3 ms·

Microsoft Hiring Puzzle

7 points by rokhayakebe 18y ago

jhickner 18y ago
Has the systemic use of these puzzles in the hiring process backfired horribly for MS? I ask because, rather than filtering for smart people in general, these puzzles seem to filter for a specific subset of puzzle-oriented smart people. There seem to be definite blind spots in MS software when it comes to design, usability, and what you might call developer-to-user empathy. I've wondered for a while whether they might be unintentionally weeding out the employees that could help them with those issues.
- aneesh 18y ago
  It's the organization & bureaucracy, not the (smart) people they hire.
- holygoat 18y ago
  In my experience, MS does not seem filled with puzzle-oriented smart people.
  - zack 18y ago
    Have you had much experience with Microsoft employees?
    - holygoat 18y ago
      Yes... getting dangerously close to two years' worth.
- kahseng 18y ago
  If you've taken part before, you will realize that the goal of CPC was never to hire the winners. There are puzzlers at Microsoft, and people who like solving puzzles at schools, and the event brought such people together. It's really meant to be a day of fun, doing something intellectually challenging, that gosh isn't like your all the homework you have due the next week. As quoted from their FAQ, "While this is not quite a recruiting event, we will be accepting résumés, so feel free to bring one along! And of course, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about working at Microsoft." I also vaguely remember a previous version of their website crediting the fact they the CPC was inspired by the MIT Mystery Hunt. The technical interviews that they conduct on campus and on site are wildly different. In fact, from my recruiting experience, it was more the finance companies that had brainteasers for interview questions.
- vecter 18y ago
  To be clear, these are not the puzzles Microsoft uses in their actual hiring interviews. The submitted title is terribly misleading.
  - cdr 18y ago
    I don't think it's terribly misleading - it's a puzzle from one of Microsoft's recruiting programs.
aswanson 18y ago
If I pass it do I get my choice of joining the Excel Macro or Visual Studio maintainence team? Because I do have a clear preference.
yesimahuman 18y ago
These are so lame. I would filter people based on what they have made in the past, not how good they are at school or solving stupid puzzles.
- vecter 18y ago
  You wouldn't filter people based on how good they are at school? I'd definitely weigh that when interviewing a candidate. I agree about the puzzles though. If they're relevant to the job, then sure, it makes sense to ask them. Otherwise, drop them.
bprater 18y ago
I absolutely hate puzzles and I absolutely love programming. When I look at a puzzle like the (non-programming) one posted on the page, I have no idea where to start. When I'm given a programming challenge, I have a huge bag of experience and tools I can draw from and I can immediately start banging away at the problem.
huhtenberg 18y ago
The answer has very little to do with both programming skills and abstract thinking: <quote> To solve this puzzle, you need to rearrange the stock symbols in an order that when read down, yields a useful phrase. There is no indication at how to order them, but through trial and error (there are only 120 possible orderings) you can arrive at this: HCRE UATN RNHA REEC IOME Reading this down the columns gives the phrase "Hurricane or the Menace." The word that goes with both "Hurricane" and "The Menace" is DENNIS. </quote> Good luck with making a hiring decision based on the ability to solve this puzzle.
utx00 18y ago
too difficult

7 points by rokhayakebe 18y ago

Has the systemic use of these puzzles in the hiring process backfired horribly for MS? I ask because, rather than filtering for smart people in general, these puzzles seem to filter for a specific subset of puzzle-oriented smart people. There seem to be definite blind spots in MS software when it comes to design, usability, and what you might call developer-to-user empathy. I've wondered for a while whether they might be unintentionally weeding out the employees that could help them with those issues.

aneesh 18y ago
It's the organization & bureaucracy, not the (smart) people they hire.
holygoat 18y ago
In my experience, MS does not seem filled with puzzle-oriented smart people.
- zack 18y ago
  Have you had much experience with Microsoft employees?
  - holygoat 18y ago
    Yes... getting dangerously close to two years' worth.
kahseng 18y ago
If you've taken part before, you will realize that the goal of CPC was never to hire the winners. There are puzzlers at Microsoft, and people who like solving puzzles at schools, and the event brought such people together. It's really meant to be a day of fun, doing something intellectually challenging, that gosh isn't like your all the homework you have due the next week. As quoted from their FAQ, "While this is not quite a recruiting event, we will be accepting résumés, so feel free to bring one along! And of course, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about working at Microsoft." I also vaguely remember a previous version of their website crediting the fact they the CPC was inspired by the MIT Mystery Hunt. The technical interviews that they conduct on campus and on site are wildly different. In fact, from my recruiting experience, it was more the finance companies that had brainteasers for interview questions.
vecter 18y ago
To be clear, these are not the puzzles Microsoft uses in their actual hiring interviews. The submitted title is terribly misleading.
- cdr 18y ago
  I don't think it's terribly misleading - it's a puzzle from one of Microsoft's recruiting programs.

aswanson 18y ago

If I pass it do I get my choice of joining the Excel Macro or Visual Studio maintainence team? Because I do have a clear preference.

yesimahuman 18y ago

These are so lame. I would filter people based on what they have made in the past, not how good they are at school or solving stupid puzzles.

vecter 18y ago
You wouldn't filter people based on how good they are at school? I'd definitely weigh that when interviewing a candidate. I agree about the puzzles though. If they're relevant to the job, then sure, it makes sense to ask them. Otherwise, drop them.

bprater 18y ago

I absolutely hate puzzles and I absolutely love programming. When I look at a puzzle like the (non-programming) one posted on the page, I have no idea where to start. When I'm given a programming challenge, I have a huge bag of experience and tools I can draw from and I can immediately start banging away at the problem.

huhtenberg 18y ago

The answer has very little to do with both programming skills and abstract thinking: <quote> To solve this puzzle, you need to rearrange the stock symbols in an order that when read down, yields a useful phrase. There is no indication at how to order them, but through trial and error (there are only 120 possible orderings) you can arrive at this: HCRE UATN RNHA REEC IOME Reading this down the columns gives the phrase "Hurricane or the Menace." The word that goes with both "Hurricane" and "The Menace" is DENNIS. </quote> Good luck with making a hiring decision based on the ability to solve this puzzle.

utx00 18y ago

too difficult