4 ms·

Both of the posts on that blog just read as sort of bitter and sad to me. I'm sorry you can't find a job, dude, but maybe your anger management is getting in th

Both of the posts on that blog just read as sort of bitter and sad to me. I'm sorry you can't find a job, dude, but maybe your anger management is getting in the way.

showsover 13y ago
Agreed. The author sounds a bit agressive. Perhaps it would have gone better to politely explain why he could not / would not want to work an entire day for free. Also, an entire day? Since when are tests that long?
- jrs235 13y ago
  I understand where he's coming from but he comes off as very aggressive. He could have made it passive aggressive though... Did he have to sign over his IP rights before working on it? He could have worked on it and got a feel for things. If he liked the code and company and salary negotiations no harm done. If not, and he wishes to be passive aggressive argue that they owe him money for IP or he'll sue for copy right infringement. Company's that do this walk a fine legal line. I like to see and understand a companies risk assessment, mitigation, and contigency planning...
tbrake 13y ago
If the author was really being asked to implement features in a codebase that were expected to go live at end of day that's just exploitative and they have every right to be upset at being asked to do that for free.
- cpayne 13y ago
  But who offers to do a technical test for the entire day? For me, any interview going longer than an hour has some serious issues...
  - VLM 13y ago
    Compare to some actual technical tests. A CCIE test has varied thru the ages but seems to have stabilized at an hour. I have no idea what an entry level dotcom would need with someone operating at that level, but it probably happens. The problem is at a CCIE lab test you're being evaluated by people more or less as good as you, but your average dotcom will be hiring you because you know more than them in a specific area not because they're smarter than you and they need to staff a team of underlings. probably. Maybe A / B teams or rotating pager duty with another CCIE. Maybe. Look into the length of an oral PHD thesis defense. That's usually not a full day. I would agree that in comparison to existing standards a full day is way too long.
    - danielweber 13y ago
      Those are once-off tests. I didn't have to take an SAT for every college I applied to 5 million years ago, but I took one, and all the schools used the test. If I'm looking at three places and each of them want me to sacrifice a day for the interview, that's a lot of my time, especially if I am currently employed.
    - VLM 13y ago
      should read: CCIE test .. one day. Same length as the pair programming exercise.
hnriot 13y ago
This guy is just lashing out because he can't find a job - personally I don't believe him about his interview code being released at the end of the day - that sounds much like the interviewer was trying to create a little pressure to assess how he performs under those conditions. working during an interview isn't "for free" - both the interviewers and the interviewee are both taking a considerable cost in time which is a contract entered into by both parties for the best interest of both. The company spends a day also. I see this from the other side far more often. Candidates that come in that claim to be able to code and yet when put on the spot can't do much of anything, wasting huge amounts of time and money. When I fly someone cross-country for an interview I don't go ranting online that I wasted that money. I'm not sorry he can't find a job, he needs to grow up and stop whining and grok how this stuff actually works.
king_jester 13y ago
How dare this guy get angry about being asked to work for free for someone else's profit.
- stinkytaco 13y ago
  Then politely say "I don't think this is appropriate, but thanks for the opportunity." Setting up a blog that so far is exclusively for complaining about interviews seems a bit much.

Both of the posts on that blog just read as sort of bitter and sad to me. I'm sorry you can't find a job, dude, but maybe your anger management is getting in the way.

showsover 13y ago

Agreed. The author sounds a bit agressive. Perhaps it would have gone better to politely explain why he could not / would not want to work an entire day for free. Also, an entire day? Since when are tests that long?

jrs235 13y ago
I understand where he's coming from but he comes off as very aggressive. He could have made it passive aggressive though... Did he have to sign over his IP rights before working on it? He could have worked on it and got a feel for things. If he liked the code and company and salary negotiations no harm done. If not, and he wishes to be passive aggressive argue that they owe him money for IP or he'll sue for copy right infringement. Company's that do this walk a fine legal line. I like to see and understand a companies risk assessment, mitigation, and contigency planning...

tbrake 13y ago

If the author was really being asked to implement features in a codebase that were expected to go live at end of day that's just exploitative and they have every right to be upset at being asked to do that for free.

cpayne 13y ago
But who offers to do a technical test for the entire day? For me, any interview going longer than an hour has some serious issues...
- VLM 13y ago
  Compare to some actual technical tests. A CCIE test has varied thru the ages but seems to have stabilized at an hour. I have no idea what an entry level dotcom would need with someone operating at that level, but it probably happens. The problem is at a CCIE lab test you're being evaluated by people more or less as good as you, but your average dotcom will be hiring you because you know more than them in a specific area not because they're smarter than you and they need to staff a team of underlings. probably. Maybe A / B teams or rotating pager duty with another CCIE. Maybe. Look into the length of an oral PHD thesis defense. That's usually not a full day. I would agree that in comparison to existing standards a full day is way too long.
  - danielweber 13y ago
    Those are once-off tests. I didn't have to take an SAT for every college I applied to 5 million years ago, but I took one, and all the schools used the test. If I'm looking at three places and each of them want me to sacrifice a day for the interview, that's a lot of my time, especially if I am currently employed.
  - VLM 13y ago
    should read: CCIE test .. one day. Same length as the pair programming exercise.

hnriot 13y ago

This guy is just lashing out because he can't find a job - personally I don't believe him about his interview code being released at the end of the day - that sounds much like the interviewer was trying to create a little pressure to assess how he performs under those conditions. working during an interview isn't "for free" - both the interviewers and the interviewee are both taking a considerable cost in time which is a contract entered into by both parties for the best interest of both. The company spends a day also. I see this from the other side far more often. Candidates that come in that claim to be able to code and yet when put on the spot can't do much of anything, wasting huge amounts of time and money. When I fly someone cross-country for an interview I don't go ranting online that I wasted that money. I'm not sorry he can't find a job, he needs to grow up and stop whining and grok how this stuff actually works.

king_jester 13y ago

How dare this guy get angry about being asked to work for free for someone else's profit.

stinkytaco 13y ago
Then politely say "I don't think this is appropriate, but thanks for the opportunity." Setting up a blog that so far is exclusively for complaining about interviews seems a bit much.