tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post8953773883137275958..comments2024-03-24T23:19:53.674-07:00Comments on Richard Geldreich's Blog: Tips for Interviewing at Software CompaniesRich Geldreichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358203173986928600noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post-2687302526034014702016-11-25T23:43:18.653-08:002016-11-25T23:43:18.653-08:00But what is your opinion on stuff like codility? A...But what is your opinion on stuff like codility? As a candidate for a senior engine developer, I have been asked to solve stupid stuff like: prefix sums, arrays, stacks and queues, maximum slice problem etc. All exercises with complete code that fully controls for edge cases and very large values in a maximum of 30 minutes. I don't know if I should take the test since I find it insulting... Nobody is asking me about architecture, about previous projects, nothing. Just exercises like these: https://codility.com/programmers/lessons/11-sieve_of_eratosthenes/sebastian_bugiuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12274390734035469862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post-43377384285463251762016-04-11T13:28:46.221-07:002016-04-11T13:28:46.221-07:00This is what I did at one company, and it worked s...This is what I did at one company, and it worked surprisingly well. On the flip side, these tests can take a lot of time for a candidate. It's effectively asking for free work. What if the candidate is already working one or more jobs or whatever? If the test is too long it could screen out good candidates who really don't have the free time.<br /><br />Also, I had one candidate who messed up an intersection test routine in our take-home test. I could tell that he was interviewing at multiple companies and was juggling a lot of things at the same time. He did great in our on-site interviews, so we hired him anyway. He turned out to be a good programmer who immediately contributed to the team.Rich Geldreichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14358203173986928600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post-18802994410790278172016-04-11T13:22:35.043-07:002016-04-11T13:22:35.043-07:00Great advice. IMO, what we all need to do (like ri...Great advice. IMO, what we all need to do (like right now) is compile spreadsheets of wages, compensation packages, etc. We have the tech, let's use it! Everyone needs to start trusting each other a bit more and just compare notes. We have nothing to loose and the gains are potentially massive. Let's push back.Rich Geldreichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14358203173986928600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post-12999229284236342012016-04-11T08:54:40.481-07:002016-04-11T08:54:40.481-07:00Good work Rich. There's much truth in there. I...Good work Rich. There's much truth in there. I recognize one company in particular in many of those...<br /><br />For negotiating I think that there are two things that programmers can do to greatly improve their salary when hunting for a new job:<br /><br />1) Talk to your coworkers and peers and ask, bluntly, how much they make (salary, bonus, stock grants, *everything*) and tell them what you make. Most people will share when asked and this fights in information asymmetry problem.<br /><br />2) Interview at multiple companies, try to get multiple offers, and make sure that the recruiters you work with *know* that they are competing against other companies. Multiple offers reinforces that you are worth hiring, and it forces them to compete instead of low-ball.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post-80997887703799870262016-04-11T08:52:43.917-07:002016-04-11T08:52:43.917-07:00What do you think about programming exercises to b...What do you think about programming exercises to be handed in before being invited to an interview?<br /><br />I personally am not sure about that - it certainly has several advantages, like<br />* it's better than whiteboard-coding or similar, because the applicant can do it alone, at home, without much time pressure, they can look up things etc, like they would when actually working<br />* the employer gets an idea about the applicants coding skills (especially relevant for novices, I think) * you have something to talk about in the interview (let applicant explain the code a bit - also to make sure they wrote it themselves; discuss design decisions, ...)<br /><br />On the other hand, it takes up the applicants time: an interesting piece of code will take at least a day to write and test and polish.<br />If someone is looking for a new job (while still working full time at the old one) and applies at several companies and has to write code for each, that's probably pretty stressful.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508018378115314618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395797351911594965.post-6023279465711544392016-04-11T06:36:16.339-07:002016-04-11T06:36:16.339-07:00Good work Rich. There's much truth in there. I...Good work Rich. There's much truth in there. I recognize one company in particular in many of those...<br /><br />For negotiating I think that there are two things that programmers can do to greatly improve their salary when hunting for a new job:<br /><br />1) Talk to your coworkers and peers and ask, bluntly, how much they make (salary, bonus, stock grants, *everything*) and tell them what you make. Most people will share when asked and this fights in information asymmetry problem.<br /><br />2) Interview at multiple companies, try to get multiple offers, and make sure that the recruiters you work with *know* that they are competing against other companies. Multiple offers reinforces that you are worth hiring, and it forces them to compete instead of lowball.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com