Re:The Problem with Using HackerRank as a Programmer Screeni...
by zebraflask on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @07:24PM
(#15965868)
I think we're missing a key piece of information. I'm referring to companies that want to hire for a specialized role, do no testing germane to the role, but do test competency for the job solely via a skill set that is tangential to the job itself. A lot of places do this.
I think it must be a relic of the Google-style interview cargo cult approach to hiring.
People will tell you all sorts of things.
It's objectionable because it doesn't test the skill set that would be used on the job.
Maybe they just say that because that's easier than investing the time to develop a good understanding of basic algorithms?
Don't get me wrong... I'm all about specialization of labor and all that, and I'm not saying every programmer in the world needs to be able to write a provably correct implementation of a PriorityQueue from scratch, at the drop of a hat. But I would argue that all developers, front-end or otherwise, benefit from algorithmic knowledge, and that it is reasonable to test front-end devs on that knowledge - to a point.
And given how much more complex "web apps" are becoming with pretty complex SPA's delivered with lots of complex logic executing on the "front end" I think that's become even more true over the past few years. It's not like "Front end developer" means "person who does CSS styling and can add a few neat effects to a page using javascript".
You wouldn't judge an electrician on their carpentry.
No you wouldn't but that analogy really doesn't fit the present discussion at all.