Hiring is Not Hazing
summary
Compares whiteboard, take‑home, and portfolio screens with concrete fixes: prefer one‑sentence prompts like write a function that takes input X does Y and return Z, give questions both spoken and written, cap homework at two–three hours or offer onsite time, estimate tasks at three times as long as it would take you, use shared rubrics and ask “why not hire / why not lower” to avoid point‑scoring because rubrics are qualitative not points, and assume three–six months ramp.
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chapters (24)
- 0:00Intro
- 1:08We Can Do Better
- 3:08Assessing Technical Skill
- 3:26Whiteboard
- 5:12Homework
- 9:53Portfolio Review
- 15:59Better Questions
- 16:56Write a palindrome checker.
- 17:55Avoid Jargon
- 19:22Use A Familiar Context
- 20:20Write a function that determines the most common character in a string.
- 24:04Handle ties by selecting the first candidate. Handle invalid inputs by prompting the user for clarification.
- 25:36Encourage Questions
- 27:50Better Evaluations
- 28:20Rubrics
- 31:41Did the candidate consider common error and race conditions?
- 32:53Assume Ramp Up Time
- 35:33Better Attitudes
- 36:48Team The Candidate
- 39:15Strengths Focused
- 41:52Lightning Round
- 42:23Accommodations
- 43:12Don't Ask Personal Questions
- 44:10Summary & Cheat Sheet
