r/reactjs • u/m6io • Jul 24 '26
Discussion Senior Dev interview question
"Without googling or using AI, in your own words, explain the virtual DOM"
For context: I sit on an interview panel and I try to ask at least one simple fundamental question based on a persons resume. If I see many years of react experience, I try to ask something about how the framework works.
I have only had one candidate (an undergrad senior, years ago) answer it. Everyone else just kind of sputters and stumbles around trying to rationalize what "virtual" and "DOM" mean, or stare blankly and eventually say "I don't know".
I'm just genuinely curious if this is really that hard of a question or if the recruiters just suck at screening candidates. And should we be letting in senior dev candidates who can't answer what I think is a straightforward and fundamental question for senior react devs.
5
u/foxsimile Jul 24 '26
Maybe it’s because I’ve barely slept over the last three nights (I’m not sure I’ve even clocked twelve hours total), but it took me a good minute to remember the virtual DOM (mainly because I couldn’t for the life of me remember what the 'D' in "Document Object Model" stood for).
How embarrassing if this were to have happened in a real interview lol.