Need help devising interview questions for a junior
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
there are some silly posts and some serious ones here; I'm not an interviewer much... for like permanent hire but I talk to developers all the time sizing them up so I can see where they might be useful. In my experience: asking for some strange abstract pseudo anything; or complex threading questions shouldn't make or break your junior applicant UNLESS you have a specific role you're trying to fill that such questions apply and have merit: I believe the technical questions should revolve around the job itself and maybe a little beyond. Asking me about pseudo code that's abstract or low level threading questions for a job writing php and web pages ... well; you might not hire the perfect candidate because you kicked him or her to the curb with your completely random "test of skill question" that has no bearing on the task at hand: filling the specific role or roles you hiring for. If you're hiring a junior that you'd like to groom to be a company "talent" you want to hang on to... that's one thing; hammer them at least to see where there are; not just to say yes or no to hiring them but to see how they'd fit you and your company's long term vision. I'm no expert here.. but if I was applying for a PHP job and I got asked a question or given a test for operating system kernel design... I'd walk depending on the answer to this question: Is there a systems analyst position open that pays more than PHP crap? If so.. I'd answer the question or perform the test... otherwise I'd walk away and laugh as the pay rate they are offering for the knowledge they are asking for... It'd be a good laugh though
Know way too many languages... master of none!
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Think of a small program, that you could write in say, four hours. Give them VS2008 / 10 / whatever you use, four hours and a spec. See how they get on. Other ideas: We've previously interviewed for a C++ / Windows position, and asked questions like: C / C++ specific, testing basic knowledge of bit operators and pointers. 1. Write code do determine how many bits are "on" in a byte. 2. Write code to reverse a string in place in a buffer. 3. Write the standard
atoifunction from scratch Windows Specific 1. When do you put elipsis on a menu or button? 2. Why would you use threads in an application? (we look for three different scenarios) General software engineering What's the point of testing software? (you'd be amazed how many people say "to make sure it works")Electron Shepherd wrote:
What's the point of testing software?
Um ... to keep the customer happy? ... because if I don't, I'll feel bad about myself for releasing crappy software? ... so I don't get fired? :^) Surely, all the 'real' reasons (to find the defects / to prove there are no (easily encountered defects) / etc.) really boil down to one of the above. I write software (a) because I enjoy it and (b) because it's my job. If I fail to test my work I'll know I've done a bad job and someone will get unhappy. And I'll either be working late to fix what I should have found and fixed earlier, or I'm polishing up my CV and on the job hunt again. Not that I would be pleased with an interview candidate who (only?) gave such flippant answers to the question: "What's the point of testing software?", of course, because demonstrating respect is something I also look for in interview candidates.
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
When I'm interviewing candidates I always (try to) start by asking myself "what skills, attitudes and aptitudes should I expect of the candidate given their experience?" The CV/resume is very useful at this point - it says what they (claim they) have been doing - from which you can make a guess at the skills they've developed: > have they been exposed to written specs and expected to turn them into implementation designs? (If so - ask about what they did/how they did it/how they interacted with peers to ensure that they'd created valid and complete designs, etc.) > have they written a Windows service (for example)? If so, what Win32 or .Net APIs should they be familiar with having done so? > have they created (part of) an app with a heavy UI? Perhaps they've worked with Infragistics, DevExpress or some other UI package. If so, are they as familiar with the parts of the package as you'd expect them to be, given their claims? If they've done .Net UI work, are they familiar with the
usingstatement (as distinct from theusingdirective)? > etc. What technology skills should the candidate have learned while doing what they claimed they did in their last job(s)? Given that the candidate is applying for a programming job there are some fundamental topics a candidate could (IMO) be expected to know: > How do you set up a new project in the IDE? > How do you add references to DLLs/libraries to a project in the IDE? > (possibly) If your project is a DLL (for candidates who have created DLLs/libraries) how do you configure the project to debug it in the IDE? > (in Visual Studio) What's the difference between a project and a solution? What is a post-build step? > (in other IDEs) - ask about how projects are built (does any platform still expose Make to developers???) > (possibly) "what version control system(s) have you used, and what check-in policies did your last employer use?" > (in .Net) How do you write debug information to the output window? (And, if they give a sufficient answer to that: what namespace contains the Debug object?) BUT - what fundamental language and framework/library topics can you expect, regardless of experience? I'd say that there are probably few topics that you can be sure of (regardless of experience) but many that are possible/likely: > what areExceptions, and tell me how you have used them? > what is the difference between theforand theforeachstatements? > tell me -
Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
I liked to ask a Kobiyashi Maru (sp). Ask them something that they can't possibly do in order to see how they handle failing. Back in my technician days, we'd automate a lot of bench testing thru Nat'l INstruments products and HPIB, etc. So I would set up a power supply and an oscillscope and a little program that would step the voltage up from zero to 10 volts stepping by 2 volts. Then I would ask the target to vary the program so that it stepped by one volt or to go from 6 to 26 volts. It was always funny to see their faces when the power supply wouldn't go above 20 volts because it simply wasn't designed to and to give them hints on what might be "wrong" with "their programs".
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Forks
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
Knives?! (Knives at 40 paces.)
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Think of a small program, that you could write in say, four hours. Give them VS2008 / 10 / whatever you use, four hours and a spec. See how they get on. Other ideas: We've previously interviewed for a C++ / Windows position, and asked questions like: C / C++ specific, testing basic knowledge of bit operators and pointers. 1. Write code do determine how many bits are "on" in a byte. 2. Write code to reverse a string in place in a buffer. 3. Write the standard
atoifunction from scratch Windows Specific 1. When do you put elipsis on a menu or button? 2. Why would you use threads in an application? (we look for three different scenarios) General software engineering What's the point of testing software? (you'd be amazed how many people say "to make sure it works")This is topic that I have struggled with for 40 years. It can be complex because good programmers are a complex mix of intelligence, natural ability, determination, creativity, experience, training, personal habits, philosophy. ... I have hired many and fired many. What I can contribute here is perhaps offering some thoughts on what to consider as questions to include. Of course there is no perfect candidate but there is always a best one. There is a lot of information that I do not see in the question that would skew the selection process: Type of projects? Business Applications, Non-business Applications, Utilities, OS, Language Development, Web or Desktop, ... Type of user? in-house or customer, onsite or remote, ... Project Group? Office-based or not, Strong peer group or not, ... Project History? Creating new apps, maintenance programming, ... We were always advised by our attorneys to be careful to not ask questions that could be considered discriminating. This can complicate things. I think there are two basic categories to any employee. A good employee: ================= If they are brilliant but emotionally or socially inept you may never get what they are capable of. Follows direction Gets along with others Takes a genuine interest in the work/is motivated Will work to a schedule ... How do you determine this? --------------------------- Ask questions that probe these areas without being too direct. For example: (Assumes that this is not a telecommute necessarily) "What things do you think that management and your peers should consider to help you meet your project goals?" "What are your hobbies and interests?" "Do you have any programmers that you model yourself after? Gosling, Torvalds, Stallman, ....?" "What kind of project scheduling are you used to, do you prefer, would you suggest works the best for you?" ... Good at the job: ================ Without some natural ability they may not be right for you unless you have a strong support system and peer group. Has related training and experience Quick witted Problem solver Can demonstrate the above in a test ... How do you determine this? -------------------------- Provide some typical good and bad code examples they will be required to create or maintain and as them to describe: 1. What the code does? 2. How to add a feature? 3. How the code could be improved/what they think of the code style? Consider giving them a math test to do with a time limit. Gear it to deter
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I liked to ask a Kobiyashi Maru (sp). Ask them something that they can't possibly do in order to see how they handle failing. Back in my technician days, we'd automate a lot of bench testing thru Nat'l INstruments products and HPIB, etc. So I would set up a power supply and an oscillscope and a little program that would step the voltage up from zero to 10 volts stepping by 2 volts. Then I would ask the target to vary the program so that it stepped by one volt or to go from 6 to 26 volts. It was always funny to see their faces when the power supply wouldn't go above 20 volts because it simply wasn't designed to and to give them hints on what might be "wrong" with "their programs".
For that matter, go to a room where you can open the window, nail it shut, then ask them to open the window. Go to a round room and ask the to sit in the corner. Go to a square room and ask them to calculate the radius of the room. Lots of fun.
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For that matter, go to a room where you can open the window, nail it shut, then ask them to open the window. Go to a round room and ask the to sit in the corner. Go to a square room and ask them to calculate the radius of the room. Lots of fun.
Sounds like you got caught on one of these... and are still resenting it.
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
I always ask a simple first question: How long would it take you to code a login page. Reason one: if they have never developed a basic application with a login, they will definitely fail to see a big picture. Reason two: If their answer is more than 15 minutes, they have never done one and have no clear idea how to code a simple two question validation page. End of interview, the rest is just what they and you may or may not have encountered in coding.
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
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When I'm interviewing candidates I always (try to) start by asking myself "what skills, attitudes and aptitudes should I expect of the candidate given their experience?" The CV/resume is very useful at this point - it says what they (claim they) have been doing - from which you can make a guess at the skills they've developed: > have they been exposed to written specs and expected to turn them into implementation designs? (If so - ask about what they did/how they did it/how they interacted with peers to ensure that they'd created valid and complete designs, etc.) > have they written a Windows service (for example)? If so, what Win32 or .Net APIs should they be familiar with having done so? > have they created (part of) an app with a heavy UI? Perhaps they've worked with Infragistics, DevExpress or some other UI package. If so, are they as familiar with the parts of the package as you'd expect them to be, given their claims? If they've done .Net UI work, are they familiar with the
usingstatement (as distinct from theusingdirective)? > etc. What technology skills should the candidate have learned while doing what they claimed they did in their last job(s)? Given that the candidate is applying for a programming job there are some fundamental topics a candidate could (IMO) be expected to know: > How do you set up a new project in the IDE? > How do you add references to DLLs/libraries to a project in the IDE? > (possibly) If your project is a DLL (for candidates who have created DLLs/libraries) how do you configure the project to debug it in the IDE? > (in Visual Studio) What's the difference between a project and a solution? What is a post-build step? > (in other IDEs) - ask about how projects are built (does any platform still expose Make to developers???) > (possibly) "what version control system(s) have you used, and what check-in policies did your last employer use?" > (in .Net) How do you write debug information to the output window? (And, if they give a sufficient answer to that: what namespace contains the Debug object?) BUT - what fundamental language and framework/library topics can you expect, regardless of experience? I'd say that there are probably few topics that you can be sure of (regardless of experience) but many that are possible/likely: > what areExceptions, and tell me how you have used them? > what is the difference between theforand theforeachstatements? > tell mePersonally I don't care for questions that try to determine how well can you memorize. Technology is a treadmill, syntax changes daily (or so it seems). I want to know if they have sense to look things up. I used to tell my students that someday your program may be capable of killing someone. Would you want your life in that hands of someone too arrogant to look it up? You can't always rely on testing to find all the bugs (ask the people killed by those radiation therapy machines...oops you can't, they are dead!) If given a 50 line program, how would you debug it? I usually gut the program, I want to see 5 lines working before I see 50. Always test your assumptions. How would you program a programmable calculator? As in, write the OS for it. The one example program I'd give my students was how to write a four function calculator with infix notation. Pressing "+" doesn't do anything the first time. It was always amusing to me to see half the lights go out in their faces and the other half the light going on as they had that epiphany of delayed execution coding and dealing with special first cases in a loop. I'd be able to see who were going to be the real programmers at the end of the class at that point. Setting up project in XYZ's IDE is just mechanics. I need people who can think.
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
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Need help from people with experience of interviewing, rather than being interview. I have been tasked with creating some .net question for the interview for a junior and I have no idea where to start and would love to have some sensible and as well as wacky (because I know here I'll get some!) from people that have had such experience
As barmey as a sack of badgers Dude, if I knew what I was doing in life, I'd be rich, retired, dating a supermodel and laughing at the rest of you from the sidelines.
You could try asking about garbage collection and unmanaged objects. If you want to go a bit deeper into general programming, ask how to implement a dynamic linked list.
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Sounds like you got caught on one of these... and are still resenting it.
No. Just listening to medical school students tell about their interviews.
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No. Just listening to medical school students tell about their interviews.
I didn't mean to sound like a sadistic bastard, I just truly feel that for young interviewees who don't have much experience to talk about, seeing how they figure out that it's a trick question and whether it makes them smile (or makes them grimmace with the little smoke cloud over their heads) is a good judge of what they're made of. I guess all I really need to know I learned watching Star Trek (and even-numbered franchise movie installments.)