for interviews and want to learn how to best leverage modern tools to demonstrate your abilities, or if you're a tech executive or manager looking to improve your software engineering hiring processes, I can help. Let's work together to build a better system for everyone.
