Good programmers should be sacked!

[sasguru]

Why don't companies employ media-studies/business studies graduates and train them to be programmers?

Coz them is thick, innit?

Seriously though, every employer nowadays will judge communication skills as well as technical prowess. New grads in the banks/big 4 are assessed through a full battery of tests, not just technical ones. And the big companies will take grads of any discipline.

[meridian]

If this is the case, why are job interviews filled with coding tests and not English/communications tests? Why don't companies employ media-studies/business studies graduates and train them to be programmers?

Interviews may include coding tests, but also include other questions like, "have you worked on projects that involved strict deadlines before? Give an example of how this worked/did not work for you..." etc etc.

Interviews may not include English/communications tests, but that doesn't mean that these are not vital skills for a good programmer. Also, isn't the interview itself a guide in how well the prospective coder can communicate?

And companies may not employ media/business grads, but just take a look at all the City jobs that "require derivatives experience" or the like - the business experience is just as important as the coding.

[DimPrawn]

There are 273 contracts on jobserve with "team player".
25 with "problem solver"
1 with "logical thinker"

HTH

[Mordac]

There are 273 contracts on jobserve with "team player".

"Team player" is officially defined as one who is willing to do extra work to make up for those within his or her team who are either too stupid or too lazy to complete a given task within the deadline.
It is a meaningless HR buzzword, in other words, but the HR gimps love it, so we must therefore keep trotting it out.
Makes me spit an' all

[AtW]

"Team player" is officially defined as one who is willing to do extra work to make up for those within his or her team who are either too stupid or too lazy to complete a given task within the deadline.

You missed the keyword Mordac - free extra work. I don't mind in principle doing some for free to hit deadline, but in some companies the whole business model is build around people working very long hours all the time for free, this is bull and should be made illegal: if its that important then overtime should be paid, higher than normal rate to ensure better planning in the future.

[bogeyman]

If good communications skills are so important, how come outsourcing to India is so popular.

Big business just wants coding machines - cheap ones at that. They don't really give a toss about your 'soft skills' how much of a 'team player' you are. They have to make these noises to keep the in HR drones buzzing happily.

[Numptycorner]

Let's face it, most people on here are social missfits, hence all the pent up anger. If we start getting programmers with social skills this site is dead, dead I tell ye!

[DimPrawn]

Doomed!

[bogeyman]

Let's face it, most people on here are social missfits, hence all the pent up anger. If we start getting programmers with social skills this site is dead, dead I tell ye!

Good point Numpty.

Although it could be argued that most people on the Web are social misfits.

Perhaps the misfits are actually becoming the norm.

[Numptycorner]

Maybe, but instead of talking to random misfits and getting depressed, I could be chatting to my colleagues. I'm not sure which is worse.