Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview with Mike Mroczka

Platform Engineering Podcast

Ever wondered how many “perfect” candidates simply learned the test—or how many great engineers get filtered out by bad interview design? Mike Mroczka, interview coach and ex-Googler, shares what really goes on behind technical hiring and how to navigate it to your advantage.

What you’ll learn:

• How leaked question banks and standardized puzzles can distort hiring signals - and where they still help
• Practical ways companies can make interviews fairer and harder to game, both on-site and remote
• A balanced take on data structures and algorithms: when they’re useful and when they’re noise
• Tactics to spot and reduce cheating without turning interviews into surveillance
• How to structure interviews for different seniority levels so you measure the right skills
• Salary negotiation playbook: timing, leverage, and common pitfalls that cost candidates real money
• Getting past the application black hole: skipping recruiters, networking that works, and coordinating offers

Who this helps:

• Engineers tired of grinding puzzles who want a smarter prep plan
• Hiring managers looking to improve signal and reduce false negatives
• Anyone preparing to negotiate an offer with confidence

Guest: Mike Mroczka, Primary author of Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview, Ex-Google

Mike Mroczka, a former senior SWE (Google, Salesforce, GE), is now a tech consultant with a decade of experience helping engineers land their dream jobs. He’s a top-rated mentor (interviewing.io, Karat, Pathrise, Skilledinc) and the author of viral technical content on system design and technical interview strategies featured on HackerNews, Business Insider, and Wired.

Mike Mroczka, website

Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell
• HackerOne
• Interviewing.io
• Cluely
• Google glass
• Ray-Ban
• HackerRank⁠
• CodeSignal⁠