I should have been a dentist I would have gotten more respect and maybe more love
I have had similar thoughts.
Another programming interview I blew
21–30 of 85 posts
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#22show me your Github profile or your learning blog, you need to build a personal brand as a developer... :)
I abhor the notion of developing a private "brand" so strongly and resist-fully that it's hard to keep my cool commenting about it. That said, it would be cool to have a service that would take all the code you have and some of the stuff you've made, and make a decent portfolio for you. Like -> out comes a shiny portfolio site
Build it! Just a simple matter of programming.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#23The job market and hiring processes for software engineers are screwed up.
One problem is that it's hard to get good information about which candidates and which companies are the ones you want, since the bad ones also pretend to be good.
Another complication is that recruiters are often not technical, and the hiring managers in startups are not always experienced, so you have to pass through too highly imperfect filters.
I can tell you that, a couple years ago, there was so much demand for Ruby and Python developers that good recruiters wouldn't even take the assignment of looking for them, because they knew it was fruitless.
One way to get around the problem of imperfect information is just to build stuff that resembles what you think people need, with the tools they advertise that they are using, and then to post your code on Github. Or commit to an open-source project. Really, the smart companies have scouts watching those projects and if you show competence, reliability and culture fit (being nice) you'll probably get an offer.
I used to write about this a bit from the point of view of a technical recruiter, which is not popular on HN, but fwiw, it's good for SWEs to understand the gatekeepers.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141003230509-13992315-how-t...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140922170916-13992315-if-yo...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/job-markets-information-probl...
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#24The proper answer is to sabotage the process.
If you go to an interview and they ask contrived questions, go to their page on Glassdoor and post everything they asked.
Once their filter gets too noisy, they'll have to start interviewing for the actual role they're trying to fill instead of this oral exam bullshit.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#25I should have been a dentist I would have gotten more respect and maybe more love I have had similar thoughts.
I shudder at the thought of being a dentist. Imagine your first day on the job, looking into people's mouths all day... then going home and thinking that this is what you will do every working day for the next 40 years.
Dentists, I heard, have high rates of substance abuse, depression and suicide. These are very talented people (they have to be to gain admission to dentistry), who have to spend their life... doing dentistry.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#26Work out which company you would actually want to work with (ask questions) and just do do their friggin puzzles if that's what gets you in the door.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#27Bullshit interviews are part of the system now. The only way to beat it is with interview-er accountability. In interviews today, the expectation is that the candidate should be perfect, do this, that, don't forget to do this. But the interviewer has no such requirement. The interviewer can reject you because "They had a bad day".....seriously, this is what companies say. Look at some answers here: https://www.quora.…
You can rate your interviews on Glassdoor, FWIW. I at least peek there where considering a company.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#28Bullshit interviews are part of the system now. The only way to beat it is with interview-er accountability. In interviews today, the expectation is that the candidate should be perfect, do this, that, don't forget to do this. But the interviewer has no such requirement. The interviewer can reject you because "They had a bad day".....seriously, this is what companies say. Look at some answers here: https://www.quora.…
As someone seeking a job, yes, it's unfortunate. But from an employer's perspective, false negatives are safer than false positives.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#29I should have been a dentist I would have gotten more respect and maybe more love I have had similar thoughts.
I shudder at the thought of being a dentist. Imagine your first day on the job, looking into people's mouths all day... then going home and thinking that this is what you will do every working day for the next 40 years. Dentists, I heard, have high rates of substance abuse, depression and suicide. These are very talented people (they have to be to gain admission to dentistry), who have to spend their life... doing de…
I doubt looking into mouths is a big deal. I don't see how that's any worse or better than being a surgeon. The problem is so much of dentistry is cosmetics which is a horribly shallow thing to be dedicating your life to.
Re: Another programming interview I blew
#30show me your Github profile or your learning blog, you need to build a personal brand as a developer... :)
The idea of github and a blog are the cancers of the industry. Both are so easy to fake that they are hardly worth the space they take up to link on a resume -- however, recruiters don't seem to have discovered this fact yet.