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80% of applicants for an internship at a company I used to work at failed FizzBuzz when I applied it to them (same deal, pencil and paper and a choice of any la
by yllus 14y ago
80% of applicants for an internship at a company I used to work at failed FizzBuzz when I applied it to them (same deal, pencil and paper and a choice of any language they want).
The worst was one perky young woman who wrote her answer in three minutes flat, handed it back and asked, "Did I get it right?" I answered, "No...." and from that point on it became the most awkward interview ever.
- Spoom 14y agoAssuming it's for a developer position, why would you continue the interview if they failed FizzBuzz?
- yllus 14y agoThe interviews were for all of 15 minutes anyways. I'm not so bent on time efficiency that I felt it necessary to save myself and the applicant twelve minutes by concluding the interview early. Also, I'm human and that's a level of cold that I didn't want to go to.
- masklinn 14y agoCould be skilled in an other field, or just an interesting conversation. If the interview's scheduled for a fixed time anyway, might as well make the best of it.
- talmand 14y agoMaybe you should administer the test towards the end of the interview after you've gotten to know the candidate a bit and allowed for time for their nervousness to wear off.
- Lambent_Cactus 14y agoIf 80% of candidates are failing, you want to ask it right at the start, to minimize the time you waste interviewing people who aren't qualified.
- talmand 14y agoBut that seems to assume that FizzBuzz is the defining test of a candidate. I guess if that works for the interviewer then that's the way to go.
- JoeAltmaier 14y agoA minimum competency test is reasonable. Better to know such things before the interview stage IMO; its a terrible waste of everyone's time to show up, fail fizzbuzz and leave.