|
Yeahhhhhh that interview. One of the older engineers I would have been replacing is PROUD of his ancient code having everything statically allocated and all of his variables global. He said he wasnt quite sure how many he had, but well over 1,000 by now. No thanks. Nooooooope. Gonna walk away now.
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 00:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 20:34 |
|
|
Our jira setup was going great, replacing our hacked-around copper, until people started doing custom workflows Now there are 15 states and required transitions and the transition names don't match the new state so you get to guess that REQUIRES MR sends you to INTERNAL QA and there are two different end points RESOLVED and COMPLETE and neither actually sets the resolved flag on issues and it's only a little longer before we reach 
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 05:17
|
|
|
New Yorp New Yorp posted:California. And I think New York, too.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 05:37
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:God, I miss messing around with Adafruit/Arduino/RPi stuff. I should resurrect my old projects... You should make a small cnc lathe to turn fountain pens out of acrylic blocks and sell them in the fountain pen thread.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 08:59
|
|
|
ratbert90 posted:Yeahhhhhh that interview. I'm asking b/c getting someone to reveal this information would help me out whenever I interview.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 15:28
|
|
|
comedyblissoption posted:How do you suss out that someone loves global variables and is allergic to dynamic allocation? Do you ask them questions about their codebase or do they just trumpet their pride at any chance they get to an interviewee? My technical lead is basically this guy and on occasion I have heard him say things like.... "OOP is just taking a good thing and making it over complicated" "You want to have as few methods as possible, then you don't run into that thing where you can't access your own variables (I made it just let me use it!)" "Python is the best language because it doesn't get in my way AND it doesn't crash as much" "Visual Basic was the best language ever written because I could learn it in an afternoon and have a product done by the next day" Seems like a good place to start...
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 18:00
|
|
|
comedyblissoption posted:How do you suss out that someone loves global variables and is allergic to dynamic allocation? Do you ask them questions about their codebase or do they just trumpet their pride at any chance they get to an interviewee?
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 22:01
|
|
|
Vulture Culture posted:Do a code review with them. It's a standard part of all my developer interviews. It's way more effective at sussing out weird behaviors than having someone code on a whiteboard. Just to be clear, is the code under review something that the candidate has written as part of the interview process, or is the code some standard bit of code you use in every interview?
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 22:07
|
|
|
Vulture Culture posted:Do a code review with them. It's a standard part of all my developer interviews. It's way more effective at sussing out weird behaviors than having someone code on a whiteboard. I think the question was meant to be from the candidate's point of view. (Though, answering "Do you have any questions for me?" with "So I have this repo, can we take a look at it together and do a code review?" would be hilarious.)
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 22:16
|
|
|
I would unironically hire that person.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 22:23
|
|
|
venutolo posted:Just to be clear, is the code under review something that the candidate has written as part of the interview process, or is the code some standard bit of code you use in every interview? What code it is doesn't matter so much, though. Suss out how it makes them feel to do it. The people who get flustered about reading other people's code are the ones with weird developer dysfunctions and NIH problems and lone wolf complexes who blame everyone around them for everything.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 23:02
|
|
|
I actually really enjoy the "review this code" type questions. I get to tell them how it sucks and can be better, which is my favorite thing to do.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2018 23:21
|
|
|
fantastic in plastic posted:I think the question was meant to be from the candidate's point of view. (Though, answering "Do you have any questions for me?" with "So I have this repo, can we take a look at it together and do a code review?" would be hilarious.) Speaking of flipping the scripts, has anyone ever had success with asking the interviewer a whiteboard problem?
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 01:48
|
|
|
fantastic in plastic posted:I think the question was meant to be from the candidate's point of view. (Though, answering "Do you have any questions for me?" with "So I have this repo, can we take a look at it together and do a code review?" would be hilarious.) I might actually do this given the chance. Ither posted:Speaking of flipping the scripts, has anyone ever had success with asking the interviewer a whiteboard problem? But this sounds pretty hard to pull off.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 01:56
|
|
|
I didn't expect that, but now I'm curious -- folks in this thread who conduct interviews, what would you think if a candidate used question time to ask you to do a code review or whiteboard something?
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 03:00
|
|
|
fantastic in plastic posted:I didn't expect that, but now I'm curious -- folks in this thread who conduct interviews, what would you think if a candidate used question time to ask you to do a code review or whiteboard something? I haven't done a lot of interviews on the other side of the table, but it's a ballsy move and it'd probably impress me if they somehow pulled it off in a way that made sense. Edit: I'll ask around at the office and see what other people think. Dr. Arbitrary fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Feb 8, 2018 |
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 03:04
|
|
|
comedyblissoption posted:How do you suss out that someone loves global variables and is allergic to dynamic allocation? Do you ask them questions about their codebase or do they just trumpet their pride at any chance they get to an interviewee? How well do you think you code is documented? If you were hit by a bus, how long would it take for another person to take over your code and familiarize themselves with it? If I was to take over your code, what would be the most difficult part in picking it up? Whats the primary programming language you prefer to program in and why? What is the general layout of your code/how do you like to organize it? Do you have unit tests? If so, what unit testing framework do you use? Do you use SVN or GIT? - if SVN: why? Do you have a ticketing system and what is it? Do you have a bed of nails for your boards? (If embedded) Do you have a X-ray machine? (If embedded AND they are making their own boards AND the boards are BGA) Edit: Thought of another one I like to ask: What is your focus on security/will your product pass PCI compliance? (PCI only if its relevant) Remember: You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. If they want me to code for them then I need a good feeling to get on board, and I will gladly ask pointed, relevant questions to make sure I am comfortable in a hand off. FlapYoJacks fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Feb 8, 2018 |
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 03:55
|
|
|
Ugh, so started a new job: small business and the CTO (who'd approached me personally as a hire) also manages my office & does the HR stuff and Christ I never thought I'd miss actual HR people. Contractually, on a three-month probation. But I was given a feature to implement within two months, and it was made clear from the get-go that completing it was the condition of probation. Then he starts shifting the goalposts without actually telling me. In a standup he floats that he's going to put all the developers on one-week rotation on the helpdesk, fixing front-line bugs (which is a good plan!). But I overheard him in a meeting with a random on the commercial team that a condition of my probation is now that for my first week on the helpdesk, I need to deal with 70% of the queries myself (on a large system I've only had a month and a half's experience with). Still hasn't bothered to tell me that. In one to ones, he keeps bringing up other employees' performance vs mine, in particular, some dev he fired last year because it "didn't work out". And in my contract, it says I'm to work 8 hours daily, with a start time of between 7:30 and 10:30; most of the other devs start between 9 and 10, so out of politeness I asked if it's ok by him to start early & finish early (I have a very young kid & it's nice to actually see her on an evening) and he's like ooh, we'll have to see about that at the next board meeting. He then comes back to me a few days later saying he could probably arrange a couple of days a week to start/finish early as a trial. He just fired two people (team not needed anymore, no notice, straight onto gardening leave), and the way he handled it was to explain to the rest of the devs why they'd been let go to us (good start), but then he started making jokes about empty seats ("I know this is inappropriate but...", like if you know it's inappropriate then don't loving say it). Sorry for the rant, just needed to vent. As I'm on probation, I feel like if I say or do the wrong thing this guy will just drop me like <clicks fingers>. This despite the fact he'd find it extremely difficult to hire a replacement due to the tech used (number of programmers familiar with the language to the extent they can build complex apps is, I guess, around two in my local area, and we both work for this company). Personally, he's an ok bloke, but ffs he is supremely bad at management and it's scary as poo poo. I ain't going to get another job locally that uses their tech stack, can't move away from the area, so the job is important.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 10:12
|
|
|
RobertKerans posted:I ain't going to get another job locally that uses their tech stack, can't move away from the area, so the job is important. Man, you must really love that stack.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 10:15
|
|
|
Unfortunately/Ideally I need at least a year on it, preferably two; can work remotely once I have enough experience on paper, but need that - the local area is mainly Java/C# enterprise or JS if I wanted a job switch straightaway, which puts me backward experience-wise. edit: yeah, thinking about it, I really do: I spent two years learning it in my spare time just because I like it so much, and remuneration is excellent if I can get to a mid/senior level of expertise RobertKerans fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Feb 8, 2018 |
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 10:24
|
|
|
comedyblissoption posted:How do you suss out that someone loves global variables and is allergic to dynamic allocation? Do you ask them questions about their codebase or do they just trumpet their pride at any chance they get to an interviewee? Portland Sucks posted:"over-complicated" I've trained my ears to the word "complicated." I like to know what people think that means. If it means Enteprise Fizzbuzz, sure, whatever. If it means a 10,000 LOC file, great! If it means "objects" then hell to the loving no.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 17:32
|
|
|
To me, "complex" is a measure of the problems the world presents us with. "complicated" are the problems we make for ourselves.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 18:14
|
|
|
Rocko Bonaparte posted:I've trained my ears to the word "complicated." I like to know what people think that means. If it means Enteprise Fizzbuzz, sure, whatever. If it means a 10,000 LOC file, great! If it means "objects" then hell to the loving no. I define "complicated" as something that one would not be able to explain or reason about with a BAC of 0.1% or greater.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 18:30
|
|
|
RobertKerans posted:Ugh, so started a new job: small business and the CTO (who'd approached me personally as a hire) also manages my office & does the HR stuff and Christ I never thought I'd miss actual HR people. Contractually, on a three-month probation. But I was given a feature to implement within two months, and it was made clear from the get-go that completing it was the condition of probation. Then he starts shifting the goalposts without actually telling me. I wouldn't count on having that job two years from now, or even one year from now. He's probably going to drop you with no warning even if you don't say or do the wrong thing, even after you're out of the probation period. I hate to be that guy, but that's an awful lot of warning signs, and I doubt any of those other devs he fired were still in their probation periods.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 18:54
|
|
|
Main Paineframe posted:I wouldn't count on having that job two years from now, or even one year from now. He's probably going to drop you with no warning even if you don't say or do the wrong thing, even after you're out of the probation period. I hate to be that guy, but that's an awful lot of warning signs, and I doubt any of those other devs he fired were still in their probation periods. Yeah, I'm already making enquiries amongst contacts and recruiters so I have fallback options at least. Probation is important, as if I survive, I've then at least got contractual rights (+ a small measure of union support, whether that's worth much). And tech is Erlang; closest business apart from mine that use it are multi-hour commutes away, which isn't feasible with a baby to supprt
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 19:25
|
|
|
If you know Erlang and (ideally) OTP, then Elixir is becoming more popular and people with knowledge of Erlang and OTP and how to take advantage of them in building scalable applications are highly valuable. That might be a good direction to go in.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 19:37
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:If you know Erlang and (ideally) OTP, then Elixir is becoming more popular and people with knowledge of Erlang and OTP and how to take advantage of them in building scalable applications are highly valuable. That might be a good direction to go in.  Ah, I kinda just used Erlang as a catch-all, Elixir is what I use day to day, only occasionally use Erlang itselfIt's all transferrable knowledge I suppose
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 20:22
|
|
|
Ah, gotcha. I honestly don't really know what the "hot new languages and frameworks" are apart from front-end stuff like React and Vue, and I can't quite pin down what everyone is hiring for these days. Definitely front-end, at least in Boston.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 20:24
|
|
|
Volguus posted:I define "complicated" as something that one would not be able to explain or reason about with a BAC of 0.1% or greater. I can explain a lot of things when I'm drunk, just not very well.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 20:41
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:Ah, gotcha. I honestly don't really know what the "hot new languages and frameworks" are apart from front-end stuff like React and Vue, and I can't quite pin down what everyone is hiring for these days. Definitely front-end, at least in Boston. When languages are being hired for, is there a tacit understanding that if someone is good at this language, they should be ok in this related language? Im only just getting started, but my front end is mainly AngularJS at this point. I sometimes get overwhelmed thinking of what to focus on next (currently learning Node.js) and worrying Im making mistakes
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 21:24
|
|
|
Shirec posted:When languages are being hired for, is there a tacit understanding that if someone is good at this language, they should be ok in this related language? Im only just getting started, but my front end is mainly AngularJS at this point. Try not to focus so much on never making mistakes when learning something. The mistakes will be instructive. Just make sure you don't get rigid in thinking. "I did this one thing once, and it worked, SO SHALL IT BE UNTIL RAGNAROK".
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 22:36
|
|
|
Skandranon posted:Try not to focus so much on never making mistakes when learning something. The mistakes will be instructive. Just make sure you don't get rigid in thinking. "I did this one thing once, and it worked, SO SHALL IT BE UNTIL RAGNAROK". Honestly the older I get, the more teaching I do, the more I believe mistakes are essential to the learning process. They stick in your head like little else, they persist where other stuff fades. Learning without mistakes feels like it fundamentally misses something in terms of long term memorability of lessons.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 22:50
|
|
|
Yeah, just look at me - mistakes into miracles.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 23:01
|
|
|
Skandranon posted:Try not to focus so much on never making mistakes when learning something. The mistakes will be instructive. Just make sure you don't get rigid in thinking. "I did this one thing once, and it worked, SO SHALL IT BE UNTIL RAGNAROK". Its probably just a function of my current job that Im having decision paralysis because of the anxiety over loving up at the moment. I need to save these posts of wisdom somewhere lol
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 23:08
|
|
|
Shirec posted:When languages are being hired for, is there a tacit understanding that if someone is good at this language, they should be ok in this related language? I’m only just getting started, but my front end is mainly AngularJS at this point. Yeah, and not necessarily just a tacit understanding: this is a generalisation, but if the languages are similar, once you get past syntactic differences it's much of a muchness. There'll always be some fundamental differences, and different languages are good for different things, but /shrug. Obviously you'll always lose out to another candidate who's equal but familiar with actual stack (or hirers are a small company and they can't afford the training time needed to get you past the syntax), but as a rule of thumb... & focus on what's on front of you, get as good as you can reasonably get, make mistakes and learn from them. Plow on, you'll get past the decision paralysis bit, everyone has had it. Also, ymmv but keep having a play around with other languages (the two "7 languages in 7 weeks" books are great for this). The more you understand, the more you just see patterns, and the more the hard bit becomes getting stupid loving toolchains to work, rather than the languages themselves.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 23:52
|
|
|
Shirec posted:When languages are being hired for, is there a tacit understanding that if someone is good at this language, they should be ok in this related language? Im only just getting started, but my front end is mainly AngularJS at this point. Node was a mistake, yes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2018 23:55
|
|
|
Ethics question: I haven't said no to the company I interviewed with a few days ago yet. (I was waiting for them to email me.) A few minutes ago the HR lady called and asked if I would be willing to meet up for lunch with some of the other engineers to talk about the job. I said yes, even though I have no intentions of taking the job. Was this wrong?
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2018 00:32
|
|
|
ratbert90 posted:Ethics question: If there is a possibility they will say something that will change your mind and you are open to it, no. If you are deliberately wasting their time, maybe.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2018 00:35
|
|
|
Skandranon posted:If there is a possibility they will say something that will change your mind and you are open to it, no. If you are deliberately wasting their time, maybe. If they offered me an office then sure. If not, I want free lunch.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2018 00:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 20:34 |
|
|
Ethics is dumb; enjoy the free lunch
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2018 00:40
|
|
