Interviewstreet: Interview tests for programmers

I love this, interviews might be a fundamental part of the hiring process but you can’t really gauge if the applicant could do the job once they’re on the payroll from a polite conversation over coffee and a Krispy Kreme. You’re also never quite sure how much of the resume has been dressed up. I once worked for a business where a guy applied for the position of Head of Operations. His resume stated quite clearly that he spoke fluent Dutch which might have been why our Dutch boss was keen to interview him. One simple question in the language soon revealed that claim to be just slightly the other side of a blatant lie!

Still, the boss must have admired his nerve because he hired him and once again, if InterviewStreet had been around at the time and had a banking feature it would have saved a lot of pain and money. Not only did he lie about his linguistic skills, he could no more spell operations let alone manage them. He didn’t last long!

Anyway, I digress severely. This one exists to catch out all of those job applicants who claim to speak in another language and that is the language of computers.

I am no expert in coding, indeed my Dutch, at 3 words, is infinitely better. Having said that, for any business looking to hire a programmer then what could be easier than asking them to "prove it"?

InterviewStreet can provide hirers with a selection of online tests to gauge an applicant’s expertise in coding. With all major languages supported the results will clear the way of deadwood and allow only the stars to get to the coffee and donut stage.

It also has the capability to act as a kind of built-in analyst too. With code snapshots helping you trace the code path you will be able to get an insight into the thought processes of the candidate. Now that would have been something to know about our dodgy Dutch speaker!

Conclusion

It’s simple really; if someone says they can do it you’ll very quickly find out if they can. If they can’t then let’s face it they would be pretty silly taking the test in the first place.