Why didn't I get the job?
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Martin# wrote:
But what about the null ref. exception I'm getting!
Unfortunately, I don't have v1.1 framework currently installed. So I'll have to check against that. When I run the project using VS2005 I don't get the NullReferenceException. So I'll be installing v1.1 later today so I can take a look at the exception and why it might be happening. I'm assuming you haven't made any changes to the input file and that the only difference between your environment and mine is the framework version - please let me know if I'm wrong. Thanks, Mark
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Mark, I just have a few comments here none that really relate to your code except this next remark. Were I you, and had nothing left to lose I'd be sending the guy a link to this thread. I think this only demonstrates your exceptional qualities as a developer. If that guy doesn't see it he's a first class JACKIE with a blind-eye. Now let me say the rest of this. Thanks for your absolute honesty and vulnerability in making this post. I'm humbled foremost (and most importantly) and intrigued by your open honesty here. I think you have received some information here that accompanies your code and your experience thus far exceptionally. If you were to take this thread, your experience, code and the comments here and merge them into an article (I'd be honored to help you assemble/proof it and I bet Colin would let a helpful eye as well.) for submission here on CP you'd be doing many, many developers a huge favor. This is exactly the type of experience that none of us knows how to prepare for but we know for a fact exists and will happen to us at some point in our interview-careers. I cannot tell you the times I've practiced recursion, brute-force and other methods of programming in expectation of something like this but never really knew what might come. Honestly, aside from short code snippets on-the-fly in the interview I've not had to do anything like you have here. I just feel like if you assembled this into an article there would be a lot of benefit to. Share your experiences with the hiring manager and you might just score a point he cannot deny. - Rex :rose: Awesome of you to be open like this!
Interesting suggestion. It's exactly what I had hoped to learn by starting this thread - "what I should have known". I certainly hope at this point I get a response from the company who turned me down. That would be the most important perspective of all and would fill in the gaps I still feel like I have. If I don't hear back from them in the time frame promised I'll follow up. At that point I think I'll be able to start writing something. Until then, I'd love to hear your ideas about the article. Maybe a couple bullet points to form a rough outline that could get me started. If you want to contact me directly just remove the non-alpha characters m__a#r!!!k@m~a+x^^pr%eps.$c&o*m Thanks, Mark
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Interesting suggestion. It's exactly what I had hoped to learn by starting this thread - "what I should have known". I certainly hope at this point I get a response from the company who turned me down. That would be the most important perspective of all and would fill in the gaps I still feel like I have. If I don't hear back from them in the time frame promised I'll follow up. At that point I think I'll be able to start writing something. Until then, I'd love to hear your ideas about the article. Maybe a couple bullet points to form a rough outline that could get me started. If you want to contact me directly just remove the non-alpha characters m__a#r!!!k@m~a+x^^pr%eps.$c&o*m Thanks, Mark
Good questions. I suppose the layout just kind of appeared in my head. I'm wrapping up two projects over the next day and when I'm done I'll show you what I had in mind. Basically...
- An opening summary for why developers might value the content.
- Your original post at the top.
- See if you/I can talk Colin in to writing the implementation the way he saw to do it. Then dismember his code and place it into yours (in the article text) and any comments he provides.
- Address some of the errors experienced in the appropriate portions of the code with comments.
- In various parts of the article insert in your own feelings and how they changed over time based upon the responses. I don't mean mush feelings I mean ad any knowledge you gleaned and take some guesses at why you think certain parts of your code might have orphaned you.
- I might try on the side to solicit Christian and get his input. I think a collage of experienced feedback throughout the article from people would really spice it up.
- Conclude with your impressions from the feedback and follow-up from the hiring manager. Chalk up a "Lessons Learned Along The Way" type of statement.
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Good questions. I suppose the layout just kind of appeared in my head. I'm wrapping up two projects over the next day and when I'm done I'll show you what I had in mind. Basically...
- An opening summary for why developers might value the content.
- Your original post at the top.
- See if you/I can talk Colin in to writing the implementation the way he saw to do it. Then dismember his code and place it into yours (in the article text) and any comments he provides.
- Address some of the errors experienced in the appropriate portions of the code with comments.
- In various parts of the article insert in your own feelings and how they changed over time based upon the responses. I don't mean mush feelings I mean ad any knowledge you gleaned and take some guesses at why you think certain parts of your code might have orphaned you.
- I might try on the side to solicit Christian and get his input. I think a collage of experienced feedback throughout the article from people would really spice it up.
- Conclude with your impressions from the feedback and follow-up from the hiring manager. Chalk up a "Lessons Learned Along The Way" type of statement.
A very interesting development to this whole story about a month after this thread was posted. I was offered a position from 2 separate departments, including the one that turned me down!!! I hounded the guy who turned me down for some feedback. When I got the feedback he indicated that he had hoped to see OOP, logging, extensive error checking and some "show[ing] off". I rewrote the solution with those specs in mind and sent them back to him. Not long afterwards both he and a manager from another department contacted me to know if I was still interested and available!!! However, I had just accepted a new position with a different employer as a consultant and I turned down the offers. But I left the door open and agreed to keep in contact for future opportunities. I hope to write the article as you suggested, but I thought you might be intested in the resolution to the whole debacle. Thanks for your feedback and encouragement. I'll post the re-write code later - maybe on another thread so more people will be likely to see it and benefit from it.