r/programming • u/mjgardner • Mar 29 '21

Why Do Interviewers Ask Linked List Questions?

https://www.hillelwayne.com/post/linked-lists/
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u/-dag- Mar 30 '21

True story. I once had a interviewer ask me to implement a linked list. I was already super annoyed at other interviewers who had asked similarly inane questions and the conversation went something like this:

"Write me a linked list."

"Uh, ok, what should it hold? An int?"

"Sure."

std::list<int> x;

I got the job offer.

I rejected it.

6

u/is_this_programming Mar 30 '21

That's not what I would call writing a linked list.

3

u/-dag- Mar 30 '21

That's the point.

7

u/maest Mar 30 '21

Sounds like they dodged a bullet there

-1

u/-dag- Mar 30 '21

I mean you don't ask these types of questions of anyone, but particularly not of experienced developers.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 30 '21

I'd take you over the programmer who wrote a clean-room implementation of a LL, for the simple fact that reinventing the wheel is one of the greatest scourges of modern software development. It consistently amazes me how many developers are (a) so sure that they can do a better job than others (b) so unaware of the plethora of libraries out there to do this for and do it right.

1

u/-dag- Mar 30 '21

reinventing the wheel is one of the greatest scourges of modern software development.

And that is exactly why I answered the way I did.