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Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

josezarazua.com

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Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#101

Post by roryirvine »

Maxatar wrote: post #56
percentcer wrote: post #28

Why wouldn't a qualified developer just run the code? Takes two seconds instead of ... whatever you're going for here.

Is it really faster to run the code than to just answer it? Like are people struggling to answer this question?

If you're looking for junior-ish python devs, I'd expect a good chunk of the better ones to have a python repl open and ready just as a matter of habit.

So for them, yes, it would clearly be faster to run the code than to work through it manually.

What you're doing here is selecting for candidates who are less comfortable with using the tools that they'd be expected to use every day in the role you're hiring for. It's likely to provide a negative signal.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#102

Post by em-bee »

sam_lowry_ wrote: post #99
Maxatar wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have a test that can identify a good candidate quickly then you have honestly struck gold and can genuinely use that to start your own company. I mean this with absolute sincerity. One of the absolute hardest part of my business is really hiring qualified candidates, and it's really demoralizing and time consuming and unbelievably expensive. The best that I've managed to do is the same that pretty much every o…

Good candidates are not universally good, they are good for you after hire. One of the best business analysts I worked with (also a profession, mind you) was almost fired when working under an old, grumpy and clearly underskilled one. I was hired once without interview into a unicorn, was loved by colleagues but hated the work, the business and the industry, then left rather quickly. See? There are mismatches and unk…

yup, the worst performance i did on any job was due to the complete unavailability of a manager when i was a team of one. and then that manager would not even fire me. i had to quit to get out of there.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#103

Post by Sammi »

kevin061 wrote: post #29
hairband_dude wrote: post #21

Peeking at the source, it's just a zero-width div, which is not accomodating of people with disabilities. This might open you up to litigation if you disqualify a blind person on the grounds he gave the wrong answer 'using AI', when he might have just been answering the question his screen reader read out.

This is an excellent point. I did not think of that.

There's an easier fix. Have the candidates state if they have a vision disability first and then send them down a different pathway for validation. There aren't that many, so it's not going to be costly or anything.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#104

Post by anabab »

ctoth wrote: post #83
Maxatar wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it really faster to run the code than to just answer it? Like are people struggling to answer this question?

I can run the code in my head. I can probably be right. I can be 99.9999% sure I am right. OR: I could run the code in the interpreter and be 100% certain. I know what attitude I would prefer out of my developers.

the attitude of at least checking the code before running it, I suppose? Or is the curl | sudo bash approach more preferred nowadays?

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#105

Post by croon »

Aloisius wrote: post #59
sond wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of the zero-width div, you could set up an event listener for the copy event (using addEventListener() method) which calls .clipboardData.setData() on the ClipboardEvent to change it to your modified code. That should avoid messing things up for people with screen readers while still trapping the copy+pasters.

Or add aria-hidden=true I've had clipboard events and the clipboard API disabled in my browser to prevent websites from intercepting them for ages. I can't be the only one.

My take on that is that the very slim minority who does this are also likely passable through this very blunt hiring tool anyways.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#106

Post by addandsubtract »

Sammi wrote: post #103
kevin061 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an excellent point. I did not think of that.

There's an easier fix. Have the candidates state if they have a vision disability first and then send them down a different pathway for validation. There aren't that many, so it's not going to be costly or anything.

That would require the candidate to disclose their disability, which afaik, also isn't required.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#107

Post by magic-amoeba »

divbzero wrote: post #26
stavros wrote: post #17

For anyone who missed the (poorly-explained) trick, the website uses a CSS trick to insert an equals sign, thus showing different code if read or if copied/pasted. That's how the author knows whether you solved it in your head or pasted it somewhere.

This didn’t work for me because Reader Mode popped up and showed the “hidden” equals sign.

I did the same thing. After seeing the answer I thought “this CTO is a booger eating moron”…

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#108

Post by err4nt »

Daneel_ wrote: post #97
antisthenes wrote: post #95

How am I supposed to see this equal sign? My browser just doesn't render it. This is nonsense.

Did you read the article? That's kind of the point, that you don't see it visually, but when you copy/paste it then it's there. If you evaluate the code with your brain you'll get the correct answer, but copy and paste it and the answer is different.

I copy/pasted it into my editor to see it larger. I still used my brain. This 'test' is not a true test but a trick, and the trick doesn't have to do with programming ability.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#109

Post by antisthenes »

Daneel_ wrote: post #97
antisthenes wrote: post #95

How am I supposed to see this equal sign? My browser just doesn't render it. This is nonsense.

Did you read the article? That's kind of the point, that you don't see it visually, but when you copy/paste it then it's there. If you evaluate the code with your brain you'll get the correct answer, but copy and paste it and the answer is different.

Why would I copy paste the code somewhere?

It's a tiny code snippet that I was going to evaluate visually on the author's website.

Re: Here is the 15 sec coding test I used to instantly filter out most applicants

#110

Post by eudamoniac »

antisthenes wrote: post #109
Daneel_ wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you read the article? That's kind of the point, that you don't see it visually, but when you copy/paste it then it's there. If you evaluate the code with your brain you'll get the correct answer, but copy and paste it and the answer is different.

Why would I copy paste the code somewhere? It's a tiny code snippet that I was going to evaluate visually on the author's website.

Misunderstanding this 15 second article even when explained in a reply to you is probably also a good filter for applicants
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