Favourite interview questions
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Richie308 wrote:
Don't forget to ask why manhole covers are round!
A good answer would be, "Good heavens! They make them round these days then???" and stare in faked disbelief at the person who asked you the question. Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. Also visit the Ultimate Toolbox blog (New) -
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
That's what I thought too - a little humor doesn't really mean you are not professional. A dull serious work place would not be a fun job, in my opinion.
Granted, this is based mainly on my experiences so I'm not saying it works for all. But, the people that I've seen that know the most about computers tend to have a sense of humor. It's like the uptight guys are more focused on being uptight than educated. Now, I don't wanna pin anyone because there's always exceptions to the rule, but this certainly seems to have been the case in my experiences. Of course, I'm anal about programming questions in the lounge, so where does that put me? :-D Jeremy Falcon
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
I'm anal about programming questions in the lounge, so where does that put me?
That is understandable because it clearly says no programming questions in the Lounge :)
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
the people that I've seen that know the most about computers tend to have a sense of humor
I've experienced that as well. They are the kind of people who can roll with the punches during a crunch time on a project.
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I have two favorite questions that have absolutely nothing technical about them. 1. How many quarters tall is the Empire State building? You can see how they approach problem solving. Do they ask questions (stacked or end on end)? Or do they just give up? There is no right or wrong answer. It's just how they approach the problem. 2. What is funnier in movies--monkeys or racoons and why? Sometimes they are looking for the "right" answer which there is none. I don't want that kind of person. Their answer determines their creativity. Why do they like the animal better? I'm hoping they describe the behavior of their favorite animal. I'm not a manager anymore, but I truly believe these questions help reveal the underlying personality and work type of the interviewee. Hope it helps!
leckey wrote:
2. What is funnier in movies--monkeys or racoons and why?
Depends on the movie. The chimps in the one Air Bud movie were funny, and the raccoons in The Great Outdoors were really funny, too. It depends on the setting of the movie.
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I have two favorite questions that have absolutely nothing technical about them. 1. How many quarters tall is the Empire State building? You can see how they approach problem solving. Do they ask questions (stacked or end on end)? Or do they just give up? There is no right or wrong answer. It's just how they approach the problem. 2. What is funnier in movies--monkeys or racoons and why? Sometimes they are looking for the "right" answer which there is none. I don't want that kind of person. Their answer determines their creativity. Why do they like the animal better? I'm hoping they describe the behavior of their favorite animal. I'm not a manager anymore, but I truly believe these questions help reveal the underlying personality and work type of the interviewee. Hope it helps!
Interesting questions: 1) I would ask you when you need the answer. If you said now, then I would say I do not know. If you said tomorrow then I would seek more information or offer to give you two solutions the next day. 2) I do not know. They are both funny in Disney movies. INTP "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."Edsger Dijkstra
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Josh Gray wrote:
Huh?
Uptight, overreactive, anal, superiority complex, etc. Jeremy Falcon
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
Uptight, overreactive, anal, superiority complex, etc.
When it comes to picking people that I will have to work with every day I am proud to be anal, uptight, overreactive. My sence of superiority is clearly a fact and not a complex :) Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
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Josh Gray wrote:
Does multi-threading make a program faster?
And of course (as with most computer question answers) the answer would be "it depends". :laugh: Jeremy Falcon
I read the entire thread you guys had going. :laugh: I personally find that the answer to almost all higher level programming questions begin with the phrase “it depends” followed by an explanation. The key words here are “it depends”, without that phrase they probably do not have much experience in that area. Most programming questions are not ‘yes or no’ but ‘yes and no’, because ‘it depends’. :-D INTP "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."Edsger Dijkstra
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Judging by your name your gender is male, and trying to seduce another male clearly makes you a homosexual... Let's see...not a very favorable characteristic at work.. Anal? in what sense? Roswell;P
"Angelinos -- excuse me. There will be civility today."
Antonio VillaRaigosa
City Mayor, Los Angeles, CADelete this post if you have to...it's too soapbox, but i couldn't resist -- modified at 1:37 Monday 17th July, 2006
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Judging by your name your gender is male, and trying to seduce another male clearly makes you a homosexual... Let's see...not a very favorable characteristic at work.. Anal? in what sense? Roswell;P
"Angelinos -- excuse me. There will be civility today."
Antonio VillaRaigosa
City Mayor, Los Angeles, CADelete this post if you have to...it's too soapbox, but i couldn't resist -- modified at 1:37 Monday 17th July, 2006
RoswellNX wrote:
Let's see...not a very favorable characteristic at work..
I could not care less about the sexual prefererence of my colegues.
RoswellNX wrote:
Delete this post if you have to...it's too soapbox, but i couldn't resist
You should be mature enough to moderate your own behaviour Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
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I read the entire thread you guys had going. :laugh: I personally find that the answer to almost all higher level programming questions begin with the phrase “it depends” followed by an explanation. The key words here are “it depends”, without that phrase they probably do not have much experience in that area. Most programming questions are not ‘yes or no’ but ‘yes and no’, because ‘it depends’. :-D INTP "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."Edsger Dijkstra
John R. Shaw wrote:
Most programming questions are not ‘yes or no’ but ‘yes and no’, because ‘it depends’.
Which is why we ask very general questions that are not related to a specific language. We are interested in what comes after the "it depends". If thats all I get as a response Ill usually ask something like "can you give me a couple of examples of what it depends on" Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
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RoswellNX wrote:
Let's see...not a very favorable characteristic at work..
I could not care less about the sexual prefererence of my colegues.
RoswellNX wrote:
Delete this post if you have to...it's too soapbox, but i couldn't resist
You should be mature enough to moderate your own behaviour Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
Josh Gray wrote:
I could not care less about the sexual prefererence of my colegues.
That's a good thing, because in too many cases that stuff leads to vicious arguments, hatred and even lawsuits, and we all know that those are counterproductive. But a sense of humor isn't, even though you chose to disagree with that. Roswell :)
"Angelinos -- excuse me. There will be civility today."
Antonio VillaRaigosa
City Mayor, Los Angeles, CA -
Josh Gray wrote:
I could not care less about the sexual prefererence of my colegues.
That's a good thing, because in too many cases that stuff leads to vicious arguments, hatred and even lawsuits, and we all know that those are counterproductive. But a sense of humor isn't, even though you chose to disagree with that. Roswell :)
"Angelinos -- excuse me. There will be civility today."
Antonio VillaRaigosa
City Mayor, Los Angeles, CAIll laugh when you're funny P.S. the "Really raelly good looking" comment was a reference to a movie that was said in humor. Even Jeremy said it made him laugh. But by all means give me a hard time over it. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear -- modified at 2:07 Monday 17th July, 2006
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I'm going to be conducting some interviews later this week, which I have to admit, is a new thing for me. The role is for a VBA developer, but also a bit of a general technology all-rounder. The behavioral type questions will be asked by someone else, but it's up to me to delve into the technical side of things. So, I'm looking for some suggestions! What are your favourite interview questions? Cheers, Anthony.
For a totally software position, try asking from Soft Engg, specially SDLC models and little about Functional design and testing. When I interview systems guys specially in C/C++ I just ask them to write a simple for loop and then ask them to modify parameters and explain the results. A current disturbing trend is that many CS majors have been least careful in studying their Digital and Basic electronics, but they are chock full of Java and stuff... At this rate, I am afraid we will so no more good enginners but just butt loads of I.T guys coding stuff all day... "God then made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the less light to rule the night" - Genesis 47:3
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John R. Shaw wrote:
Most programming questions are not ‘yes or no’ but ‘yes and no’, because ‘it depends’.
Which is why we ask very general questions that are not related to a specific language. We are interested in what comes after the "it depends". If thats all I get as a response Ill usually ask something like "can you give me a couple of examples of what it depends on" Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
Cool, no problem here. I agree that ‘it depends’ is not an answer, it is just the start of an answer. Without the rest of it you have nothing. The phrase ‘it depends’ does bring a smile to my face, because it is true and I have said it often myself. Usually the longer I think about the answer to a question, the more things I find that it depends on. In my experience, after you have the job the question becomes ‘can you do it?’ and the answer is usually yes. It is the second question that is the killer: “How long will it take?”. INTP "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."Edsger Dijkstra
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Richie308 wrote:
Don't forget to ask why manhole covers are round!
A good answer would be, "Good heavens! They make them round these days then???" and stare in faked disbelief at the person who asked you the question. Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. Also visit the Ultimate Toolbox blog (New)Nish ! ;) But really, for a fresher/ or about 2 yrs experience, this question is indeed a VERY good way of seeing how he works things out... "God then made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the less light to rule the night" - Genesis 47:3
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I'm going to be conducting some interviews later this week, which I have to admit, is a new thing for me. The role is for a VBA developer, but also a bit of a general technology all-rounder. The behavioral type questions will be asked by someone else, but it's up to me to delve into the technical side of things. So, I'm looking for some suggestions! What are your favourite interview questions? Cheers, Anthony.
atregent wrote:
So, I'm looking for some suggestions! What are your favourite interview questions?
Why you want to change you JOB?:)
"Opinions are neither right nor wrong. I cannot change your opinion. I can, however, change what influences your opinion." - David Crow
cheers, Alok Gupta VC Forum Q&A :- I/ IV Support CRY- Child Relief and You
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I'm going to be conducting some interviews later this week, which I have to admit, is a new thing for me. The role is for a VBA developer, but also a bit of a general technology all-rounder. The behavioral type questions will be asked by someone else, but it's up to me to delve into the technical side of things. So, I'm looking for some suggestions! What are your favourite interview questions? Cheers, Anthony.
I was about to go to bed and flash on something, which I consider important if your are hiring a C++ programmer. What is the difference between ++i and i++, and why should you prefer one over the other? It is not a high level question and to my surprise many C++ programmers do realise its importance, or how it may affect the code. Even old school C programers (like me) prefer ++i to i++, but in C it is not that important. In C++ it can be very important, because the operator may have been overriden. The question does not decide the yes or no of hiring someone, but it does give you an idea or their level of expertise. Another possible interviewing techeque would be to have a whiteboard available. I am not good at interviews (receiving end), but give me whiteboard and I can express my knowledge in a meaningful way. Just some thoughts, good night. INTP "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."Edsger Dijkstra
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We have a standard technical interview we give people at the start of the first interview. Questions are very general and dont relate to a specific technology or language. For example.... Does multi-threading make a program faster? Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
The correct answer for a VBA developer is huh? If they answer anything else you will probably end up with a multi-threaded excel macro.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
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I'm going to be conducting some interviews later this week, which I have to admit, is a new thing for me. The role is for a VBA developer, but also a bit of a general technology all-rounder. The behavioral type questions will be asked by someone else, but it's up to me to delve into the technical side of things. So, I'm looking for some suggestions! What are your favourite interview questions? Cheers, Anthony.
here is one: "Why the hell do you want to work with VBA?" You know he's crazy if he says he likes it, pick someone else. //Roger
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There is a big difference between smart arse and funny. Perhaps its a cultural thing. If the answer was "Depends" and nothing else I would finish the questions quickly and politely see them out the door. If they said "depends" had a bit of a laugh and then went on to say why it depends I would not have a problem with it. To answer the question with "depends" and nothing else is a waste of everyones time. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
Josh Gray wrote:
To answer the question with "depends" and nothing else is a waste of everyones time.
Who said, just answer with "depends"? Crack the joke, have a little chuckle, and then give them your real answer. That's what I was talking about anyway. Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. Also visit the Ultimate Toolbox blog (New) -
I'm going to be conducting some interviews later this week, which I have to admit, is a new thing for me. The role is for a VBA developer, but also a bit of a general technology all-rounder. The behavioral type questions will be asked by someone else, but it's up to me to delve into the technical side of things. So, I'm looking for some suggestions! What are your favourite interview questions? Cheers, Anthony.
I found detailed instructions for including a specific line of text in the subject line of emails. Great for locating detail oriented people. As for interview questions ... unplug the network cable and let him debug a website for you. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the Universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." -- Stephen Crane