4 ms·

I just instituted a coding assignment with our hiring (exceptions made for those with extensive github/similar open source contributions), and so far only have

by dpeck 11y ago

I just instituted a coding assignment with our hiring (exceptions made for those with extensive github/similar open source contributions), and so far only have had three candidates do it, but I'm a fan. Mine is crafted so a really competent developer could get it done in 30 minutes, and intermediate 2 hours and a junior probably not finish. I tell them to send what they have in after two hours that I'm as interested in seeing the structure and thought process than the final result. It seems much better than having someone do it at the office or one a whiteboard for accessing basic competence. Yes it sucks, but after you get bit once or twice by hiring people who knew all the right words but can't actually produce something useful you get a lot more open to it. I'll gladly take the time to take you out to lunch to discuss the job and code assignment and give feedback afterwards, investing a couple of hours into finding your next job shouldn't be this huge ordeal and gives off a diva vibe I don't want in my organization anyway.

tomjen3 11y ago
Are your company especially desirable? Because if not, why should I invest 10-20 hours across ten companies to get one job? Sure I may get lucky and get hired the first place, but thats not very likely, no matter how good I am. To me requiring me to waste that much time indicate the company being a diva, something I wouldn't want in my employer.
- dpeck 11y ago
  I'd like to think the company is pretty desirable and building something legitimately special :) 10-20 hours invested to find and and sell yourself to the job you'll be spending the next year at (optimistically 1% of the working hours during the next year and realistically a lot less) seems like a good use of time to me, but to each his own.
jmiserez 11y ago
>I tell them to send what they have in after two hours that I'm as interested in seeing the structure and thought process than the final result. While this seems like a good idea on paper, you know that people are not going to stop after 2 hours unless you force them to (i.e. by doing the assignment on-site). >get it done in 30 minutes, and intermediate 2 hours and a junior probably not finish. What kind of exercise could a junior programmer not finish? Give up or produce miserable code sure, but not being able to finish? Do you require some really strange domain-specific knowledge? PS: The website in your profile doesn't seem to be working.
- dpeck 11y ago
  well with 3 attempts one went over and kept working until he got a solution (took a while), another stopped at around 2 hours to submit and asked for feedback, 3rd finished in time and is a badass. You've be surprised. Maybe I expect too much, but the assignment is essentially network aware k/v store with a single get command and set command. Extremely poor mans redis and a step up from an echo server but for some people doing anything over a network that isn't HTTP breaks them. Thanks for website, my consulting/blog site that pretty much fell into disrepair after taking architect position at a startup.

by dpeck 11y ago

tomjen3 11y ago

Are your company especially desirable? Because if not, why should I invest 10-20 hours across ten companies to get one job? Sure I may get lucky and get hired the first place, but thats not very likely, no matter how good I am. To me requiring me to waste that much time indicate the company being a diva, something I wouldn't want in my employer.

dpeck 11y ago
I'd like to think the company is pretty desirable and building something legitimately special :) 10-20 hours invested to find and and sell yourself to the job you'll be spending the next year at (optimistically 1% of the working hours during the next year and realistically a lot less) seems like a good use of time to me, but to each his own.

jmiserez 11y ago

>I tell them to send what they have in after two hours that I'm as interested in seeing the structure and thought process than the final result. While this seems like a good idea on paper, you know that people are not going to stop after 2 hours unless you force them to (i.e. by doing the assignment on-site). >get it done in 30 minutes, and intermediate 2 hours and a junior probably not finish. What kind of exercise could a junior programmer not finish? Give up or produce miserable code sure, but not being able to finish? Do you require some really strange domain-specific knowledge? PS: The website in your profile doesn't seem to be working.

dpeck 11y ago
well with 3 attempts one went over and kept working until he got a solution (took a while), another stopped at around 2 hours to submit and asked for feedback, 3rd finished in time and is a badass. You've be surprised. Maybe I expect too much, but the assignment is essentially network aware k/v store with a single get command and set command. Extremely poor mans redis and a step up from an echo server but for some people doing anything over a network that isn't HTTP breaks them. Thanks for website, my consulting/blog site that pretty much fell into disrepair after taking architect position at a startup.