Let me emphase that; 75 out of 100 applicants to a programming job can not program. At all.
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Remember, the goal is not to make people fail on tests - only to quickly discard the people who can not write software at an early stage to save time and effort for both of us.
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I again want to emphasize that this is only to sort out the real developers from the crowd. I really don't want to waste anyone's time and energy on doing multiple interviews when we both can find out with a simple test that they're not going to make it. No pointing fingers, no harsh comments - just a simple test to find who we are looking for.
I was surprised at the need for all those disclaimers, but I guess it was necessary, after all.
If you want to hire a professional soccer player, and a candidate can't juggle a ball. Would you hire him?
Who cares if he does it at work? If he fails a test that, supposedly, "any pro soccer player" should pass, then he's not suited, is he?
And the other commenter is right---fizzbuzz isn't juggling a ball, it's knowing how to walk upright.
I've interviewed hundreds of people in the past who all on paper had a degree in something numerical. And somehow they can't answer the question "what's the expectation of a dice roll?". That's supposed to be a warmup question.
It simply stretches credulity that someone, anyone, doesn't know this. Same with FizzBuzz. Just about any kid in a high school math class should be able to do either?
The fact that people can't do it suggests a number of hypotheses.
- They think it's a harder question than it really is. One highly qualified lady made a "WTF" face when it dawned on her I was asking a grade 10 question. She didn't want the job later on.
- They think they've missed something, and are scouring their minds against hope that they'll figure out the missing piece.
- I've intimidated them like a bully. People aren't used to interviews where they might fail. Perhaps there's some psychological trigger I've inadvertently hit, and they've turned into rabbits in the headlights.
- They've lied on their CV but have shown up to the interview anyway. Maybe. How long can you blag this kind of thing though?
Maybe my priors (or evidence credulity) are just different from yours.
...
Remember, the goal is not to make people fail on tests - only to quickly discard the people who can not write software at an early stage to save time and effort for both of us.
...
I again want to emphasize that this is only to sort out the real developers from the crowd. I really don't want to waste anyone's time and energy on doing multiple interviews when we both can find out with a simple test that they're not going to make it. No pointing fingers, no harsh comments - just a simple test to find who we are looking for.
I was surprised at the need for all those disclaimers, but I guess it was necessary, after all.
If you want to hire a professional soccer player, and a candidate can't juggle a ball. Would you hire him?
Who cares if he does it at work? If he fails a test that, supposedly, "any pro soccer player" should pass, then he's not suited, is he?
And the other commenter is right---fizzbuzz isn't juggling a ball, it's knowing how to walk upright.