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I completely agree. We had this exact discussion at work the other day. I mentioned to a colleague that what I value most is someone who is creative. There are

I completely agree. We had this exact discussion at work the other day. I mentioned to a colleague that what I value most is someone who is creative. There are many candidates out there who know all the buzzwords or can discuss features of a programming language purely from memory, etc. This can make for some impressive interviewing, but it tells nothing of their ability to use that knowledge to solve real problems, or their creativity in how they use their skill and expertise when faced with new dilemmas. Sure, you could contest that the creative side isn’t necessary for certain levels of engineering, or that only tech leads require this as a mandatory trait, but I would argue that it is far more important than what most interviews test - rote memorization.

adt2bt 7y ago
I'm right there with you. I am always looking for people who attack problems with new perspectives and, most importantly, can describe to me coherently their thought process and pros/cons of their approach.
- leghifla 7y ago
  "can describe ... pros/cons of their approach" I've always tried to do that... until recently. With a new recruit, this is the fastest way to nightmare discussions. He always emphasizes the cons of my proposals, and never admit that his proposals also have cons. To be honest, I really think he believes what he says, he seems to not see ahead of time where the blocking points will be. I am now forced to only submit the pros, and prepare an argument for the cons, which is rarely needed. This is not a way to have good technical decisions.