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> The reason why FizzBuzz exists is because a lot of people apply for programming jobs who can't write code. I question how soon this actually is. I was assur

> The reason why FizzBuzz exists is because a lot of people apply for programming jobs who can't write code. I question how soon this actually is. I was assured that once I got involved with interviewing I would be hitting these people regularly. After a couple dozen interviews, I have only encountered one person who was that bad. They vast majority pass the "write a simple, working program" test then fail miserably on the problem solving parts. What are you hiring for, and where, such that you (and others) get so many of these people?

pushthecannon 9y ago
It will probably depend on your hiring pipeline. In an established pipeline an engineer interviewing someone who can't code FizzBuzz is kind of a disaster. The recruiter asks their questions for the purposes of filtering out these types of people. However, if you're in an early stage startup just getting started hiring you'll probably see a lot of these people. It will also depend on what type of engineer you're hiring. Most people with a couple years of software engineering experience under their belt can probably code FizzBuzz. If you're interviewing recent graduates it's a different story.
- vonmoltke 9y ago
  > It will probably depend on your hiring pipeline. In an established pipeline an engineer interviewing someone who can't code FizzBuzz is kind of a disaster. The recruiter asks their questions for the purposes of filtering out these types of people. Our pipeline is run by the individual teams. All our recruiting team does is coarse filter the resumes for obvious rejects and collect basic information. All screening is done by actual members of the team. I don't think it is a particularly burdensome, though it does get tedious if a req sits open for a while. > It will also depend on what type of engineer you're hiring. Most people with a couple years of software engineering experience under their belt can probably code FizzBuzz. If you're interviewing recent graduates it's a different story. I have only been involved in experienced hires, but the claims I read indicate the problem is just as widespread in the experienced people. That I cannot corroborate with personal experience. I can buy the new grad claim, though. It is disturbingly easy it get through a BSCS without being able to write a functioning program in some language.
tboyd47 9y ago
I mainly got the "a lot" from here: https://blog.codinghorror.com/why-cant-programmers-program/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/why-cant-programmers-program/ But maybe you're right. I have encountered these people myself, but perhaps it's not truly "a lot."

pushthecannon 9y ago

It will probably depend on your hiring pipeline. In an established pipeline an engineer interviewing someone who can't code FizzBuzz is kind of a disaster. The recruiter asks their questions for the purposes of filtering out these types of people. However, if you're in an early stage startup just getting started hiring you'll probably see a lot of these people. It will also depend on what type of engineer you're hiring. Most people with a couple years of software engineering experience under their belt can probably code FizzBuzz. If you're interviewing recent graduates it's a different story.

vonmoltke 9y ago
> It will probably depend on your hiring pipeline. In an established pipeline an engineer interviewing someone who can't code FizzBuzz is kind of a disaster. The recruiter asks their questions for the purposes of filtering out these types of people. Our pipeline is run by the individual teams. All our recruiting team does is coarse filter the resumes for obvious rejects and collect basic information. All screening is done by actual members of the team. I don't think it is a particularly burdensome, though it does get tedious if a req sits open for a while. > It will also depend on what type of engineer you're hiring. Most people with a couple years of software engineering experience under their belt can probably code FizzBuzz. If you're interviewing recent graduates it's a different story. I have only been involved in experienced hires, but the claims I read indicate the problem is just as widespread in the experienced people. That I cannot corroborate with personal experience. I can buy the new grad claim, though. It is disturbingly easy it get through a BSCS without being able to write a functioning program in some language.

tboyd47 9y ago

I mainly got the "a lot" from here: https://blog.codinghorror.com/why-cant-programmers-program/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/why-cant-programmers-program/ But maybe you're right. I have encountered these people myself, but perhaps it's not truly "a lot."