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from the pi(x)=substr("3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208",1,x) dept.
Recently there was an article discussing how poorly today's Silicon Valley approaches the question of testing their information technology candidates' intelligence.
If you were a hiring manager, how would YOU test YOUR candidate's intelligence?
I was mulling this over recently, when, for unrelated reasons, I found myself researching algorithms to be used in calculating 'pi' (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Pi_algorithms).
As it so happens, there are currently 15 known algorithms for pi. At least one of the algorithms can be used to generate arbitrary digits of pi (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey–Borwein–Plouffe_formula), and that might be relevant. (I'm not a mathematician, or a programmer, as such - I'm a sysadmin - but even those who are will likely be surprised to learn that such a thing is possible. For more information, please see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spigot_algorithm.)
And so I would ask my candidate to pretend that he was responsible for designing a library of math functions, and to offer me an opinion on which algorithm should be implemented, in our hypothetical library of routines, to calculate 'pi'.
Some prior experience in programming is required - you have to have written your own functions. No programming languages are required. No coding. Not even pseudo-code! No right answers. No wrong answers. Just pure thought.
You don't need to be a programmer to take this test and succeed. You don't need to do anything on a whiteboard. You just need to be somewhat mathematically inclined ... somewhat literate ... and, a nerd.
A real nerd. Not one of these fake Silicon Valley nerds. You need to have books on your shelves. Not DVDs.
Points for asking what the library will be used for. The value 22/7 might work great for roughing out the roof of a gazebo. Not so good for calculating orbits!
Points for implementing multiple algorithms and letting the user decide for themselves.
No time limit, no pressure ... but I would want to hear back from my candidates, within a day or two, via email.
Compare my test to the puerile tests involving balls, and strings, and calculating 2^64 in your head, in real time, and ask yourself which of these methods REALLY exposes intelligence?
Now, you're in charge.
What would you do?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 02 2018, @09:59PM
What you need are employees who can do the job correctly and fast
I would add to that. "also people that can get along with others". I have had a few 'brilliant' people who were basically just total assholes to get along with. We got rid of them quick and kept the smart ones that got along with others. Programming these days is very very very rarely a solitary lone wolf task. You are usually working in a group to get something done. Simply because it is too much for one person to do.
Fizz Buzz and the 'google interview style' has done some serious damage to our industry. These companies have become incapable of hiring competent people. Fizz Buzz exists to filter the honest to god can not program at all people (many many many exist). The google coding interview style was invented by google to make them feel elite and get people who are actually good. They have actually turned it into a method. But the problem is almost all the other companies doing it have no idea why google does it and they apply it badly. It works for them because it is part of their culture. Rando company applying it thinks they will get 'rock stars' out of it. This example interview question I would seriously question if I wanted to work there. I could even answer it!
This snarky ass shit would actually make me mad You need to have books on your shelves. Not DVDs.
I have thousands (3300+) of DVDs because I enjoy the method of collecting them. It is my hobby. I rarely buy books on computer programming. They are pretty much out of date within a year. I just recently unloaded a half ton of the things. *NO* one would take them. Not even libraries. Because guess what. They were out of date. 99.9999% of what you need to program is on the net or kindle. Including the books. For that very small portion I can usually get a intralibrary loan or the research paper. Anyone who has not realized that could almost be considered a Luddite.