Subj : Re: Software Job Market Myths
To   : comp.programming,comp.software-eng
From : Richard Heathfield
Date : Sat Aug 13 2005 06:05 pm

Phlip wrote:

> Richard Heathfield wrote:
> 
>> The fragments would be selected in such a way as to maximise the good
>> applicant's opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge of all the required
>> skill areas, whilst maximising the chance of exposing those who claim
>> knowledge they simply don't have.
> 
> I would invite them to hit http://thedailywtf.com

The problem with such strategies is that it gives people a chance to swot up 
on the answers they would give. I grant you that they won't know in advance 
that they're going to be asked about that site, but my point in making the 
questions relate to code produced in-house that day is that it literally 
makes the task of swotting up impossible, and so all the interviewees are 
having to think on their feet - which is in itself an important skill.

As an aside, they might spot a problem with your code that you hadn't 
spotted yourself! So there's a positive spin-off there. :-)

> The great thing about the flabbergasted reactions in those citations is
> the authors don't even bother to explain the problem in newbie terms. So a
> job applicant should be invited to explain several different citations
> there in simple newbie terms.

I haven't looked at that site, so I can't really comment on it here. 

-- 
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999
http://www.cpax.org.uk
mail: rjh at above domain

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