While working on the “What do you know about lambda expressions?” question, I realized that this topic differs significantly depending on the expected candidate level.
For a junior candidate, the expected answer is mostly about the basics:
- what lambda expressions are;
- basic syntax;
- passing lambdas as function arguments;
- trailing lambdas;
- implicit
it;
- simple practical examples (
setOnClickListener, collection operations, etc.).
For a middle-level candidate, the same question likely goes further:
- closures;
- lambda vs anonymous functions;
- function types;
- labels / return behavior;
- readability considerations.
For a senior-level candidate, the discussion may become even deeper:
inline functions and why they matter;- non-local returns;
- SAM conversion;
- performance implications / allocations;
- API design trade-offs when using higher-order functions.
The challenge is that if we keep the answer beginner-friendly, it may feel too shallow for more experienced candidates. But if we include all advanced details in the main answer, the content may become overwhelming for juniors.
It may be worth thinking about whether some questions should support level-specific answers (for example, separate Junior / Middle / Senior sections, or a basic answer followed by advanced discussion).
While working on the “What do you know about lambda expressions?” question, I realized that this topic differs significantly depending on the expected candidate level.
For a junior candidate, the expected answer is mostly about the basics:
it;setOnClickListener, collection operations, etc.).For a middle-level candidate, the same question likely goes further:
For a senior-level candidate, the discussion may become even deeper:
inlinefunctions and why they matter;The challenge is that if we keep the answer beginner-friendly, it may feel too shallow for more experienced candidates. But if we include all advanced details in the main answer, the content may become overwhelming for juniors.
It may be worth thinking about whether some questions should support level-specific answers (for example, separate Junior / Middle / Senior sections, or a basic answer followed by advanced discussion).