This year, I participated in several technical interview rounds for two different positions at Bloomreach. I decided to try a different approach: I completely avoided looking at candidates’ profiles – no CVs, no LinkedIn, no internal notes from previous rounds.

My Strategy

I prepared for each interview using only the candidate’s assignment solution. My reasoning was simple: if the candidate passed the initial screening and submitted a solution that my colleagues and I agreed met our requirements, that should be sufficient context.

I wanted to test whether this approach would change the interview dynamic.

The Results

Did it improve interview quality? No, I don’t think it did.

What did change? I eliminated unconscious bias based on previous work experience. I couldn’t form negative opinions about candidates based on where they had worked before or what their career path looked like.

Key Observations

Technical discussions focused purely on the code and problem-solving approach

I asked more fundamental questions about their solution and potential future role responsibilities

Conversations felt more natural without preconceived expectations about the candidate’s skill level