5 ms·

Honestly, I like to hear high level architectural decisions. Take a project the candidate did and just ask them questions on it. Talk and reason about it. Then

Honestly, I like to hear high level architectural decisions. Take a project the candidate did and just ask them questions on it. Talk and reason about it. Then, hack on a small project for the hiring startup that would be useful. An internal tool or dashboard. Make it fun. This isn't school, college, academia. We don't need tests. Companies first and foremost need good culture fits, self-starters, independent, passionate, people. In fact, I'm actually fine with having a (beer || soda) with a candidate, and just talking as a first step.

threeseed 11y ago
Seriously this is the best way to hire developers and have interviewed 100+ this way. Tell them they have a billion dollars and they need to invent a pinning, photo, social, whatever site that can scale to everyone on the planet. Then give them a whiteboard. With one question you can determine how they communicate, their thought process, level of creativity, what they know, what they don't know and because it is open ended their nerves will quickly fade away. The best developers are creative problem solvers not wrote learners.
- drawkbox 11y ago
  That interview actually sounds fun. Rather than a test that doesn't mean anything, you go on an adventure of code/design/architecture and you can see how the developer thinks/organizes and the depth of their knowledge and experience. Hopefully companies start doing this more.
  - collyw 11y ago
    Judging by the jobs I have applied for lately, its all going towards an hour and a half hacker rank challenge, just to get the chance to speak with the technical department.
richmarr 11y ago
Makes sense. My take is that it's best to make the 'interview' as close to representative of the actual job as possible. It sounds like you're on the money there. I'm always wary of 'culture fit' though, it's an umbrella for all the personal biases and ill-informed gut feelings that anyone feels like shoving under it. Do you have an opinion there?

threeseed 11y ago

Seriously this is the best way to hire developers and have interviewed 100+ this way. Tell them they have a billion dollars and they need to invent a pinning, photo, social, whatever site that can scale to everyone on the planet. Then give them a whiteboard. With one question you can determine how they communicate, their thought process, level of creativity, what they know, what they don't know and because it is open ended their nerves will quickly fade away. The best developers are creative problem solvers not wrote learners.

drawkbox 11y ago
That interview actually sounds fun. Rather than a test that doesn't mean anything, you go on an adventure of code/design/architecture and you can see how the developer thinks/organizes and the depth of their knowledge and experience. Hopefully companies start doing this more.
- collyw 11y ago
  Judging by the jobs I have applied for lately, its all going towards an hour and a half hacker rank challenge, just to get the chance to speak with the technical department.

richmarr 11y ago

Makes sense. My take is that it's best to make the 'interview' as close to representative of the actual job as possible. It sounds like you're on the money there. I'm always wary of 'culture fit' though, it's an umbrella for all the personal biases and ill-informed gut feelings that anyone feels like shoving under it. Do you have an opinion there?