Reply to: Interview red flags

[SchumiStars]

How much do you love F1?

[d000hg]

Companies that ask for examples of talks you have given and code you have developed in your free time.

Quite a few people who talk at conferences do so to stroke their ego and are not the sort of people you want working for you. I know because I have worked with some of them.

I write code to pay for things I really want to do.

And they want to hire people who care about their work. So it's probably a useful question both ways as it indicates you are not a good fit for each other. But they might just be trying to find stuff you've done you're allowed to show them since all your paid work is probably confidential. They can see you in action without giving you stupid test a=or taking up your time.

[TheDude]

Agreed, but that works both ways. I would expect someone interviewing me for my kind of work to treat the meeting with a degree of respect.

I was interviewed by a guy who removed his shoes and put his feet on the desk.

[TheDude]

Companies that ask for examples of talks you have given and code you have developed in your free time.

Quite a few people who talk at conferences do so to stroke their ego and are not the sort of people you want working for you. I know because I have worked with some of them.

I write code to pay for things I really want to do.

[malvolio]

I wear smart casual or a suit. Depends on the client. I make a judgement call. I aim to not the be the the worst dressed person in the room.

Anyone who would ignore you because you're wearing a suit is an idiot. Anyone who requires you to wear a suit is an idiot.

Agreed, but that works both ways. I would expect someone interviewing me for my kind of work to treat the meeting with a degree of respect.

[Lance]

I wear smart casual or a suit. Depends on the client. I make a judgement call. I aim to not the be the the worst dressed person in the room.

Anyone who would ignore you because you're wearing a suit is an idiot. Anyone who requires you to wear a suit is an idiot.

[PerfectStorm]

Being judged on the clothes you wear rather than your ability to do the job.

Indeed. I dress how I like to interviews now - cuts out a lot of the crap (perhaps from their perspective too )

[northernladuk]

Being judged on the clothes you wear rather than your ability to do the job.

The interview bikini still getting you the gigs though.

[ladymuck]

Being judged on the clothes you wear rather than your ability to do the job.

[psychocandy]

Had a contract at rbs a couple of years ago. On week 1 I learned I was guy number 3; 2 other guys had left in the previous 6 months, the last one apparently had a rage outburst during a meeting, handed in his notice and proceeded to delete a fair chunk of his work. I lasted 4-5 months in what turned out to be the worst project in the most toxic environment I've ever experienced. Fortunately, the pandemic started, the project was canned and I was moved to another project which was slightly more tolerable.

Reminds me of a recent government gig. 1st meeting one fella said "I dont know why we're wasting money on another contractor". Cheers fella. Then, same meeting, massive argument broke out and two guys went full tilt swearing at each other. Great eh?

I'm unix but looks like this windows guy had been dumped on a bit. Never met anyone so miserable in my life. He'd broken his arm so I tried to be nice and ask him how he was etc and I'd get one word answers. "So what you do?" "Fell". In the end, he seemed more interested in proving how he'd been so wronged and tried to shaft me.
And getting info from anyone was impossible, the two guys mentioned earlier didnt speak to each other and they'd just point me to the other one.

Lasted 6 weeks - my SC was lost so they used that as an excuse to terminate me in the end. I wasn't sorry at all.

[psychocandy]

Every interview where they ask even one technical question.....

I've got 30+ years experience. Worked all over Europe for some big names..... BUT I don't know the manual off the top of my head. Not interested in that.
Yet a lot of places still do it.

Worse one was an interview that was 40 set questions. 10 of them were for a subject I had no idea of and I pointed that out.
I got 29 out of 40 apparently and they said sorry someone got 30 so we gave them the contract.

[simes]

I had a young kid interview me a few years ago and his first question was "so why are you a contractor?"

What was your answer?

[TheDude]

Had a contract at rbs a couple of years ago. On week 1 I learned I was guy number 3; 2 other guys had left in the previous 6 months, the last one apparently had a rage outburst during a meeting, handed in his notice and proceeded to delete a fair chunk of his work. I lasted 4-5 months in what turned out to be the worst project in the most toxic environment I've ever experienced. Fortunately, the pandemic started, the project was canned and I was moved to another project which was slightly more tolerable.

Standards can be pretty low at RBS so that doesn't surprise me.

[PCTNN]

There's nothing like the sinking feeling that another guys spent a few months working on the same project you've been given before quiting. It comes out in drips and drabs, a name dropped here and there, some random stored procedures that are just like the one you need to write, etc. Worst is when they give you his laptop and his profile is still there!

Had a contract at rbs a couple of years ago. On week 1 I learned I was guy number 3; 2 other guys had left in the previous 6 months, the last one apparently had a rage outburst during a meeting, handed in his notice and proceeded to delete a fair chunk of his work. I lasted 4-5 months in what turned out to be the worst project in the most toxic environment I've ever experienced. Fortunately, the pandemic started, the project was canned and I was moved to another project which was slightly more tolerable.

[TheDude]

There's nothing like the sinking feeling that another guys spent a few months working on the same project you've been given before quiting. It comes out in drips and drabs, a name dropped here and there, some random stored procedures that are just like the one you need to write, etc. Worst is when they give you his laptop and his profile is still there!

I prefer to think of the ski holday and nice things the other guy is probably enjoying...