Caltrops - Still Life





	[quote name="Ice Cream Jonsey"][quote name="Rafiki"]Suppose as part of the interview process you’re given a programming assignment to see how well you write code. Suppose you’re tasked with writing a custom string class and you’re asked to implement a few methods:[/quote] I don't have a take on the specifics of what you posted - I am against the current trend of giving developers 8 hours of homework to complete because if the spot you're hiring for is THAT critical that you absolutely cannot afford anyone but a top notch developer then you should bring someone on from your goddamn network who you know is good - but I will go off in a different direction because why not, there's four posts a day here. :) A couple years ago when I was looking I was given an on-line test. They said I had 90 minutes to do it. Keeping in mind that it had absolutely nothing to do with the position I was interviewing for (automator) I was against the time constraint. Don't do that. (Not that you are talking of doing that, Rafiki.) I guess the theory is that if there is a time constraint then it, I dunno, simulates being able to do it quickly? But if I've got a bunch of tickets to complete in a sprint I will get them done and if that means I work extra hours in a sprint I'll do that. What the time limit did do is abandon time spent writing down what I want to do and stopped me from thinking it over. It made me furious at myself for not getting things instantly correct even though I'm taking this test in a way I've never worked before or since and then made me furious at the shittiness of the company that was asking me to do this before an interview, when I knew damn well that the first group of people that got hired on would never, ever do an on-line test. It's only something people come up with afterwards. You can interview for some things and screen out the ones lying on a resume but you can't interview for drive. You can't interview for someone who when a couple people are stuck that are in a critical path, unsticks them. You can't interview for the person that gets every one of their features done and tests it first. I feel you can only interview up to a certain point of competence. After that, it's all personal ethics and drive. [/quote]