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How to manage and copy repls for interviewing

If you're using Replit for technical interviews, you'll probably want to use one or more template repls. For each candidate, you can create a copy of the template repl for that role. This lets you keep a record of each candidate's work.

In this tutorial, we cover how to:

  • Fork a repl for multiple interviews
  • Add a naming convention to interview repls
  • Organize candidate interviews
  • Remove candidates from completed interviews
  • Perform code reviews

Forking template repls​

To get started, navigate to your Teams Dashboard and create a template repl (for example, backend-dev-python) consisting of all the material you need to interview for the role.

template repl

Next, click on the repl name on the top-left of your workspace. In the pop-up window, click on the three-dot menu next to the "Spotlight page" button and select "Fork" to create a fork (copy) of the repl.

fork repl

Choose the owner of the new forked repl, select your Team's name, and click "Confirm".

confirm fork

You will be redirected to the workspace of the copied repl where you can modify the repl as you see fit.

Adding a naming convention​

You can invite a candidate and interview them using the forked repl in order to keep your template clean. For more details on how to invite candidates to interviews, you can follow this tutorial: Interviewing candidates with Guest Mode.

When the interview is over, save the repl with the candidate's name or some other identifier on it. For example, you could use a naming convention like backend-dev-python-2022-01-21-jane-doe to make it easier to find if there have been numerous candidates for the same type of interview.

rename fork

Organizing interview templates​

To keep track of your templates, you can group them into collections, which is a feature of Teams Pro.

In the Team Dashboard, you'll find plus and list buttons on the right side of the screen, level with the 'Create Team Repl' button.

collections

To name and create a new collection, click on the plus button.

name collection

You can add interview repls to the collection by dragging them in. You can also arrange these in any order.

add repls to collection

Removing candidates from completed interview repls​

Once an interview with a candidate is complete, you can remove their access to the repl so that they cannot modify the code they wrote during the interview.

Open the candidate's interview repl and click the invite button. Find the candidate's username or email, and click on the "x" button next to it.

remove candidate

This will prevent the candidate from opening the repl after the interview.

Performing code review​

You can review a candidate's code by adding notes on the repl about their overall coding solutions or sections of it. You can share notes, scores, or anything else with the rest of the hiring team.

To add a note, right click on a line or selection of code and choose "Add note".

adding notes

In the text field, add any comments you have on the candidate's code and click the button next to the text field, which will be blue once you have typed something in.

You can also add collaborators by tagging them in your comment. Type @<their username> to bring their attention to the repl.