Author Archives: c-braley

Software Craftsman Chapters 11 and 12

Chapter 11

I enjoy how this chapter opens with the “Don’t Be a
Smart-Ass Interviewer”. There is nothing more I dislike than someone who thinks
they are better than you and try’s and prove it. If I ever walk into an
interview and that happens I would like to think I would leave. I don’t have
the time or tolerance for such nonsense. I also enjoy some of the questions he
says to avoid in the brain teasers, “How many golf balls can you fit into an
airplane?” Hahaha. All joking aside I think that this chapter is pretty much a
common sense issue and unfortunately I think that some people really need it
beat into them. It is common sense you shouldn’t ask questions you don’t know
the answer to and don’t make the candidate look like a fool. If someone does
not know these basics, they probably shouldn’t be interviewing anyone, or maybe
even be in any position. I also like how he talks about not blocking the
internet during a coding activity and goes on to say, “I wonder how they would
do without it?” I also like his thoughts on not asking the interviewee to write
out code on paper or white boards and feels they should stick to what the
candidate would face on the job. Great tips and I am certain I will run into
interviews where I am asked to do these things.
His take on not asking to wrote algorithms or algorithmic
exercises is awesome. I like his thought pattern here on how they should ask
something closer to the reality of the projects at the company and that how
many problems weren’t related to the algorithms, but the lack of good tests and
the like. Overall good chapter and some great advice.
Chapter 12

I really don’t have much to say in this chapter as I think
it speaks for itself. Lack of morale is a company killer in my opinion. It is
all pretty plain to see that if you lack motivation and hate the job you are
doing than you will not bring anything of use to the company. It is contagious
as well. People moping around complaining about this and that and blaming everything
on so and so, when they really need to take a hard look at themselves. 

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this. I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks by various companies in the field and they are great for networking as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to see what the company is all about and the people that work there.
Overall I think this chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back to this chapter in the future.
Chapter 10

I like how he described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the company in a sense because they took the time to research th place and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting opposite you, you may want to end it there.
I would have never given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Software Craftsman Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9

There a lot of good
point in this that I never gave thought to. I don’t believe I will
be in a position to hire anyone for a while, but this chapter gives
some good tips on recruitment. He makes a good point in how companies
don’t get better because they are hiring the wrong people or
advertising the wrong skill set etc. In my limited experience looking
over job boards fr the CS field there does seem to be a lot of boiler
plate style templates. I also notice that they are usually looking
for x number of years experience in such and such and he is right
that the number of years is not a very good judgment tool and
experience. I have seen people which less time in a language that
know 10 times more and are that much better than people with 10 years
experience so it an uneven gauge. I also agree that companies should
be involved with the community and have seen companies that do this.
I use the web application meet up and go to presentations and talks
by various companies in the field and they are great for networking
as well as talking to potential new hires and such. It is also good
to see for the person who is looking for a job in that they get to
see what the company is all about and the people that work there.

Overall I think this
chapter was well put together and there are a good amount of tips for
the employer as well as future employees. I will probably refer back
to this chapter in the future.

Chapter 10

I like how he
described the interview as a business negotiation. I never thought of
it like that, but that is indeed what it is. The company has its
outlooks and is looking to keep up revenue and the prospective
employee that could possibly help in achieving said goals and or
challenges. His points on the hiring companies perspective is good. I
feel like that when hiring people you would want hem to ask questions
about the company. It shows interest as well as commitment to the
company in a sense because they took the time to research th place
and find out things about it so they could ask questions. There are
time though that maybe the questions they had were answered during
the interview, but still that should be stated. There are a lot of
good points, but a lot are also in my opinion common sense like
paying attention to how enthusiastic the person is when talking about
technology or their previous jobs and experience, as well as project
thy have worked on. If you have a dull unmotivated rock sitting
opposite you, you may want to end it there.

I would have never
given much thought about paying attention to what the interviewers
role in the company is, but he makes a good point about interviewers
that aren’t developers and are instead project leads or managers. I
would have never thought that might mean that developers may not be
empowered to make decisions. The single interview process is also
interesting and worth noting. It would not have dawned on me that the
company might be in a hurry and doesn’t take the time to hire the
right people. I think overall there are some great points here. I
like how he describes a good interview and I couldn’t put it better
myself. “A good interview is like a good an informal chat between
passionate developers.” I have been on interviews like this and
have been hired. They are good because both parties are at ease and
it makes it easier to be open about yourself. I agree as well about
it being a mistake to hire someone without seeing them code or their
code at least. It can give a good glimpse at their confidence and
experience as well as decision making skills and the ability to take
constructive criticism. Bringing your computer I don’t think I
would have thought of, but it is a good idea so they can see what
tools you have and use etc. Last but not least I can’t agree more
with developers must interview developers.

Overall another good
chapter with a lot of good information that I will probably revisit
in the near future.

From the blog format c: /s by c-braley and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.