Interview will consist of an IT related task!

[alonzow]

Hello,
Having worked as a contractor for the past 4 years, I have decided to join an interesting government project. Before the interview there will be an IT related task - WTF - I have 11 years experience in IT and application development, should I refuse to do it or is this just part of the way things are done in the government?

Any examples of an IT related task that people had to do during their interviews could be an interesting thread to read.

In the job spec, it says "Proven ability in PERL, PHP, DBI, HTTP, XML, LDAP" so I guess it has something to do with this

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[rosieb]

We usually provide a very basic practical test at interview for technical positions, and it's very, very basic - but it often shows up those who have a nice cv but absolutely no practical knowledge. It's kindergarten stuff, but you'd be amazed how many applicants fail it!

Rosie
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong." Richard Feynman

 

[gbaughma]

Did we ever hear back what the "test" was?



Just my 2¢
-Cole's Law: Shredded cabbage

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[kaptlid]

Alot of people exaggerate their skills on their resume. If I was hiring a totally unknown person I would test them on various things too.

I have been asked to do certain technical things before even showing up for the interview. Such as a SEO proposal or analyzing a website to improve its usage. That one practically involved a usage test. I did them and got hired.

My friend was given 4 hours to design and demonstrate a website for a product. He was only given access to a copy of photoshop and a code editor. He was hired.

Another company I know hired a programmer without checking his skills. Guy did not do anything due to lack of knowledge and skills in a specific programming language. Mercifully he was released a year later.

When I graduated high school, one of my classmates was interviewed for a job in a warehouse. He lied to the interviewer about knowing how to drive a forklift. That was very apparent when the employer asked him to drive the thing.

I would not get offended if an employer asked me to do something related to the job. Even if I have been doing it for a decade plus.