Ask HN: What do you think is the ideal programming interview process?

Re:Ask HN: What do you think is the ideal programming interv... by steven2012 on Wednesday June 10, 2015 @11:50PM (#9697391)

Have a deep conversation about technical topics, have more conversations over lunch. Try to see if the person is a good fit with the team. Check references.

Then hire this person.

If they can't code, if they are too slow, if they wont be productive at the end of one month, then give them 2 months severance and let them go.

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Re:Ask HN: What do you think is the ideal programming interv... by sheepmullet on Thursday June 11, 2015 @05:23AM (#9698577)

Spot on!

Maybe 1 in 10 will pass the initial filter and yet be a crap developer/bad fit. You can quickly spot these people in the first month and kindly show them the door.

The cost works out to be <2 weeks salary per hire. And as an added benefit you wont pass over good devs.

The 2 months serverance means the employee has time to find another job, and makes firing them a LOT easier.

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Re:Ask HN: What do you think is the ideal programming interv... by philjr on Thursday June 11, 2015 @08:48AM (#9699325)

I'm just curious. In the entire lifetime of checking references, has anyone ever not hired someone based solely on a reference check of someone who was given to them by the candidate?

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Re:Ask HN: What do you think is the ideal programming interv... by gargarplex on Thursday June 11, 2015 @04:39PM (#9702240)

I have never received severance from an employer or known personally someone who has (USA). How common of an occurrence is this?

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Re:Ask HN: What do you think is the ideal programming interv... by sheepmullet on Thursday June 11, 2015 @06:29PM (#9702869)

Very few will if you are fired, especially in the first month. In reality it is win/win situation for the employer to offer a decent severance.

Without it bad fits and bad developers stick around for years or you get the reputation as a "fire fast" company and a lot of good people don't want to work with you.

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