Every engineering department says it wants to hire the very best, but few actually do. Most coding interviews focus on programming language knowledge and trivia. But companies that hire the very best ask questions that go much deeper. In this session, you will discover what hiring managers at “elite” companies look for when hiring developers, architects and program managers. Discover why, in some cases, it’s far more important that engineers exhibit “soft skills” like communication, structured thinking and creativity than exhibit proficiency in a specific language. Gayle, author of three books on interviewing (for devs and PMs), will “reverse engineer” her coaching and advice to hopeful candidates, to help recruiters screen and select the ever-elusive A-players, gurus, rock stars, and ninjas.
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Generalist vs. Specialist
• Generalist (algorithms/problem-solving):
– Reasonable test of intelligence if done well
– Hires highly adaptable people
– BUT necessitates that you will train people
• Specialists (knowledge & experience):
– Tests that someone can “hit the ground running”
– BUT is the knowledge actually difficult to acquire?
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facebook.com/gayle
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2. Ask the Right Questions
• Right topics:
– Avoid scary topics.
– Require only basic CS knowledge.
• Right difficulty:
– Medium & hard problems.
– Avoid common problems.
• Logical path with multiple insights.
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