6 ms·
> "Practice writing code in a simple text editor without syntax highlighting or completion macros." Maybe applicants shouldn't be able to "undo" during the int
by zoba 13y ago
> "Practice writing code in a simple text editor without syntax highlighting or completion macros."
Maybe applicants shouldn't be able to "undo" during the interview? Or maybe applicants should be able to manually convert the code to assembler? Or, heck, have them use one of those behemoth computers with the blinking lights that we have to plug wires into sockets to program?
I mean...why should we rely on any technology that has been developed to make software engineers more effective and that the majority use daily? That would be like if we let sales people use tools they rely on, like charisma, during interviews!
The only sensible argument I've heard for why companies interview with programming puzzle questions is that it "takes too long" to do an interview better (like the way simonsarris pointed out Sencha does). At the point a company is unwilling to look at applicants as humans, and instead treats them as numbers/percentages, I wonder if they're a company worth working for any way.
- btilly 13y agoHere is one answer for you. Many programmers will take longer to configure their environment than you have available for the interview. Therefore if you tried to let them interview in the programming environment of their choice, there would be no actual interview. (And you'd have to undo whatever they did before the next interview.)
- robrenaud 13y agoLet the candidate bring a laptop?
- nthj 13y agoYes, this easily solves many problems. Plus I get to see exactly how they are used to working, neatly avoiding many "tell me about your environment" questions.
- btilly 13y agoThere are lots of good reasons why you might not want random people plugging in their laptops on your computer, and likewise reasons that you wouldn't want them to walk away with your interview materials loaded on their personal computer.
- LockeWatts 13y agoMost interview questions are verbal, and a laptop is capable of compiling code. Your problems with it seems factitious.
- ciupicri 13y agoConfiguring the environment shouldn't take more than 5 minutes. You copy the settings files, update them a bit if needed and that's it.
- btilly 13y agoDownload and install software. Download and install necessary plugins. Play with window manager settings. Deal with the fact that the version that you are used to using has changed in the last 18 months and needs to be retweaked to behave like you want it to. I've seen people spend days getting themselves set up exactly the way that they want. And looking at http://xkcd.com/1205/ http://xkcd.com/1205/ it isn't obvious that this is a waste of time either.