Problem solving I can use
I don't get how asking stupid interview questions is supposed to get you a higher level of thinker or employee. Here's a list of 10 commonly questions asked during Google interviews.
http://www.mytechinterviews.com/10-google-interview-questionsWhen I read them, my immediate thought is that if you can come up with a clever, albeit diversionary or incorrect answer, then I'm interested ... but if you come up with the correct one ... not so much.
I want people who can think on their feet, who can re-structure a challenging problem or defuse a difficult situation. I want someone who will think around the question rather than blindly jump in ... realizing that sometimes looking around the question reveals that the only way to pass is through the middle, but that is a delightful minority.
I also want people who fit in with and want to be part of my team. I'm pretty sure that if I asked my current team these questions during an interview, they would've looked at me like I had a third eye glued to my forehead, laughed for a sec, then wandered out the door.
I suppose these questions are supposed to tell me as an interviewer how candidates solve problems. Here's a hint ... I don't care how many polar bears are around the ice flow, or how many pirates wind up walking the plank, or anything else ... I care how a candidate's brain works on a technical challenge ... one relevant to the task for which they are being considered.
For developers, I use a test ... not a quiz, but a full on test. The test has one single essay question. The one question is very simple. Make me an end to end solution that uses a database, some sort of data management layer or library, some sort of service tier, and some sort of client. We give them a laptop and a pad of paper. Candidates may use any and all resources at their disposal, including the internet, books, the phone, and even asking questions of us. There is no time limit. There is no right answer. Candidates rarely finish. I don't care if the solution works. I only care about the approach taken to arrive at a solution.
That's problem solving I can measure and observe ... that's problem solving I can use.
