3 ms·

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

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.

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.