• xianjam@programming.dev
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    1 day ago

    So, to start off, I’m someone who does not typically perform well during interviews because of anxiety (but through some miracle has had no issues with employment), so take this response with whatever bias that brings.

    I believe this is bad too. You’re still essentially asking a gotcha question, expecting one phrase in your answer and failing the candidate if you don’t hear that phrase. And, in fact, I disagree with the premise. I think the question is defined quite well in the context of programming, given that someone answers with the possibility that there are many ways to hash something and many uses of hashing.

    • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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      1 hour ago

      Its not a gotcha question though, is ambiguous to see if you ask for more information or just make assumptions.

      We are losing a large account at work because a team provided a solution to a customer based on their initial issues without asking for more info on what the root issue was.

      Had they just asked “why are you needing to do this particular thing?” The while solution would have been different.

    • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 day ago

      The hash question is just something from the top of my head. I normally fit it to the situation.

      I absolutely take nervousness into account, as I can relate to it.

      The thing is, I need to know if the person can push back in some way. it’s a hard thing to do in interviews, but also the first point for me to check how a person reacts

      I’ve been bitten too many times, with dev coworkers who don’t give at least a little resistance when vague or stupid tasks show up. Only to notice hours or days later, when something was done completely the wrong way

      • Pyr@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        Sounds like you need to fire the person handing out vague and undefined tasks to everyone 😂

        • ID10T@programming.dev
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          21 hours ago

          Every task starts out as a vague idea that, at some point, needs to be narrowed down to something specific and actionable.

          If you’re at a sufficiently large organization and you get lucky, that happens before it makes it to a developer. For the rest of us, it’s an important skill to be able to take a task, ask clarifying questions, and narrow it down to something actionable.