> Finding a whiteboard and brainstorming about how to solve a problem is absolutely part of the job.
But let's face it, this skill is trivial to an otherwise intelligent person, and it's not the reason whiteboard coding is done at the interviews. It is to assess one's problem solving or even specific coding skills. Unfortunately, in a nearly QM way, observation here affects the outcome.
I did partake in CS competitions at regional level and to me they are less stressful than whiteboard tests. There you just have a console or a sheet of paper and a few hours to hash it over. No 3 pairs of eyes staring at your back. Guess it's the same for many others: the thing that turns reading a figurative newspaper chess column into chessboxing tournament. One might be good at chess and OK in boxing, but not necessarily at the same time.
(and no, unfortunately I don't see a good way to fix this)
But let's face it, this skill is trivial to an otherwise intelligent person, and it's not the reason whiteboard coding is done at the interviews. It is to assess one's problem solving or even specific coding skills. Unfortunately, in a nearly QM way, observation here affects the outcome.
I did partake in CS competitions at regional level and to me they are less stressful than whiteboard tests. There you just have a console or a sheet of paper and a few hours to hash it over. No 3 pairs of eyes staring at your back. Guess it's the same for many others: the thing that turns reading a figurative newspaper chess column into chessboxing tournament. One might be good at chess and OK in boxing, but not necessarily at the same time.
(and no, unfortunately I don't see a good way to fix this)