Cultural

Before anyone accuses me of being biased, I want to clarify that I'm Asian American, and these are my personal observations based on the hundreds of interviews I've had with companies in the Bay Area. I've noticed that interviewers who grew up in America tend to ask relatively easier questions and are generally more helpful during the interview process. They seem more interested in discussing your background and tend to create a conversational atmosphere. In contrast, I've found that interviewers with Asian cultural backgrounds often ask more challenging LeetCode questions and provide fewer hints. Specifically, I encounter more LeetCode Hard questions from Asian interviewers, whereas American interviewers typically lean towards Medium difficulty. By "Americans," I mean those who have grown up in the U.S. I believe this difference may stem from cultural factors. In many Asian countries, like China, job postings can attract thousands of applicants within the first hour, necessitating a tougher filtering process. As a result, interviewers from these backgrounds bring that same rigorous approach when they conduct interviews in the U.S. Given the intense competition for jobs in their home countries, this mindset becomes ingrained. I’m not complaining but rather pointing out these cultural differences in interview styles. In my experience, interviews with Asian interviewers tend to be more binary—either the code works, or it doesn't.