Subj : Re: Software Job Market Myths To : comp.programming,comp.software-eng From : Richard Heathfield Date : Tue Aug 16 2005 08:30 am Alan Balmer wrote: > On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 17:05:51 +0000 (UTC), Richard Heathfield > wrote: > >> all the interviewees are >>having to think on their feet - which is in itself an important skill. > > Why do you think that? Programming is not normally something that > needs to be done reflexively or even quickly (in terms of the length > of an interview.) > > I'd rather have a programmer who has an excellent solution in a day > than a sorta good one in 5 minutes. A good interview question is one which genuinely tests the working knowledge of the candidate in the skill areas required by the employer. If your candidates have swotted up in advance, what you are actually testing is not their knowledge but their memory. I'd rather have a programmer who knows which books are worth using as references than one who simply memorises great chunks of junk. -- Richard Heathfield "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999 http://www.cpax.org.uk mail: rjh at above domain .