Re: not enough real programmers? (was Re: Byte Magazine: 18 Vintage issues, 1985-1986)

[genew@shuswap.net (Gene Wirchenko)]

gillies@cs.ubc.ca (Donald Gillies) wrote:

>prs@gol.com (Peter Stephenson) writes:
>
>>On Thu, 5 Aug 1999 19:12:46 -0400, "Ian St. John"
>><istjohn@spamcop.net> wrote:
>
>>>
>>>Downsizing, and outsourcing are other factors, creating a demand for
>>>documentation as proof of specific skill. More effort is spent on
>>>'personnel searches', and less 'personal evaluation' is made. When the
>>>person turns out to have the experience, but not the skill, it just
>>>forces higher 'minimal qualifications'.
>>>
>>All true.  It can be difficult recruiting good programmers, though.  I
>>mean, how the hell do you find out whether they can code in an
>>interview?
>
>Not hard.
>==========
>
>int x[10] = { ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ? };
>
>1.  "Write a fast C program to move all the zeroes to the end of
>the array."

     Inadequate specification!

     What happens to the other numbers?  Given
          {1,6,0,5,3,8,0,4,2,7}
would
          {1,6,7,5,3,8,2,4,0,0}
be acceptable or is the only acceptable answer
          {1,6,5,3,8,4,2,7,0,0}
?

     I would not proceed due to this ambiguity.  There have been
errors resulting in the loss of millions because someone didn't catch
this sort of stuff.

>2.  "Write a piece of code to clear the 3rd-lowest bit of a word"

     Again, what is meant by "word"?  If, as with question 1, the code
is to be in C, there are platform considerations.

>3.  "Write a function to print out a 32-bit number in decimal, but in
>reverse."

     I like this one.  Again, there are platform considerations.

>4.  "Write a program to perform a "perfect shuffle" on an array of 52
>numbers." 

     Someone else commented on this being *really* unexpectedly
difficult.  I felt similarly.  What were you looking for?

>The most important thing is to think of the questions yourself.  It
>won't help to use "stock" questions, as there are many mediocre
>programmers running around memorizing "stock" questions and answers.

     I definitely agree here.  Might I suggest that you make some of
the questions *similar* to stock questions?  This could be a check on
whether the prospect pays attention to detail.

>Also, you don't always have to get the right answer to get hired, but
>you have to show good thinking processes and make good progress on
>such trivial problems if you want to get hired...

     Yes.  I would also tell the prospect that I will be sticking
around in case he has any questions.  I would deliberately include
questions that required him to ask.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation:
     I have preferences.
     You have biases.
     He/She has prejudices.