
My Facebook Interview Saga - mqt
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~rlotun/entries/12052007a.html
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BitGeek
I am increasingly becoming convinced that facebook, and most tech businesses--
are totally clueless about interviewing.

Its definately much worse than it was 10 years ago.

Companies are starting to get proud of the fact that they are incompetant at
interviewing-- because they think someone "failing" their process means they
have a high bar... but the reality is, they let in clueless people with trendy
skills and exclued the people who had a clue.

And thene the clueless interview based on trends and the company becomes yahoo
(or facebook- they are heading for a fall.)

What do I mean by clueless trendy people? I expect that if I interviewed at
facebook, and told them in the interview that I thought unit tests were a
waste of time, I wouldn't get hired.

The reality is, I know unit tests are a waste of time, and I know abetter way
to develop software. But unit tests are the trend (a trend created by pointy
haired idiot non-programmers, believe it or not) and now the clueless will
exclude the superior based on this-- and be smug in doing so.

I guess this is the natural way of things-- popular music devolves from mozart
to britney spears.

~~~
byrneseyeview
So what you're claiming is that established companies _and_ startups are
wasting time hiring people with bogus qualifications -- they're all paying a
productivity tax that you've found a way to evade! Isn't that _great news_?
Shouldn't you be thrilled?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves: we can have a big party after the company
you start to hire all these great undervalued programmers finishes up its IPO.

~~~
BitGeek
Uh, no, I'm just saying that their hiring practices are messed up nad thus
they often hire good people for the wrong reasons and exclude good people for
the wrong reasons, and sometimes hire bad people for the wrong reasons.

Like Zuckerman saying only hire young people-- some of the people he'll
exclude that way would have been an asset to the company, and some of the
people he will hire because of that policy are going to be a drag.

~~~
staunch
Facebook has done a _shockingly_ good job of handling their growth and it was
mostly young hard core unix hackers that did it. You can't argue with the
results.

Just be honest: you're angry at Facebook because you think they wouldn't hire
you due to your age. Just like you're angry and jealous that YC is making
"kids" (as you call them) rich by giving them a huge headstart.

You indirectly compare yourself to Mozart. Claim to have an amazingly great
way of developing, but of course don't say anything about it. Flatly claim
Facebook developers are "clueless" and your methods are "superior". You're too
much man, I already have Comedy Central.

~~~
BitGeek
Sigh. Confusing correlation with causation is exactly the kind of foolish
error that I'm talking about.

I think its a very childish response to accuce me of being angry or jealous
because I have a different opinion, tht is strongly held.

But its simply dishonest to put words in my mouth like that.

I have not made claims to be great, and I have not said my methods are
superior to facebook... nor have I said anything derogatory about YC,
especially when YC funds college age students-- I think the college age
generation are the perfect candidates for the YC program.

Its really quite sad that you have demonstrated exactly the errors I am
pointing out in facebook in your defense of them-- you have reacted in a
narrow minded and judgemental way-- attacking me personally, rather than the
position I have taken. This kind of political correctness is exactly what
Facebook is doing when they don't hire people based on skills, but based on
other factors such as age and, well, ideology.

Further irony comes from you attacking my skills when I have not relied on
argument based on my "superior" skills, and further, what skills do you have?
Not that they would be relevant-- but if you had sufficient skill you should
be able to make a counter argument based on the state of the art and advanced
techniques. In short, by attacking me, you show you do not understand the
technology well enough to make a technological argument, ironic since
technical skill is where you criticized me.

Even saying I'm jealous is a childish pathetic personal attack on my skills.

Anyway, for the past 20 days I've been off doing... and you'll notice I have
no posts here in that time period. Meanwhile you have made 28 comments here in
just the last 3 days.

How's _your_ startup going?

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russ
Too bad I didn't find this before my facebook interview! =P

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youngnh
whoa. he didn't get the job? I am so fucked.

