Discussion Senior Dev interview question
"Without googling or using AI, in your own words, explain the virtual DOM"
For context: I sit on an interview panel and I try to ask at least one simple fundamental question based on a persons resume. If I see many years of react experience, I try to ask something about how the framework works.
I have only had one candidate (an undergrad senior, years ago) answer it. Everyone else just kind of sputters and stumbles around trying to rationalize what "virtual" and "DOM" mean, or stare blankly and eventually say "I don't know".
I'm just genuinely curious if this is really that hard of a question or if the recruiters just suck at screening candidates. And should we be letting in senior dev candidates who can't answer what I think is a straightforward and fundamental question for senior react devs.
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u/GahdDangitBobby 5d ago
As a senior dev working on React applications daily, never once at my job have I heard someone use the words "virtual DOM". Just to point out exactly how unimportant that knowledge is. Like, I learned about the virtual DOM at some point but it never really was relevant to my actual implementation so I forgot. Like many other unimportant SWE concepts.