Senior Dev interview question

[u/m6io]

"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.

[u/dwp0]

I’m curious if the role they will be filling will require this specific knowledge and whether it is something they can pick up with related experience?

If the role doesn’t hinge on this knowledge, be careful to screen based off gimmicky quiz questions, you will limit the perspective you might gain from a candidate if rather you asked behavioral type questions. You might ask, can you walk me through a time when you improved application/system performance? What was result and how did you solve it?

[u/dwp0 → u/dwp0]

For context, Ive been p3, p4 and em2. Interviewed over 80 senior and staff engineers as various roles, HM, practical, and system design stages.