I turned my interview task for Google into a startup • Hacker News Board

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#221

Post by ALittleLight » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:28 PM UTC

geofft wrote: post #196

airstrike wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Alan Greenspan's story of finding a competitive advantage because everyone else was happy to ignore half the population in hiring Maybe I'm living under a rock, but I've never heard of that. Would you mind sharing a link?

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/05/business/the-quiet-allure... > Though David Rowe, a veteran architect of the Wharton forecasting model, has played a key role in developing the firm's econometric model, the senior staff, including Miss Eickhoff, Judith Mackey and Lucille Wu, is mostly female. Mr. Greenspan explains the gender bias with the free-market pragmatism that has become his hallmark: "I always valued men an…

Isn't this admitting that he's underpaying women? Because if he paid them as much as he would pay a man then they wouldn't be cheaper.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#222

Post by ScottFree » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:28 PM UTC

splicer wrote: post #207

ScottFree wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People who are between jobs and whose bank accounts are running perilously low.

Actually, I did one of these jumping from one megacorp to another. It took up my entire weekend, but I landed the interview. I then had to take 2 days off to fly out for the interview. Luckily, I got the job.

You either got very lucky or you're far more effective at pre-screening companies than I am. The last time I spent that kind of time on a test was for a megacorp in the top 50 of the fortune 500.

The process was much the same as you described: multiple day test followed by taking two days off to fly out for the interview. Except I didn't get the job and nobody who interviewed me ever looked at the take home test.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#223

Post by charlesdm » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:29 PM UTC

agrippanux wrote: post #213

rdez6173 wrote: post #104

I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. When I pressed them about the relevance, they indicated that they often have heated debates on all manner of topics, so they wanted to see my thought process. I enjoy solving complex problems, but socio-ethical problems are way outside of my wheelhouse. I politely indicated that I di…

When interviewing execs who would be building new departments a few years ago, I would pose the question of "In the wake of Arab spring in Libya, the people decide that you are their next leader. What happens in your first 100 days?". The answers ran the gamut from lazy to fantastic to terrifying. A lot of answers where generic "coalition building" variety. The better answers identified key areas to focus on like inf…

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I don't like this question because you know there is a politically correct answer and then an actual course of action people would take.

The proper answer is: introduce democratic government, clean up the country, introduce proper amenities (healthcare, etc) and spread the wealth for the benefit of the people.

Fact of the matter is: absolute power corrupts, and plenty of people would loot the oil money reserves for their own benefit if they had the chance. Just have a look at what happens in Russia.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#224

Post by harlanji » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:29 PM UTC

klyrs wrote: post #105

irrational wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've joked about giving potential hires a challenge to fix a problem we are currently experiencing, but we wouldn't really do it. That takes some balls to ask interviewees to write or fix production code.

Back in 2000, I had an in-person interview at a very small b2b website. They'd been using overseas contractors (zero local technical people) and the founder/interviewer barely knew a thing about computers. He didn't know how to run a technical interview, so he sat me down at a computer, logged in as root on prod (lol the only server), and pointed me at a couple of bugs. I knocked them out lickety-split and was hired…

I'm making it like that again. I'm back down with the blue collar proles in Mountain View, landscaping and moving and waiting tables and the like. That's how things work outside of speculation... employer has a business where they get paid, and they outsource their own functions. I'll never run an engineering org like Silicon Valley again, it's so broken in delivering results as a result of the speculative nature. I have a project website up serving two cities. We use Clojure and static generation, and operate and maintain IT like an old tractor. I train my replacements to keep myself available and customers getting a good price (minimum wage). It lets people start their career with hands-on work. It's in BigTech's interest to make us think tech is hard, but I'm using most of the same stuff as I did when I was 14 and self-taught 20 years ago, and it's gotten far far simpler and better.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#225

Post by michaelt » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:30 PM UTC

eschneider wrote: post #187

josh2600 wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, adding a button to a codebase is an awful test. If someone made it to an onsite and you don’t know whether they can add a button in swift, something failed in your screening process. If you’re testing how someone navigates a codebase, you can just look at it with them, and let them drive the chat. If you’re testing an engineer for a serious job, do an algorithms test. If you’re testing an engineer for a specifi…

Your odds go way up if you repeatedly fire at the guy to your left. Being a senior engineer is knowing the difference between doing what your told and figuring out what needs to be done to achieve project success. In this case, getting to the next round. Next question?

He never said you had to spin the chamber by an unknown amount, aren't your odds even better if you make sure the bullet is in the next chamber before you shoot left?

Of course, many game theory calculations assume all players know the payoff matrix and equilibrium strategies of the others; making sure the bullet isn't in the next chamber is the rational universal strategy if the game has a fixed number of rounds.

Presumably the actual question has a bunch of provisos making sure you can't intentionally miss, or accidentally miss, or dodge, or shoot early, or fail to pull the trigger, or shoot the gang.....

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#226

Post by ScottFree » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:30 PM UTC

onlydeadheroes wrote: post #149

Zenbit_UX wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was condoning lying about offers or salaries on offer, just that having more offers signals a perspective employer that you're a desirable candidate. I've heard of companies asking for proof of other offers so saying so and so offered me 2x is a very risky play if untrue.

> I've heard of companies asking for proof of other offers so saying so and so offered me 2x is a very risky play if untrue. My point is that it is also risky if it is true, but the other offer is not a job you would take.

Then you keep interviewing. I don't understand why you seem to think negotiating over salary is somehow "risky." It happens all the time.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#227

Post by kevas » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:30 PM UTC

agrippanux wrote: post #213

rdez6173 wrote: post #104

I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. When I pressed them about the relevance, they indicated that they often have heated debates on all manner of topics, so they wanted to see my thought process. I enjoy solving complex problems, but socio-ethical problems are way outside of my wheelhouse. I politely indicated that I di…

When interviewing execs who would be building new departments a few years ago, I would pose the question of "In the wake of Arab spring in Libya, the people decide that you are their next leader. What happens in your first 100 days?". The answers ran the gamut from lazy to fantastic to terrifying. A lot of answers where generic "coalition building" variety. The better answers identified key areas to focus on like inf…

What would your thoughts be if the interviewee, after that question being posed, asked for a 10 minute break (or thought session) to gather his thoughts about how he would act within 100 days?

- Would you discount the person for not being able to answer your question right there?

- Would you think that this is a person who doesn't like to make rash decision (or the opposite)?

- Would you be thinking that this person is wasting your time?

- Would you allow it or have 'em answer right then and there?

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#228

Post by rich_ard » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:30 PM UTC

jcadam wrote: post #151

rdez6173 wrote: post #104

I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. When I pressed them about the relevance, they indicated that they often have heated debates on all manner of topics, so they wanted to see my thought process. I enjoy solving complex problems, but socio-ethical problems are way outside of my wheelhouse. I politely indicated that I di…

> I am a software engineer and I was once asked during an interview at a large hedge fund to pick a side and debate why war is justified. Heh, I actually wouldn't have minded that too much - but in addition to being a software engineer I'm also a former Army officer. In any case, I think such a task can be relevant, if you're working in a fast-paced and competitive environment (esp. one with a lot of non-technical st…

Not clear on how showing that you're willing to argue a position that you don't have any background or evidence to support is a positive.

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#229

Post by swish_bob » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:30 PM UTC

comboy wrote: post #76

swish_bob wrote: post #47

I once completed the task sent to me by a prospective employer, and then thanked them and said I wouldn't be submitting it, as it told me enough about the way they worked to know I wouldn't enjoy it. Never forget that the interview process is two way ...

Those few big companies probably have more than enough candidates. If you have too many candidates you need to adjust interview difficulty to still hire only as much as you need. I don't think these companies care that the task is too difficult for 99% of people, or that there are smart people who are not motivated enough to complete it as long as they can get as many smart and motivated people as they want. That sai…

This particular company was neither "big" nor one of the "top" companies to work for. I strongly suspect they were getting noddy developers and were happy with them. The reason I didn't want to work for them was categorically not because the test was too hard, it was a trivial spring-boot app. I didn't want to work for them because of what it, and the test process, said about them ...

Re: I turned my interview task for Google into a startup

#230

Post by wycy » Thu, May 16, 2019, 2:31 PM UTC

acdha wrote: post #145

wycy wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've found it incredibly glitchy. I have some reminders that somehow duplicate and show up multiple times (all at the same time), and others that will show up and instantly dismiss themselves. I can even be looking at my phone and see them pop up and instantly disappear. For a long time I thought it was perhaps due to poor sync with the Mac, since sometimes I manage reminders from there, but the same thing happens wi…

Interesting — does iCloud otherwise work normally? We've used it heavily for years and never seen anything like that. They used to have an option in the iCloud.com settings (under advanced) to reset the sync system which might be worth looking for — back in the day there used to be a utility to reset the Mac sync database which often fixed problems like this but I believe that was removed at some point.

I believe iCloud does otherwise work normally. Reminders is the only app I can think of (including all Apple and non-Apple apps) with any sort of obvious glitches, sync-related or otherwise. I'll give the reset a try--thanks!