3 ms·
The light bulb and the bridge riddle offer little insight into the problem solving skills of the interviewee: you either "get" the solution or not. There is not
by sdfx 17y ago
The light bulb and the bridge riddle offer little insight into the problem solving skills of the interviewee: you either "get" the solution or not. There is not much room between the exact right answer and no answer at all.
The Boeing question on the other hand (like many other Fermi Problems [1]) might help you understand how the interviewee approaches a problem he doesn't know the answer to and whether or not he is capable of making sane predictions. But even though I think they are not completely useless, I expect a well prepared candidate to score better than some less well prepared, but in other regards superior candidates.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem
- miloshh 17y agoYeah, I agree it measures preparedness more than skill. Also, there is a difference between a great physicist with a playful mind asking those questions, and some nameless, annoyed interviewer whose only authority to ask such questions comes from the fact that he already has the job... In other words, these riddles can be used to encourage creativity when used right. But they can also be used to put down the candidate no matter what the answer (what, you would put the expensive Boeing in water??? you must be crazy!).