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Why not both? For one, setTimeout is pretty run of the mill. If you haven't come across a situation where you need to wait a period of time before initiating s

Why not both? For one, setTimeout is pretty run of the mill. If you haven't come across a situation where you need to wait a period of time before initiating some event, you simply haven't coded much. If someone else had just nailed the question in the interview before him than—hoop or not—they've proven a skill he hasn't. Even if we ignore this, the "What Really Happened" area sounds like he only admitted he doesn't know, and worse, that he doesn't know how to proceed. Another comment above asks if one small set back is really a deal breaker, but in my opinion, not attempting to overcome a problem you haven't seen before shows more about a candidate's abilities than simple knowledge. Prove you can find a solution when all you have is a basic idea of the problem. Take a hint and run with it. (The interviewer gave the method name as a hint!) Google the answer. This post hints that the position was closer to entry level, so I would suspect that curiosity and autonomous problem solving are fundamental requirements for the role. When you're green a lot is going to be brand new, so you have to be able to learn on the spot and run with it.

jdmichal 13y ago
I would say they've proven a knowledge, not a skill. setTimeout is not a skill, it is a knowledge. Analytical thinking is a skill -- one that he failed to prove when, given the knowledge, he still could not find an answer.
- eshvk 13y ago
  The problem is that a lot of people in Industry think they are hiring for analytical skill but they are really hiring for knowledge. Seriously, let us take questions in anything from graph theory to dynamic programming. All that proves is that you have studied these problems well enough to be able to spot them during the interview and then solve them. And you know what? You don't necessarily need abstract knowledge less analytical skills to be successful in most programming jobs so I guess they are okay with what they are doing.
  - mercer 13y ago
    I'd say perhaps especially in front-end, knowledge is much more important than analytic skill. Most of the challenges I face in html and css seem to be more about hacks to get something to work as desired than about properly reasoning about the problem. In fact, this is the primary reason I'm trying to move away from 'vanilla' front-end to more heavy js or backend stuff.
  - jdmichal 13y ago
    > The problem is that a lot of people in Industry think they are hiring for analytical skill but they are really hiring for knowledge. Completely agree. They'll toss the resume of someone who is an expert in graph theory, because they really need someone who knows machine learning, completely unaccepting of the fact that someone willing and able to become an expert in graph theory can probably do the same on machine learning. This all plays into the current trend of businesses not being willing to train employees.
- danpalmer 13y ago
  Understanding closures properly, understanding JavaScript scoping, and being able to solve problems however are all skills, and I think were the point of this interview.

jdmichal 13y ago

I would say they've proven a knowledge, not a skill. setTimeout is not a skill, it is a knowledge. Analytical thinking is a skill -- one that he failed to prove when, given the knowledge, he still could not find an answer.

eshvk 13y ago
The problem is that a lot of people in Industry think they are hiring for analytical skill but they are really hiring for knowledge. Seriously, let us take questions in anything from graph theory to dynamic programming. All that proves is that you have studied these problems well enough to be able to spot them during the interview and then solve them. And you know what? You don't necessarily need abstract knowledge less analytical skills to be successful in most programming jobs so I guess they are okay with what they are doing.
- mercer 13y ago
  I'd say perhaps especially in front-end, knowledge is much more important than analytic skill. Most of the challenges I face in html and css seem to be more about hacks to get something to work as desired than about properly reasoning about the problem. In fact, this is the primary reason I'm trying to move away from 'vanilla' front-end to more heavy js or backend stuff.
- jdmichal 13y ago
  > The problem is that a lot of people in Industry think they are hiring for analytical skill but they are really hiring for knowledge. Completely agree. They'll toss the resume of someone who is an expert in graph theory, because they really need someone who knows machine learning, completely unaccepting of the fact that someone willing and able to become an expert in graph theory can probably do the same on machine learning. This all plays into the current trend of businesses not being willing to train employees.
danpalmer 13y ago
Understanding closures properly, understanding JavaScript scoping, and being able to solve problems however are all skills, and I think were the point of this interview.