Re:The Social Network Bust: What I learned from my job inter...
by prodigal_erik on Monday October 04, 2010 @02:53AM
(#1754841)
> Why are established computer scientists forced to take a week to study up for trivia-like interviews?
I don't ask anything in an interview that my colleagues didn't automatically learn long ago, just from being good at their jobs. Cram studying for an interview is a waste of time—unless you're trying to get a job you aren't qualified for.
> But, for more established professionals, it would seem that a "tell me about your achievements" discussion would be more applicable.
Once I had met an appalling number of candidates who are incapable of putting sensible pseudocode on a whiteboard, I stopped taking for granted that everyone actually can write what they claim to have written. I don't know where these people are coming from or why, but they're definitely out there, and over-represented in the candidate pool (because everyone is trying to avoid hiring them).
I don't ask anything in an interview that my colleagues didn't automatically learn long ago, just from being good at their jobs. Cram studying for an interview is a waste of time—unless you're trying to get a job you aren't qualified for.
> But, for more established professionals, it would seem that a "tell me about your achievements" discussion would be more applicable.
Once I had met an appalling number of candidates who are incapable of putting sensible pseudocode on a whiteboard, I stopped taking for granted that everyone actually can write what they claim to have written. I don't know where these people are coming from or why, but they're definitely out there, and over-represented in the candidate pool (because everyone is trying to avoid hiring them).