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A comment on How do you recognise good programmers if you’re a business guy?.

Re:How do you recognise good programmers if you’re a busines... by ryanwaggoner on Saturday March 14, 2009 @01:14PM (#515972)
This isn't rocket science, and programmers aren't special. Programming is a deep technical skill, just like many others, and the way you hire for those types of positions if you don't understand them is to rely on the judgment of others who do. These people helping you evaluate technical candidates don't have to be employees, by the way. They could be, but they could also be your friends, family members, advisors, colleagues from a former job, etc., etc. Just calling a programmers past employers and managers is a good start.

You can also intuit something about someone's technical skills by looking at the types of places they've worked for. Some guy who has hacked together fifty is likely not as technically skilled as someone who worked at Google and Facebook. That's not a full-proof test, obviously, but there isn't a full-proof test here, even if you are a programmer.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:How do you recognise good programmers if you’re a busines... by plinkplonk on Saturday March 14, 2009 @01:54PM (#516021)
"This isn't rocket science, and programmers aren't special. "

I agree completely.

" Programming is a deep technical skill, just like many others, and the way you hire for those types of positions if you don't understand them is to rely on the judgment of others who do."

Exactly! This is the central point. This is how I (as a programmer) would find a good lawyer or doctor or helicopter pilot from large numbes of doctors or lawyers or pilots with similair sounding degrees and other "indicators", for example.

I am just not convinced of the whole idea of using "indicators" as a substitute for the above. It is not so much that any indicators are wrong in themselves , but that unless I have someone who knows how to use those indicators correctly.

Now I don't know anyone who can help me with the judging , I could go with a list of "common sense" indicators and take my chances. I have serious doubts on how much this will succeed in picking an exceptional doctor/lawyer/pilot etc.

[ Parent | on HN ]