Contractor Interviews and Testing?

[perplexed]

Agents go mental when they hear this...

No, that's the standard agent mentality.

"What do you mean JavaScript isn't Java? Anyway, it's just a language, you can break things down into logical parts, just need to brush up on the syntax..."

[Old Greg]

I have found there is absolutely no positive correlation between people who know all the keyboard shortcuts and programming skill. If anything it swings towards the inverse. Typing quicker could in fact reflect the fact that you are not clearly thinking through what you are doing.

Whether or not you agree with the above statement, surely you have to accept that observing people's use of keyboard shortcuts is a very strange way of assessing someone's programming skill?

I am great at keyboard shortcuts and only wrote my first lines of code two weeks ago (after a misunderstanding with the client which led to me becoming acquainted with stackoverflow - got away with it as well).

[northernladuk]

Haha, I read a similar article on Business Insider recently!!! What the ****!
I never have their details anyway... I could look them up on LinkedIn but I still think it comes across a bit desperate.

Yeah. I saw it on LinkedIn and she's posted a follow up article attempting to backtrack and completely watering down what she so strongly put in her first one. I don't think she'll be rolling that one out again.

[zonkkk]

Apparently you just need to send a thank you note to the interviewer and the gig is yours... Well according to some woman on LinkedIn it is.

Haha, I read a similar article on Business Insider recently!!! What the ****!
I never have their details anyway... I could look them up on LinkedIn but I still think it comes across a bit desperate.

[zonkkk]

A coder is a coder. Regardless of the language you're using your brain works in the way that lets you break down problems to logical components.

Agents go mental when they hear this...

[Hobosapien]

Checking for use of keyboard shortcuts. There are some absolute muppets out there, some doing interviews.

If some idiot thought this was relevant during an interview (or anytime) then I'd put it down to an indicator of micromanagement and all the negatives that go with it.

Still, better to find out at interview than later. You are interviewing them too.

[darmstadt]

I have found there is absolutely no positive correlation between people who know all the keyboard shortcuts and programming skill. If anything it swings towards the inverse. Typing quicker could in fact reflect the fact that you are not clearly thinking through what you are doing.

Whether or not you agree with the above statement, surely you have to accept that observing people's use of keyboard shortcuts is a very strange way of assessing someone's programming skill?

Well if I ever had a technical interview and used keyboard shortcuts, then it would be very short as the only one I know is ALT+F4

[northernladuk]

Apparently you just need to send a thank you note to the interviewer and the gig is yours... Well according to some woman on LinkedIn it is.

[pauldee]

Exactly my experience.



1 hour task, a projector to share my screen, 2 non-tech people looking over my shoulder close enough to be pinched and other 2 functional guys maintaining eye contact while watching my typing.
Finally I were accused for non-use of a code editor short-cut keys (nobody uses them in my field due to product specifics) to list classes and types.

It is always irrelevant. Yes best gigs via friendly chat. Best not for relaxing but in opposite a lot of hard work that need to be done yesterday. I tested and certified in all means many times. When I am offered a test I assume there is no work actually. At least for me

I have found there is absolutely no positive correlation between people who know all the keyboard shortcuts and programming skill. If anything it swings towards the inverse. Typing quicker could in fact reflect the fact that you are not clearly thinking through what you are doing.

Whether or not you agree with the above statement, surely you have to accept that observing people's use of keyboard shortcuts is a very strange way of assessing someone's programming skill?

[FK1]

Best gigs - ones secured via friendly chat.
Crap gigs - one involving multiple interviews and/or tests.

Exactly my experience.

Words fail me.

1 hour task, a projector to share my screen, 2 non-tech people looking over my shoulder close enough to be pinched and other 2 functional guys maintaining eye contact while watching my typing.
Finally I were accused for non-use of a code editor short-cut keys (nobody uses them in my field due to product specifics) to list classes and types.

It is always irrelevant. Yes best gigs via friendly chat. Best not for relaxing but in opposite a lot of hard work that need to be done yesterday. I tested and certified in all means many times. When I am offered a test I assume there is no work actually. At least for me

You will be tested.

I don't like tests, and I particularly dislike the standard, certification type test that are all the rage. In my opinion they do not so much find out who can pragmatically complete the job as who knows the irrelevant details of a programming language.

IT contractor interviews: Technical tests & tough questions