Bengaluru techie recounts candidate with 13 years’ experience failing basic coding test: “Now he’ll blame the job market

In the fast-moving world of tech hiring, even candidates with long careers can stumble on fundamental skills.Monica, a software professional based in Bengaluru, shared her experience on X (formerly Twitter). (Pexels/Representational Image)A recent post from Bengaluru has sparked conversations online after a seasoned professional with 13 years of experience struggled with simple programming and database tasks.Monica, a software professional based in Bengaluru, shared her experience on X (formerly Twitter).She described interviewing a candidate with 13 years of work experience who could not solve a basic sliding window problem or write a simple SQL query.”Just took an interview of a guy with 13 years of experience. He couldn’t write a basic sliding window problem or a simple SQL query,” she wrote.“Now he’ll blame the job market,” Monica adds.Experienced techie struggles with basics:The post quickly drew attention, with many users commenting on the mismatch between claimed experience and actual skills.In software development, algorithm questions like sliding window problems test logical thinking and problem-solving, while SQL queries check basic data handling abilities. Struggling with such questions raised concerns about upskilling and maintaining core competencies, even after a decade or more in the industry.HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when she responds.Also Read: Founder fires top engineer after AI-built feature raised data security concerns: ‘He was terminated within the hour’Check out the post here:Here’s how people reacted to the post:X users reacted strongly to the post, with many highlighting the mismatch between claimed experience and actual skills.Some shared their own hiring stories where seasoned candidates struggled with basic coding, while others debated whether years in the industry guarantee proficiency.A few users suggested that the candidate might benefit from upskilling, and several highlighted that rapid changes in technology make continuous learning essential.One of the users commented, “This should not be asked from 13 years of experience; these are entry-level questions.”Also Read: Techie left speechless when asked to explain AI-generated code he submitted in PR: ‘There was a long pause’A second user commented, “You are expecting a senior developer or an architect to memorize the sliding window problem or a simple SQL query before the interview?”A third user commented, “Are interviews still being done where the candidate is asked to write code? I thought AI had solved that problem.”“This is very common. I took an interview with a person with more than 5 years of experience and multiple certs. Could not write a basic group ,” another user commented.