Re: what you look for in a coder...

We actually have a programming test that we use in addition to looking at 
the applicant's code samples.

It's a fairly mean test, in that it has some exotic stuff in there that we 
wouldn't like to see one of our programmers do. Still, my experience is that 
you'll come across this kind of code and you'll have to debug it. It's all 
great if you can write your own code, but in a team and working with 
different middleware you need to be able to understand other people's code, too.

I find that talking with them about the test (and especially the things they 
didn't figure out) helps me get a pretty good idea of what kind of 
programmer they are.

One of our biggest problem these days is education focusing on Java almost 
exclusively. We need strong C++ programmers, and the education system is 
producing mediocre Java coders.

Enno.

-- 
Nothing great has ever been accomplished without passion.
        (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, 1770-1831)

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