> Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 09:33:40 -0700
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: Programming challenge
>
> Gabriel Sechan wrote:
>> While I firmly believe in seeing an applicant program, the problem with
>> doing it ahead of time is that they'll find answers on the web, or get help
>> from others. Otherwise this isn't too different from things I've asked
>> people to whiteboard program.
>
> Funny, that's exactly what I do when doing actual programming on the job
> when I get stuck on something!
>
> The applicant can be expected to have to explain their code in detail.
> If they don't understand it they obviously copied or got help which they
> were not worthy of and don't get hired.
>
> Whiteboard programming sucks. I much prefer this approach.
>
I'm completely the other way. Whiteboard programming is necessary. Yes, on
the job looking up answers on the web, from friends, from coworkers, etc is
completely acceptable. But the point of a job interview isn't to tell if you
can ask for help. Its to tell if you can think, and if you know how to
program. Doing it in person tells you that. A mail in- I'd give odds that
most submissions were done by someone else, its pretty much useless. I
wouldn't hire someone without seeing him code in person, and if I was the job
seeker I'd be *very* leery of taking a job where I was asked to program ahead
of time and not in the interview- I'd expect the majority of my coworkers
would have had someone else take the test.
BTW- I have had people I know ask me to do questions like this for them, on
multiple occasions. Once or twice I've even owed a favor and done it. So I'm
not just talking out of my ass when I say most will fake it.
Gabe
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