3 ms·

So.. the company asks a candidate if they understand the game, and just because the author of this post is female, she wildly speculates that they must only be

by butwhy 12y ago

So.. the company asks a candidate if they understand the game, and just because the author of this post is female, she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female. This is ludicrous. Sounds like a feminist.

tomlock 12y ago
Whether you like it or not people make assumptions about other people based on their gender. Companies that are sensitive to that fact are less likely to pose code challenges that align with a common assumption about gender, which aligns with the gender of the majority of developers. They are also less likely to ask questions that also reflect that assumption. For this developer, this code challenge was a red flag.
- butwhy 12y ago
  There is absolutely no basis for that claim in this particular case. I'd expect them to ask all candidates if they understand the scenario, regardless of sex. But guess what? We have absolutely no idea because there is no data on it. As such, it is totally unjustified to call an employer "belittling and sexist" purely because they asked a single candidate if they understood something related to their code challenge.
  - tomlock 12y ago
    It is quite interesting to me that you say we don't know what we'd expect the interviewers to do in this scenario. The applicant didn't either (and they state that), and in this case, the interviewer's lack of knowledge about the applicant's possible perceptions betrayed a lack of sensitivity to such topics. This was a red flag.
rurounijones 12y ago
> she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female Not sure what article you were reading but all she doesn't say anything of the sort. She simply points out that companies need to realize some questions may come with extra cultural baggage which could be misinterpreted.
- butwhy 12y ago
  It does. The questioner asked her if she understood the game before she started her code challenge. She proceeded to extrapolate from this by calling such questioning "belittling and sexist", implying that they're only asking HER because she is female. So yes, it is wild speculation on her behalf because she has no idea if the employer also asked guys the same thing.
  - rurounijones 12y ago
    > While it's a good thing to make sure the candidate understands what the problem is, companies need to be aware that these things carry extra cultural baggage and asking a female candidate if they understand a basic sports rule (or any other male dominated theme) comes across as belittling and sexist. The full thing. > she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female Your bit. At no point does she say they she thinks they are only asking her because she is female, in fact I read that as she knows that they ask everyone and not only women but the general context of the question and cultural baggage associated with the context can come across as belittling and sexist even when that is not the intent.
    - butwhy 12y ago
      What you are quoting is out of context. The sentence prior to the one you quoted mentions her specifically. So the proceeding sentence seems to use her personal experience as a basis to then make a broader claim in a more general context.
      - rurounijones 12y ago
        Ok, previous sentence. > If your code challenge involves a typically male oriented theme, such as sports, consider changing it to something else. Why not use something more neutral? I did a code challenge that involved ranking soccer teams, and while going over the code a developer at the company asked me if I needed the rules of the game explained to me. Statement of fact, no "feminism" on display, no hint of anger that they asked her this question, this is merely explaining the situation. No "They only asked me because I am a woman" speculation. > While it's a good thing to make sure the candidate understands what the problem is, companies need to be aware that these things carry extra cultural baggage and asking a female candidate if they understand a basic sports rule (or any other male dominated theme) comes across as belittling and sexist Wherein she offers advice on why this might not be a good idea due to contextual baggage. A piece of advice as I mentioned in my previous comment. > So.. the company asks a candidate if they understand the game, and just because the author of this post is female, she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female. This is ludicrous. Sounds like a feminist. There is nothing she has written anywhere in any of these where she "wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female" or says anything that indicates your rather pejorative use of "She must be a feminist".

by butwhy 12y ago

tomlock 12y ago

Whether you like it or not people make assumptions about other people based on their gender. Companies that are sensitive to that fact are less likely to pose code challenges that align with a common assumption about gender, which aligns with the gender of the majority of developers. They are also less likely to ask questions that also reflect that assumption. For this developer, this code challenge was a red flag.

butwhy 12y ago
There is absolutely no basis for that claim in this particular case. I'd expect them to ask all candidates if they understand the scenario, regardless of sex. But guess what? We have absolutely no idea because there is no data on it. As such, it is totally unjustified to call an employer "belittling and sexist" purely because they asked a single candidate if they understood something related to their code challenge.
- tomlock 12y ago
  It is quite interesting to me that you say we don't know what we'd expect the interviewers to do in this scenario. The applicant didn't either (and they state that), and in this case, the interviewer's lack of knowledge about the applicant's possible perceptions betrayed a lack of sensitivity to such topics. This was a red flag.

rurounijones 12y ago

> she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female Not sure what article you were reading but all she doesn't say anything of the sort. She simply points out that companies need to realize some questions may come with extra cultural baggage which could be misinterpreted.

butwhy 12y ago
It does. The questioner asked her if she understood the game before she started her code challenge. She proceeded to extrapolate from this by calling such questioning "belittling and sexist", implying that they're only asking HER because she is female. So yes, it is wild speculation on her behalf because she has no idea if the employer also asked guys the same thing.
- rurounijones 12y ago
  > While it's a good thing to make sure the candidate understands what the problem is, companies need to be aware that these things carry extra cultural baggage and asking a female candidate if they understand a basic sports rule (or any other male dominated theme) comes across as belittling and sexist. The full thing. > she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female Your bit. At no point does she say they she thinks they are only asking her because she is female, in fact I read that as she knows that they ask everyone and not only women but the general context of the question and cultural baggage associated with the context can come across as belittling and sexist even when that is not the intent.
  - butwhy 12y ago
    What you are quoting is out of context. The sentence prior to the one you quoted mentions her specifically. So the proceeding sentence seems to use her personal experience as a basis to then make a broader claim in a more general context.
    - rurounijones 12y ago
      Ok, previous sentence. > If your code challenge involves a typically male oriented theme, such as sports, consider changing it to something else. Why not use something more neutral? I did a code challenge that involved ranking soccer teams, and while going over the code a developer at the company asked me if I needed the rules of the game explained to me. Statement of fact, no "feminism" on display, no hint of anger that they asked her this question, this is merely explaining the situation. No "They only asked me because I am a woman" speculation. > While it's a good thing to make sure the candidate understands what the problem is, companies need to be aware that these things carry extra cultural baggage and asking a female candidate if they understand a basic sports rule (or any other male dominated theme) comes across as belittling and sexist Wherein she offers advice on why this might not be a good idea due to contextual baggage. A piece of advice as I mentioned in my previous comment. > So.. the company asks a candidate if they understand the game, and just because the author of this post is female, she wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female. This is ludicrous. Sounds like a feminist. There is nothing she has written anywhere in any of these where she "wildly speculates that they must only be asking her because she is female" or says anything that indicates your rather pejorative use of "She must be a feminist".