Live data from Hacker News

Hacking job interviews

mycareerstack.com

11–20 of 44 posts

Re: Hacking job interviews

#12

I need to register for an account just to see a question in full? You've already lost me.

Questions are always displayed in full, whether you are logged in or not. There is a separate page for each question where you can comment, see the answer, etc. which requires login. But, you are right! We need to improve the UX ;)

Re: Hacking job interviews

#13
post #2

Personally I think that most of these questions are horrible and as somebody being interviewed, I'd be a little bit annoyed at a company trying to make me jump through hoops. I'm sure there are tons of developers that can sort arrays like there is no tomorrow, but sometimes I would like to work with people that can create software. People that write tests, are able to set up a sane build process, keep the clutter to…

> I'm sure there are tons of developers that can sort arrays like there is no tomorrow, but sometimes I would like to work with people that can create software.

Companies should search for developers that can do both.

Re: Hacking job interviews

#14

I need to register for an account just to see a question in full? You've already lost me.

Questions are always displayed in full, whether you are logged in or not. There is a separate page for each question where you can comment, see the answer, etc. which requires login. But, you are right! We need to improve the UX ;)

These things jump out at me. I didn't actually leave the site in a huff. I noticed the /accounts/ URL structure on your login page, and if I'm not mistaken, you're building the site on django? I had a good poke around, and I really like what you're trying to achieve. I look forward to seeing the site evolve as you iron out the kinks.

Re: Hacking job interviews

#15
post #2

Personally I think that most of these questions are horrible and as somebody being interviewed, I'd be a little bit annoyed at a company trying to make me jump through hoops. I'm sure there are tons of developers that can sort arrays like there is no tomorrow, but sometimes I would like to work with people that can create software. People that write tests, are able to set up a sane build process, keep the clutter to…

Absolutely. Questions like this are the equivalent of an IQ test. Perhaps interesting, but a terrible indicator of someone's practical abilities.

Re: Hacking job interviews

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Questions are always displayed in full, whether you are logged in or not. There is a separate page for each question where you can comment, see the answer, etc. which requires login. But, you are right! We need to improve the UX ;)

These things jump out at me. I didn't actually leave the site in a huff. I noticed the /accounts/ URL structure on your login page, and if I'm not mistaken, you're building the site on django? I had a good poke around, and I really like what you're trying to achieve. I look forward to seeing the site evolve as you iron out the kinks.

Thank you collypops! Just to let you know, this site is built in just 2 months with a team of 3 people, and launched just 3 days ago. So, i guess we have a lot of kinks to iron out and figure out the right direction ;)

Re: Hacking job interviews

#17
post #13
post #2

Personally I think that most of these questions are horrible and as somebody being interviewed, I'd be a little bit annoyed at a company trying to make me jump through hoops. I'm sure there are tons of developers that can sort arrays like there is no tomorrow, but sometimes I would like to work with people that can create software. People that write tests, are able to set up a sane build process, keep the clutter to…

> I'm sure there are tons of developers that can sort arrays like there is no tomorrow, but sometimes I would like to work with people that can create software. Companies should search for developers that can do both .

Then they should focus on both during their interview process, right?

Re: Hacking job interviews

#18

> Sergey [Brin] nodded his agreement, then asked about my six months in Siberia, casually switching to Russian to see how much I had picked up. Finally, he leaned forward and fired his best shot, what he came to call "the hard question". "I'm going to give you five minutes," he announced. "When I come back, I want you to explain to me something complicated that I don't already know. He then rolled out of the room tow…

Awesome! So much better than yet another "reverse this binary tree" non-question.

Re: Hacking job interviews

#19
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've stopped a couple interviews mid-process when it became evident that the interviewer was going to focus on this sort of crap. Their shock is its own reward.

A bit overkill to leave a job opportunity you were interested in because of one interviewer's bad technique?

If it's a small company, it's very likely the interviewer's manner is a good reflection of the company culture.

Re: Hacking job interviews

#20
The grammar alone on this site is just dreadful, who the heck says "Codes"? And then career v. careers in the same slogan two different places. If I saw this on a resume, it would be placed straight into the circular file.
Post reply on HN