From Grilling to Growing: Python Interviews as Shared Learning for All

Does the mention of binary tree traversals or re-implementing established sorting algorithms make your eyes roll? You are not alone. Coding interviews are a core part of Python careers, yet they’re often a tiring and stressful experience for both parties. Candidates leave demoralized, interviewers gain little insight, and the cycle repeats. But what if interviews could teach while they test?

Drawing from personal failures and successes on both sides of the table, this talk offers a roadmap of ideas to transform Python technical interviews into collaborative, fun, and skill-building conversations. We’ll cover common traps and explore ideas for practical, more enjoyable replacements.

As a Python community, we’re all interviewers and interviewees at some point so we all share the responsibility to make interviews a better experience and ensure everyone leaves the meeting smarter, with horizons broadened. By reframing interviews as shared learning experiences, we can reduce anxiety, improve hiring outcomes, and strengthen the Python community—one interview at a time.