Timeline for How appropriate is the interview question: "Show me a piece of code you like"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
14 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2015 at 14:42 | comment | added | IDrinkandIKnowThings | @kuhl Show me a piece of code you like - That is not your favorite code or a piece of code that is representative of the work you have done. Simply a piece of code that you like. And Honestly for me its not about what code you choose, so much as the explanation of why you like it. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 22:02 | comment | added | kuhl | @ReallyTiredOfThisGame I'm willing to stand behind my code, and if an interviewer asks about that specific code I'd be fine with explaining. However I don't know the interviewers intentions with the question. If I'm being asked to show my favorite code I'm assuming they want something complex to demonstrate skill, rather than something thats elegant but simple. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 21:34 | comment | added | RemcoGerlich | If this is the only such question in an interview, he basically did. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 21:31 | comment | added | IDrinkandIKnowThings | @RemcoGerlich - The interviewer did not ask you for a single piece of code that is representitive of all of your work though. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 21:30 | comment | added | RemcoGerlich | @ReallyTiredOfThisGame: It's not about standing behind it. Of course I stand behind such code and would defend it in an interview, I just would never choose a "boring, simple" piece of code as the one example of all my work I show an interviewer. Interviewers choose the candidate they are most impressed by, so in such situations I try to think of impressive things I've done, as would most people. Daily programming on the job is not about selling yourself, interviews are. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 21:25 | comment | added | IDrinkandIKnowThings | @kuhl - If you are unwilling to stand behind it in an interview why would you stand behind that on the job. A job is just the first part of the interview for your next position. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 18:27 | comment | added | Bernhard Barker | @RemcoGerlich It's easy enough to strongly discourage the interviewee from showing complex code just for the sake of complexity by just adding a sentence or two to the original question (but I agree with the earlier comment that you really should be willing to stand behind code you like, even if it's not all the complex, regardless of the phrasing of the question - if they don't appreciate it, you probably won't fit in there anyway). | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 16:08 | comment | added | kuhl | @ReallyTiredOfThisGame no, it'd mean that I don't want the interviewer to think this was the most complex piece of code I have written. I agree with remcogerlich that many interviewees would feel the need to choose an ridiculously complicated one off piece of code rather than something simple that saves a ton of programming time or improves performance | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 14:41 | comment | added | RemcoGerlich | NO. The difference is that in the actual job I'm just doing my best to create a good program, while in the interview I need to quickly think of an example that I hope will help convince an interviewer that I am a good programmer at first glance (because there isn't time for more). Good programs don't at first sight look like they needed a good programmer to write them. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 14:04 | comment | added | IDrinkandIKnowThings | @RemcoGerlich so that says something about you as a coder as well. If you are unwilling to stand behind a choice of simple code in an interview does that mean you are going to create unnecessarily complex code for important features in the program because you think that is what is wanted? | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 9:13 | comment | added | RemcoGerlich | @Zeks: it may be true that you would be ok with that, but an interviewee may be nervous and probably feels pressure to show something impressive, or at least interestingly complex. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 9:08 | comment | added | Zeks | Actually, no. If he showed me a piece of simple code and explained that he liked it because it is simple to understand and explain how it works, I would be ok with such an answer. Like I said in the original post, pretty much any answer will satisfy me as long as it shows something other than indecisiveness and allows further conversation. It was not a question with a single valid answer or train of thought. | |
| Jul 20, 2015 at 9:01 | history | edited | RemcoGerlich | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 409 characters in body
|
| Jul 20, 2015 at 8:55 | history | answered | RemcoGerlich | CC BY-SA 3.0 |