Interviews - The other side...

[tim123]

However, there's another consideration - Geeky questions also test fluency and speed. The more syntax and tricks you have at instant recall the less faffing about and even web searches and enquiries you need and the faster the job gets done, and that is obviously a big selling point.

Not if the code that you leave in place in uninteligable to the next person who has to maintain it.

IMHO delivering good code is all about delivering something that is maintainable, not about delivering something that works. Even if you do actually manage to achiever 100% working (which is very unlikely) someone is bound to change the spec and want some new features at a later date.

IME the easiest way to achieve maintable code in C is to avoid smart coding tricks, you leave those to the complier. Just my opinion.

tim

[wendigo100]

Or maybe it was this: http://worsethanfailure.com/Articles...Interview.aspx

"During a screening interview (at Microsoft), I was asked how I would design a bike fit for someone visually impaired. I responded something to the effect of, 'What, like, for blind people?', and she answered yes.

I thought for a moment and then I responded, 'Well.. a blind person riding a bike doesn't sound like a very safe idea, so I would make the bike stationary, maybe with a fan blowing in the person's face. He probably wouldn't even know the difference.'

She was speechless. "

He did not get the job. Despite the complete absurdity of the design request, and the complete practicality of his answer, the job will go to a candidate who manages to answer the question by designing an extremely overcomplicated solution for a completely non-existent problem. And that candidate will be the same person who designs their software.

[tim123]

Another standard MS question is

"how would you move Mt Fuji?"

ISTM that the answer is one bucket (lorry) full at a time.

tim

[darmstadt]

Many years ago I went to Thermos for an interview along with a young lady who was working with me at the same time. This is the only time I have ver had a test and it basically consisted of putting square pegs in square holes and circular pegs in circular holes and more inane stuff like that. She failed, I passed (and tried to boff her years later) and turned down the gig as it was obviously a job for thickos if that was the test.

[Churchill]

twice the national average wage in an area quite a bit cheaper than London seems reasonable, or maybe I'm missing some parallel UK where people get paid twice as much for doing the same permie job!

Yeah, I thought it was a reasonable salary too.