3 ms·

Works out in my example. Seriously -- don't be surprised to see an interviewer offering you a cob of corn as a snack (especially since we are having summer) an

Works out in my example. Seriously -- don't be surprised to see an interviewer offering you a cob of corn as a snack (especially since we are having summer) and watching you eating it. While this should not be a major indication into your engineering nature, I am sure it may add up as positive/negative points into said interviewer decision making process.

Stratoscope 14y ago
The corn-on-the-cob interview would also tell the interviewee a lot about the company. Let's look at two variables: * Good fresh sweet corn vs. stale starchy corn * Butter and salt vs. no butter and salt (I'm combining "butter and salt" as a single variable for simplicity - and I mean butter and salt already on the corn, not available on the side.) Here are my completely speculative, subjective interpretations of the four possible combinations - and so you know my prejudice up front, I'm a fresh sweet corn with no butter and salt guy: 1) Stale starchy corn, no butter or salt: Your company doesn't care about quality, and doesn't even know that it doesn't care. 2) Stale starchy corn with butter and salt: Your company produces poor quality products but tries to cover it up with a slick-looking user interface. 3) Fresh sweet corn with butter and salt: Your company doesn't know quality when it sees it. It probably has a strict coding standard that dates back many years, and no one dares question whether these are good coding practices or not. 4) Fresh sweet corn, no butter or salt: Yes! Can I work here? :-) Now that I think about it, serving fresh sweet corn with butter and salt on the side would also give the company some interesting information: 1) Interviewee immediately butters and salts the corn before tasting it: You are set in your ways - you know that corn is a starchy vegetable that needs butter and salt to be palatable, just as you know that the one language you've always coded in is the best for every situation. 2) Interviewee tastes corn first, then butters and salts it (or just doesn't eat it) if stale and starchy, or eats it plain if sweet and fresh: You know that things which appear identical are not always the same. You investigate before coding and adapt to the situation. (No offense intended to anyone who genuinely likes butter and salt on fresh sweet corn!)

Stratoscope 14y ago

The corn-on-the-cob interview would also tell the interviewee a lot about the company. Let's look at two variables: * Good fresh sweet corn vs. stale starchy corn * Butter and salt vs. no butter and salt (I'm combining "butter and salt" as a single variable for simplicity - and I mean butter and salt already on the corn, not available on the side.) Here are my completely speculative, subjective interpretations of the four possible combinations - and so you know my prejudice up front, I'm a fresh sweet corn with no butter and salt guy: 1) Stale starchy corn, no butter or salt: Your company doesn't care about quality, and doesn't even know that it doesn't care. 2) Stale starchy corn with butter and salt: Your company produces poor quality products but tries to cover it up with a slick-looking user interface. 3) Fresh sweet corn with butter and salt: Your company doesn't know quality when it sees it. It probably has a strict coding standard that dates back many years, and no one dares question whether these are good coding practices or not. 4) Fresh sweet corn, no butter or salt: Yes! Can I work here? :-) Now that I think about it, serving fresh sweet corn with butter and salt on the side would also give the company some interesting information: 1) Interviewee immediately butters and salts the corn before tasting it: You are set in your ways - you know that corn is a starchy vegetable that needs butter and salt to be palatable, just as you know that the one language you've always coded in is the best for every situation. 2) Interviewee tastes corn first, then butters and salts it (or just doesn't eat it) if stale and starchy, or eats it plain if sweet and fresh: You know that things which appear identical are not always the same. You investigate before coding and adapt to the situation. (No offense intended to anyone who genuinely likes butter and salt on fresh sweet corn!)