Re: /400 skills test

["Nelson C. Smith" <ncsmith@xxxxxxxx>]

First really good comment I've read here, Don.

I would add to it that if they don't know what Code Complete is, they should
come back when they do.  That should weed out about, oh...98%.  Actually,
I'd be willing to bet that 98% couldn't tell you the title of Jon's new
Redbook.  The state of continuing education in our little niche of a
programming area is trully abysmal.  What's worse is that most of that 98%
don't even care (until they start looking for a new job).


----- Original Message -----
From: "Schenck, Don" <Don.Schenck@WL.com>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 9:44 AM
Subject: RE: /400 skills test


> So ... if I *DO* know the significance of SFLNXTCHG ... I'm gold.
>
> But if I suck at ... say ... writing solid code ... that's okay.
>
> I'd ask: Have you read "Code Complete? You have? Tell me a bit about it".
>
> Subfiles are a nit; good coding isn't.
>
> (Oh boy ... my arrogance is showing again)
>
> -- Don
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Donna Bryant [mailto:peeksoft@ix.netcom.com]
> Sent: May 18, 2000 8:59 AM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: RE: /400 skills test
>
>
> I believe you can and should test or conduct technical interviews.  In a
> previous life, I was the managing consultant for the AS400 group of a
large
> consulting firm in Denver, and we conducted as series of 3 interviews:
the
> first was a personnel department screening, the second a technical
> interview, and the third a "management" interview.  In the technical
> interview, I didn't ask questions like "Can you do subfiles?"  Instead I
> might ask "How is the SFLNXTCHG" keyword used?" or "What is the
consequence
> of SFLPAG = SFLSIZ?"
> As a consultant myself, I have had to interview for a great number of
> positions and most people will only ask some variation of "Did you do
> subfiles in your last job?"    I used a list of questions that I
developed,
> many of which were from the tests that I gave to my students at Front
Range
> Community College in the AS400 certificate program.  I may have a list of
> those questions somewhere, if someone wants to followup on this.
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