Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
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Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#2Why can't you just share screen and use an already familiar editor instead of this gimmick?
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#3Why can't you just share screen and use an already familiar editor instead of this gimmick?
There is way less bandwidth involved since the amount of data transferred for a shared coding exercise does not surpass the data (pixels) involved in screen sharing.
Helps with remote interviews/candidates with slow connections.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#4Why can't you just share screen and use an already familiar editor instead of this gimmick?
I think screen sharing isn't really optimized for text legibility - it's still the same video calls, just using screen capture instead of webcam as a source.
When I've shown some code over Skype, I had to change fonts size to pretty large to make sure it was comfortable to read.
Also, bandwidth. Video streaming requires a lot.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#5While this looks like a well developed feature, I despise the concept of coding in a phone interview too much to not worry about this enabling more of it just because it's more convenient.
Especially for research-heavy positions, the amount of nonsense exercises really makes or breaks a company impression for me.
case 1) Have a serious technical conversations with questions testing my understanding, asking about my projects, ideas and interests.
case 2) 3 minutes of smalltalk while the interviewer reads out some points from my CV so I can repeat them back. Then 'alright, let's do a coding exercise'. Learn nothing about the team, their process, their vision in the phone rounds.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#6Well I would like to see some basics fixed like being able to talk to people without having to restart the client. And screen sharing without crippling performance of my laptop so my code still autocompletes while working together with someone.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#7While this looks like a well developed feature, I despise the concept of coding in a phone interview too much to not worry about this enabling more of it just because it's more convenient. Especially for research-heavy positions, the amount of nonsense exercises really makes or breaks a company impression for me. case 1) Have a serious technical conversations with questions testing my understanding, asking about my p…
This.
Real-time interviews are the worst of two worlds (emergency fast coding and live demonstration at the same time) and barely show anything about how one normally does things.
E.g. in emergency coding I automatically assume I'll inevitably make mistakes due to haste, so I run a lot of sanity "is 1+1 still 2, do I remember that right?" checks. It helped me a few times when the servers were on fire and I needed to fix stuff fast and think later. But that's incompatible with live demonstration, unless the purpose is to embarrass myself and make me look completely incompetent or diffident.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#8Why can't you just share screen and use an already familiar editor instead of this gimmick?
I think screen sharing isn't really optimized for text legibility - it's still the same video calls, just using screen capture instead of webcam as a source. When I've shown some code over Skype, I had to change fonts size to pretty large to make sure it was comfortable to read. Also, bandwidth. Video streaming requires a lot.
I don't have a legibility problem using TeamViewer, done a lot of pair programming this way.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#9While this looks like a well developed feature, I despise the concept of coding in a phone interview too much to not worry about this enabling more of it just because it's more convenient. Especially for research-heavy positions, the amount of nonsense exercises really makes or breaks a company impression for me. case 1) Have a serious technical conversations with questions testing my understanding, asking about my p…
On the contrary, for positions that require getting your hands dirty with implementation, I find it very valuable to be able to look at a code example with the applicant. How do they approach making sense of legacy code. Do they spot code smells? How familiar are they with the technology at hand? Are they comfortable with asking questions when things are not clear? None of this must involve solving algorithmic puzzles under pressure ... but having a conversation around code can be of value.
Re: Interviews on Skype: Test candidates using a real-time code editor over Skype.
#10While this looks like a well developed feature, I despise the concept of coding in a phone interview too much to not worry about this enabling more of it just because it's more convenient. Especially for research-heavy positions, the amount of nonsense exercises really makes or breaks a company impression for me. case 1) Have a serious technical conversations with questions testing my understanding, asking about my p…
> Especially for research-heavy positions
Sure.
But if you're hiring general purpose noon-senior software engineers, live coding exercises separate the wheat and the chafe very quickly.
Lots of people lie on resumes and are smooth talkers, but lack basic skills for their job. A coding exercise is a really fast way to find these. Then you can move on to more interesting things.