Avoiding bias from credentials during interviews can help identify skilled programmers who may lack traditional qualifications, which is advantageous for startups.

Experience matters more than where you got your education; someone fresh out of a CS program without internships is still essentially a junior engineer.

Developers should focus on building unique projects that showcase their skills, rather than just completing boot camp assignments.

Many employers actively seek candidates with startup experience, as it demonstrates self-starting abilities and initiative.

In the hiring process, Cursor evaluates candidates without AI tools to ensure they possess fundamental programming skills.

It's becoming more important to assess candidates based on their skills and projects rather than their educational background.

Engineering interviewing is a field where many common beliefs are misleading; for instance, evaluating past work does not predict job performance as effectively as practical programming assignments.

When pre-screening candidates, we evaluate programming productivity, academic computer science skills, debugging abilities, and system design capabilities.

The core problem in interviews is the tension between measuring quick problem-solving skills and the ability to handle larger projects over time. Many of the best programmers have numerous job options, making it challenging for companies that require a trial employment period to attract them.