what will your five question to know that candidate is suitable for position of embedded software engineer

Thread Starter

Fanfire174

Joined Mar 13, 2018
240
Hi
it is very difficult to take a decision about someone in a short time. By the way,If you have given chance to take interview for position of software engineer minimum 1 year experience then what will your five question to know that candidate is suitable for position.
 

MobilityTech

Joined Mar 8, 2020
1
I can't speak to specific skills, but one trick I use is to tell the candidate that the job is tough and that he/she doesn't seem up to the challenges they'll face in the position. If they challenge your assessment and ask for the chance to prove themselves, give them an opportunity. They have passion, and you can teach an employee everything but passion.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
I’ve always used a complex riddle to tell if a candidate is qualified to be considered further. The correct answer is not necessary, but help!

“You’re commuting home in bad traffic. You’re stuck behind the same car for a while and have observed it’s license plate “ML8 ML8”. You keep repeating the license plate number in your head, over and over.
“ML8 ML8”
“ML8 ML8”
“ML8 ML8”
Suddenly, you start laughing. So what I want to know, is what’s the color and make if the car?”

What would be your answer?
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
@jpanhalt

So what? What’s the color and make of the car?

Everyone? Reply via PM. I can’t tell if I’d hire you, because your not answering under the pressure of an interview. I did have candidates call me back later with their guess, but they were eliminated because they didn't answer by the end of the interview.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Remember the famous rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland." Now, as for color, the rabbit is supposed to be white, but in the Disney production, it was definitely grey.

So, it was a white, VW Rabbit.

Edit: Got my Wizard of Oz and Alice mixed up. Doesn't change the answer.
 

BobTPH

Joined Jun 5, 2013
8,808
Interesting that you would automatically eliminate everyone who did not share your cultural upbringing,

Bob
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Alice in Wonderland was written in 1865 and has been translated into 97 languages (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland). It has lost much of its original satirical impact, but "down a rabbit hole" or simply "rabbit hole" remain popular terms from that work. In fact, a simple search for that term on this forum yields 10 pages of citations and 7 pages of threads.

I am sure it was no one's intent to exclude any culture with this riddle. If you were unaware of Alice in Wonderland, just move on. However, the fact it has been published in 97 languages makes it about as culturally non-exclusive and any OT comments on this forum.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
Alice in Wonderland was written in 1865 and has been translated into 97 languages (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland). It has lost much of its original satirical impact, but "down a rabbit hole" or simply "rabbit hole" remain popular terms from that work. In fact, a simple search for that term on this forum yields 10 pages of citations and 7 pages of threads.

I am sure it was no one's intent to exclude any culture with this riddle. If you were unaware of Alice in Wonderland, just move on. However, the fact it has been published in 97 languages makes it about as culturally non-exclusive and any OT comments on this forum.
Hola @jpanhalt

I suppose the above is not addressed to me. ¿?

Simply trying to repeat ML8 as proposed sounds like I am coming late to some place but that is all to me. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Anyway, one day I will see the light and I will be free ...:)
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
Interested non-natives, out of luck it seems...

At least to know what is all about.
I never included my selection criterion. Several of you have made assumptions about that. It was a difficult riddle where getting the correct answer was irrelevant. I was looking for approach, communication and interaction.

A candidate should be able to determine that “ML8” was important. And express that to me. Also, they should have been able to verbally express how knowing that importance, what is the process to make a working assumption.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
Prety much like the problem said to be given to fifth graders in China, where a vessel is carrying animals of some kind and the question is about how old is the Master.

No matter the incredible reasons given to justify such a nonsensical question, I find them a waste of time.

In my job there are many problems you can propose to evaluate background, personality and experience without resorting to weird questions.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Hola @jpanhalt

I suppose the above is not addressed to me. ¿?

Simply trying to repeat ML8 as proposed sounds like I am coming late to some place but that is all to me. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Anyway, one day I will see the light and I will be free ...:)
"ML8* when repeated rapidly as in the Disney cartoon (I tried to post the YouTube, but it wouldn't let me) could be heard as a slurred, " 'm L8". "L8" = "leight" for which one pronunciation is "late." Combining the two = 'm late = I'm late... That was my only clue. It's one of those things like, "I wish I had a brain" that when said casually evokes instant images of the straw man in Wizard of Oz
.

I suffer from Martin Gardner syndrome (MGS) from having spent too many years religiously reading everything he wrote in Scientific American.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Prety much like the problem said to be given to fifth graders in China, where a vessel is carrying animals of some kind and the question is about how old is the Master.

No matter the incredible reasons given to justify such a nonsensical question, I find them a waste of time.

In my job there are many problems you can propose to evaluate background, personality and experience without resorting to weird questions.
I don't know the China school riddle, I suspect it may be similar to Einstein's riddle. It has many forms, but can be solved: https://udel.edu/~os/riddle.html

If you ever played "Murder She Wrote," the board game based on a popular TV series of the time, the solution is similar. We used to play it after dinner with our children and their paternal grandparents when they visited at Christmas. Great fun. It is a great demonstration of the power of negative logic. That lesson was not lost on me.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
I don't know the China school riddle, I suspect it may be similar to Einstein's riddle. It has many forms, but can be solved: https://udel.edu/~os/riddle.html

If you ever played "Murder She Wrote," the board game based on a popular TV series of the time, the solution is similar. We used to play it after dinner with our children and their paternal grandparents when they visited at Christmas. Great fun. It is a great demonstration of the power of negative logic. That lesson was not lost on me.
Here or maybe in ETO, I solved one similar if not the same, attributed to Einstein anyway, using Excel. Proposed by Matt (derStrom) IIRC.
 

tindel

Joined Sep 16, 2012
936
That ML8 question is ridiculous. People get too proud of their silly interview questions. I've learned that I'm not a good fit for a company if these sort of interview questions start coming up, because these questions generally show more about the ego of the interviewer and/or company and less about the qualifications of the candidate. There are much better ways to test abstract thinking.

I would not consider myself a SW engineer so I can't give the OP any real questions to answer. However, I suspect most SW engineering questions revolve around the following: types of memory, where memory is allocated, timing, code examples, coding architectures, etc. If you're into FPGA's I'd expect a lot of questions about combinational vs. sequential logic, blocking vs. non-blocking, examples, architectures, etc.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
I’ve always used a complex riddle to tell if a candidate is qualified to be considered further. The correct answer is not necessary, but help!

“You’re commuting home in bad traffic. You’re stuck behind the same car for a while and have observed it’s license plate “ML8 ML8”. You keep repeating the license plate number in your head, over and over.
“ML8 ML8”
“ML8 ML8”
“ML8 ML8”
Suddenly, you start laughing. So what I want to know, is what’s the color and make if the car?”

What would be your answer?
The first thing that came to mind was "ML8" => "immolate" and from there the only thing would be that it was an old Ford Pinto. As to the color, I guess red or orange would be the most likely. Though the only reason that I could imagine that I was supposed to start laughing is because I find the attitude of the driver to be cutely fatalistic?

I wouldn't find it worth my time to try to guess what (likely cultural) reference the interviewer had in mind and which I might or might not have ever heard of.
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,218
The first thing that came to mind was "ML8" => "immolate" and from there the only thing would be that it was an old Ford Pinto. As to the color, I guess red or orange would be the most likely. Though the only reason that I could imagine that I was supposed to start laughing is because I find the attitude of the driver to be cutely fatalistic?

I wouldn't find it worth my time to try to guess what (likely cultural) reference the interviewer had in mind and which I might or might not have ever heard of.
In my case, I interpreted "ML8 => emulate" ... so I would've answered that I laughed because both the car's make and color were exactly like the one I was driving at that moment...
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
The first thing that came to mind was "ML8" => "immolate" and from there the only thing would be that it was an old Ford Pinto. As to the color, I guess red or orange would be the most likely. Though the only reason that I could imagine that I was supposed to start laughing is because I find the attitude of the driver to be cutely fatalistic?

I wouldn't find it worth my time to try to guess what (likely cultural) reference the interviewer had in mind and which I might or might not have ever heard of.
But you were able to realize that the letters/numbers were important. And draw from your own experience what it might mean. I would bet that process would only take at most a few minutes.

You would demonstrate a reasonable approach to problem solving, you would identify a reasonable answer and provide explanation as to your answer.

That ML8 question is ridiculous. People get too proud of their silly interview questions. I've learned that I'm not a good fit for a company if these sort of interview questions start coming up, because these questions generally show more about the ego of the interviewer and/or company and less about the qualifications of the candidate. There are much better ways to test abstract thinking.
WBahn would NOT have gotten upset at the question. A definite disqualification. He would NOT have demonstrated disrespect to the prospective employer by subtly reacting to his belief it was a silly, egotistical question. No one with that attitude (and I interviewed many) was ever hired. And other subtle messages. Unlike your comment, the question is less about the ego of the interviewer and MORE about the ego of the applicant. You were probably not a good fit because you exhibited red flags about your hireability.

So, @tindel, think it was a silly egotistical question the interviewer asked?

I agree there are many ways to test abstract thinking - if that’s what I was doing. With this method, I put my team up against yours any day.

Those other varied SW development topics are tested as well. Just not with silly questions.
 
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