On Thu, 7 Jun 2007, Olwen Williams wrote:
I took a rudimentary look at the links and have some comments. 1) I can program but often even for the most rudimentary tasks I need to use a manual.
An interview is a strange and bizarre event in ones life... I favour a person who comes with a portfolio of OSS projects worked on that he can explain the whys and wherefors of.
2) One of the first programming aptitude tests (do programming aptitude tests still exist?) I took introduced a series of very simple instructions and asked you to achieve a result. This was a good test I think.
Tait's has one of those that involved very strange self modifying assembler like stuff. I did it and then told HR if they program like that here...I'm not sure I want the job! :-)
3) Many, many years ago I applied for a COBOL programming job and I was asked how you worked with a file with variable length records. I knew some COBOL at the time, but had never used variable length records. But I had read the manual and knew the theory. So I don't know how much use a test like writing a FizzBuzz program over the phone is. I doubt i could do it.
I once interviewed two candidates in a row... one had good qualifications...but failed at everything I poked at him. I tried to get him to relax I made huge allowances for nerves... Eventually he admitted he was just trying it on...he really was plain clueless and hoped to just "pick it up" as he went along. The other had a partial qualification from the crappiest third world institution on the planet.... And a disk full of really nifty, smart homebrew turbo pascal projects that were Good, he knew what and why and how he did them, and showed signs of emerging Good Taste in design and programming.... Which would you rather employ?
P.S, John Carter: Did you ever work for the NZPO?
No. John Carter Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639 Tait Electronics Fax : (64)(3) 359 4632 PO Box 1645 Christchurch Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] New Zealand
