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Ask HN: Candidate doesn't know `What is 2^-2?`. Will you hire?

Ask HN: What if I ask `What is 2^-2?` in an interview and the candidate with 6 years experience doesn't know it. What will you do? Will you hire? Update: Hiring for Senior Software Engineer. Candidate doesn't know how to calculate negative powers.

pattusk 7y ago
That is way too little information for anybody to give you any sort of significant or valuable feedback. What position are you hiring for? What other skills and abilities did the candidate demonstrate? Was the candidate's ignorance merely formal (did not know that "^" was power? did not know what a negative power does?) It seems unfair to me to have a single question be a dealbreaker, so you will have to give more background info.
- interviewtester 7y ago
  Hiring for Senior Software Engineer. Candidate doesn't know what negative powers does. Candidate showed some other skills. Just wanted to know HN thinks about it.
  - philpem 7y ago
    I had to look it up... Yes it's basic maths, but it's something which isn't commonly used. It's something I'd expect a mathematician to know, but not your average member of the public. For an SE, I'd expect them to know binary powers of two and why they're important in computer systems, but negative powers? I can't immediately recall a time I've used them. Frankly, it looks like a pub quiz question, or one thrown in by an interviewer just to be difficult. A bit like a "what does this code do" question which digs into Undefined Behaviour.
rahuldottech 7y ago
It would be a deciding factor only if the job actually requires math skills. Keep in mind that programming doesn't always count. Most app developers or webdevs don't need to know this stuff, so if won't stop me from hiring them.
dagw 7y ago
So? Unless you're doing some sort of math heavy code I fail to see how that is in any way relevant to most programming jobs.
- rahuldottech 7y ago
  This
NotPaidToPost 7y ago
This is poor. A senior software engineer is not an "average member of the public" (as someone commented). This is basic maths and knowledge of basic maths is expected for someone who (I assume) has a Bachelor or Master degree in a maths heavy field. That's definitely a red flag for me.

pattusk 7y ago

That is way too little information for anybody to give you any sort of significant or valuable feedback. What position are you hiring for? What other skills and abilities did the candidate demonstrate? Was the candidate's ignorance merely formal (did not know that "^" was power? did not know what a negative power does?) It seems unfair to me to have a single question be a dealbreaker, so you will have to give more background info.

interviewtester 7y ago
Hiring for Senior Software Engineer. Candidate doesn't know what negative powers does. Candidate showed some other skills. Just wanted to know HN thinks about it.
- philpem 7y ago
  I had to look it up... Yes it's basic maths, but it's something which isn't commonly used. It's something I'd expect a mathematician to know, but not your average member of the public. For an SE, I'd expect them to know binary powers of two and why they're important in computer systems, but negative powers? I can't immediately recall a time I've used them. Frankly, it looks like a pub quiz question, or one thrown in by an interviewer just to be difficult. A bit like a "what does this code do" question which digs into Undefined Behaviour.

rahuldottech 7y ago

It would be a deciding factor only if the job actually requires math skills. Keep in mind that programming doesn't always count. Most app developers or webdevs don't need to know this stuff, so if won't stop me from hiring them.

dagw 7y ago

So? Unless you're doing some sort of math heavy code I fail to see how that is in any way relevant to most programming jobs.

rahuldottech 7y ago
This

NotPaidToPost 7y ago

This is poor. A senior software engineer is not an "average member of the public" (as someone commented). This is basic maths and knowledge of basic maths is expected for someone who (I assume) has a Bachelor or Master degree in a maths heavy field. That's definitely a red flag for me.