What would you like to see in my portfolio that would prove my competency?
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Coding Interviews are Broken
- Thread starter Flojo
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Barbarian Conan
Executive Member
The team that they will join creates the tests, and are also the ones who review the tests. We have 3 pretty easy coding tests, and those are the ones I really care about. The rest of the questions are nice, but I want to know if someone who claims 6+ years of JavaScript experience can write code to tell me where array A and B overlap if I even allow them to use Google.
Barbarian Conan
Executive Member
For me, just having one tells me that you have actually coded, and you didn't just do varsity assignments. It already gives you a leg up (in South Africa).
My coding interview was difficult. Being self taught and all really does not help if they ask you if you can implement a breadth/depth first algorithm - though I did try it, asking for time to go over the theory, watch a surface level tutorial and give it a go.
I think my current employer was thankful/impressed that I at least tried
I think my current employer was thankful/impressed that I at least tried
The bar can't be that low
probation is quite hazy. It is like performance management. You need to document everything.
The bar can't be that low
We need filters. I get tons of cv’s a day.
in my job specs I list exactly what you will be working with.
this is why portfolios like github are useful, because if I can see that you do actually understand something like react then I know you are capable of learning vue.js for example quickly.
Having done interesting stuff and showing some thirst to be the best gives you a better chance of a call than a recruiter sending me some random old mutual senior developer who has done Java for 8 years using enterprise javabeans
Barbarian Conan
Executive Member
The bar can't be that low
I don't interview grads as they aren't suited for our team and the youngest guy I've interviewed had 3 years or so experience.
I haven't seen a link to a repository on any of the CVs I've seen, and I have read probably about 20 - 30 last year, which I guess is understandable, since you don't often want to dev in your spare time if you already spend 40 - 50 hours a week doing it.
I only have one now since I plan to emigrate, and hit a boredom patch at my current job.
bridgeburner
Well-Known Member
Yip 100%. Means you/your team are using those tools properly. Where some companies aren't using them properly is when they have an arbitrary test that hasn't changed in a good while and they have someone non-technical simply reading "pass" or "fail" and then throwing the application in the bin. That's why I mentioned later on in my post that a good balance is needed, to filter the junk whilst minimising false negatives.
The bar can't be that low
I dont think it is, but the fact that you have one says a lot. I have one too that I update regularly with things that I learn new ideas that I am trying or elf study topics.
Come to think of it, most of my repos are public on Github as I use it as a platform for my friends to review, correct, and make suggestions on it. I also write my own docs and I will occasionally need that edited so I try and keep access to my work as open as possible.
A live demonstration of the technologies that you think employers would want to see. Frontend, backend, database, etc. You should probably open source it all on a repository.
Exactly what those technologies should be, I don't know - basic Wordpress is as far as I've gotten in web technologies.
How is South Africa keeping up with the global tech trends? In terms of the web, what is good to be proficient in, currently?
Sorry for the questions but it is valuable information from a wide array of sources
Sorry for the questions but it is valuable information from a wide array of sources
Barbarian Conan
Executive Member
How is South Africa keeping up with the global tech trends? In terms of the web, what is good to be proficient in, currently?
Sorry for the questions but it is valuable information from a wide array of sources
Go full stack instead of just web.
I am firmly in the .Net camp, so .net core is the way to go there.
On the client-side Angular and React seem to be the main flavour-of-the-months you want to learn, but being proficient in JavaScript, HTML and CSS and the latest techniques will always be valuable.
I did an interview with an Ausie company that said something to the effect that .net is nice and all, but node.js is what people in Sydney want.
Except that I have seen plenty of .Net jobs advertised, many more than those requiring node.js.
Most people will have a skewed perspective thinking that what they like is more in demand.
Edit: Extensive, recent experience in the technology they want is of course most important, but having experience and side-projects in multiple technologies show that you like to learn, and are able to easily learn new technologies.
RandomGeek
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5-6 iterations, i.e. 5-6 interviews? On different DAYS or in one go? Sorry but I would have pegged them after 3 interviews as time wasters and would have moved on. In my mind I see a corporate culture of having a memo signed by 6 individuals for a box of paperclips...
Hamish McPanji
Honorary Master
How is South Africa keeping up with the global tech trends? In terms of the web, what is good to be proficient in, currently?
Sorry for the questions but it is valuable information from a wide array of sources
The internet is the great equaliser. We all learn on the same websites, and read the same news. People pick a technology/platform and stick with it. So it's more the age of a project than where in the world it is.
As an example, there was a demand recently for COBOL programmers in the UK and USA because they had to update legacy systems in their health systems. SA systems are likely not as outdated, as they started later
For what it’s worth my experience interviewing at one of the big US investment banks some 10 years ago was 8 hours of technical grilling (no lunch, coffee or beer at all).
Yup! The money is also far more dependent on what domain you actually work in. The only time language choice really matters is when you need to be sure you’re not painting yourself into a corner. (Eg, don’t specialize in php when your ambitions are data science or HPC).
RandomGeek
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8 hours of interview coding is about equivalent to a 16hour day
but it is all consecutive and that is the saving grace. That approach to interviewing I do understand. You take a day's leave and get it over and done with.But if someone wanted to interview me 5 or 6 times, especially on different days, I would be pissed. I do value my time, and do not appreciate it being wasted. If the hiring manager/technical panel and HR is happy then so be it and let the negotiations begin.
