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Joel test: Do new candidates write code during their interview?
At first glance, I think it makes sense to ask candidates to write code. Not on paper, of course, but by using a real compiler/scripting engine. On the other hand, it may not necessarily be that much of a good test. Very often problems that may initially look insurmountable -- real-life problems -- just need to be put at rest for a while, until new inspiration comes along. At that point, the problem may even become trivial to solve. Joel's test could of course revolve around simplistic fizzbuzz questions. This type of questions will, however, not say that much about a candidate's real abilities. How to set up a code writing test that will accurately measure programming skills?
- SQL2219 11y agoHere is how I did this. I wrote out 10 lines of code, and I intentionally coded an error in it. I asked the applicants to tell me what was wrong with it. One guy got it right, one guy didn't. The guy who didn't get it correct had a 3 page crammed-packed resume. The guy who got it right had a much simpler resume. I think the value is listening to the candidate talk himself through his thought process and how he thinks about problem solving. We hired the guy who got it right, not because he got the test correct, he was a better fit for other reasons. Even the guy who got it wrong had a decent problem solving approach, so based on how he reasoned through it was sound.