• Visitors can check out the Forum FAQ by clicking this link. You have to register before you can post: click the REGISTER link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. View our Forum Privacy Policy.
  • Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!

Bob interview questions

Collapse
X
  •  
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Bob interview questions

    Just coming off a tech phone interview with Bob. He's had list of questions and we were stuck quite a bit on equals and hashcode methods in Java. He didn't seem satisfied with 1 unix command that lists processes, he wanted 2. Feels undervalued already or may be I need a go back to java101. I wonder what It would be like working for this guy.

    #2
    Originally posted by Joe Bloque View Post
    Just coming off a tech phone interview with Bob. He's had list of questions and we were stuck quite a bit on equals and hashcode methods in Java. He didn't seem satisfied with 1 unix command that lists processes, he wanted 2. Feels undervalued already or may be I need a go back to java101. I wonder what It would be like working for this guy.

    Those interviews are bollox IMPO.

    1. You are not a computer. There is no way any Human Being can memorise all the stuff and reel it off when chilled let alone under pressure. Give it in a normal situation you would have got the info easily.

    2. If you try to have it all in your head you will become seriously ill and possibly die - been there, got the medal.

    3. Either the boy interviewing you has no life, lives in computer land and is a few years away from a major heart-attack or he simply, in his own time, sat down and worked out the questions that he knew would be difficult.

    Do not beat yourself up over this. Learn to recognise that other people can be right fecked up creatures. Thank yourself that you are not going to work alongside him.

    You live a happy, emotionally balanced life and forget about people who are fecked up.

    He will find out the hard way one day.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Joe Bloque View Post
      Just coming off a tech phone interview with Bob. He's had list of questions and we were stuck quite a bit on equals and hashcode methods in Java. He didn't seem satisfied with 1 unix command that lists processes, he wanted 2. Feels undervalued already or may be I need a go back to java101. I wonder what It would be like working for this guy.
      That's the right question IMHO.

      An interview is a two-way process. You may not know whether you failed it, but you can be sure about whether he did.
      Job motivation: how the powerful steal from the stupid.

      Comment


        #4
        IME closed technical questions are asked by the most technically limited people. They have prepared for the interview by getting a list of questions either from the Interweb or a techie.

        If you ask open technical questions it allows candidates to show off their knowledge and experience. Which is what you want.

        A couple of gigs ago I worked with a middleware permie who prided himself on his KILLER list of closed technical questions which he couldnt have possibly answered himself. We still giggle at his definition of Persistent messaging, apparently they "keep trying"

        Comment


          #5
          Bob at one point told me he has other questions to cover and mindful of 30 mins time constraint when we were stuck on hashcode. He almost got me on priority of GC thread. Its not a good feeling loosing to Bob. Loosing a 'friendly' match hurts just as much as big one. Client is a 'merkin co with Bangalore Bobs leading tech charge. I was beating myself 'why o why I didn't know that' until mrs Joe asked me to either feck off or come down to McD's for miss Joe's happy meal.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Joe Bloque View Post
            I wonder what It would be like working for this guy.
            tulip.

            The more technical the questions are the tulipter the work atmosphere is.
            "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

            Comment


              #7
              I think you are looking at it the wrong way.

              You have successfully avoided working at a crap place with crap people who want to score points off each other.

              Yes the interview was crap with crap questions but do you really want to work with the people who passed such a crap interview.
              merely at clientco for the entertainment

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by PropertyCrashUK View Post
                Those interviews are bollox IMPO.

                ....

                Do not beat yourself up over this. Learn to recognise that other people can be right fecked up creatures. Thank yourself that you are not going to work alongside him.
                No 'feedback' yet from Pimp. I will defintely 'do the needul'.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I had this recently over a job which required Perl and nix skills, although it was not a Bob testing me, instead the main interviewer brought in Dave (the companies Perl expert). Dave was a shoegazing geek with all his social skills no doubt learnt from playing world of warcraft.

                  Even though i tried to avoid it, it turned into an Ego battle namely on the Dave's part whereby he was determined to 'catch me out'. After a while of discussing complex regex and how his was better (which i dutifully nodded to). He kept doing a snorting under his breath laugh to each answer I gave which really made me feel like lamping him in the middle of the inteview.

                  I turned round and asked the main interviewer if any of this was coding knowledge needed for the functionality of the product I was being interviewed to support? Interviewer turned back to 'Dave' who said 'no, but, yes, but no' to which main interviewer then looked annoyed at our David.

                  Main chap then ask's 'do you have any questions you would like to ask?' to which I smiled and replied 'No'.

                  I then called the agent and told them I was not up for working there at all and I accepted another offer instead.
                  Last edited by reginaldronald; 17 February 2011, 11:45.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Knowing of Dave and having met him in the past I find it scary any firm would allow the general public to see him.
                    merely at clientco for the entertainment

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X