I botched a relatively simple interview code challenge…

…and I decided to review the algorithm and write about it

Leibel Hecht
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read
A stressed man at his computer 😫 via pixabay

I had my first super embarrassing technical interview moment and I thought it would be a great opportunity to review an algorithm and refresh my blogging.

I was interviewing for a remote job (Python and AngularJS) and the CTO wanted me to interview with every member of the team (a small team, around 5 developers). The first 3 interviews went fine, and the code challenge was fine too. Unfortunately, the last interview, not so much. I can blame it on things like the setting being frustrating (two interviewers and coding via screen share), the fact that I’m used to writing algorithms in JavaScript and the interviewer insisted on me writing in Python which I haven’t written in a good few weeks, the fact that I had a project presentation that day and more blah blah blah.

But the truth is, I was just rusty! So I took it as an opportunity to brush up on my algorithms and my logical thinking skills.


Here is the challenge I was given. (I should nail it next time).

Given two sorted lists (arrays) concatenate them into one sorted list.

Here are some things to consider:

  • The possibility of lists of different lengths.
  • The possibility of 1 element lists
  • Create a new array to push to
  • Have 2 variables and only increment when element is pushed

I am looking into the possibility of doing this using Python Generators. A generator is a form of an iterator as I understand and I hope to write an implementation using them.


Anyway, this was my way of getting back up after an embarrassing interview. Hopefully the next one will be much better. I’ll be spending some time on codewars.com to brush up.

Happy coding all!

My portfolio is at leibelhecht.com and I’d love to chat about an opportunity to join your team.

My Coding Journey

Follow my coding journey and my experience at Coding Dojo in Chicago

Leibel Hecht

Written by

I’m Leibel. I’m transitioning from Talmud to Tech. Maybe someday I’ll be the Rabbi on Rails :)

My Coding Journey

Follow my coding journey and my experience at Coding Dojo in Chicago

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade