simon.crick (9/11/2013)
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (9/11/2013)
simon.crick (9/11/2013)
Why not base your decision on the candidate's academic qualifications?College and university exams are far more rigorous and comprehensive than any interview tests can ever be.
Choose a candidate with good exam grades in a relevant subject area from a reputable college/university and you can't go far wrong.
Base your decision on a small number of random interview tests and you will get random results.
Simon
Not sure I like this. College/University isnt' a training ground. There are plenty of people, for all I know the majority, that work in technology, but didn't major in CS/IS.
The college exams often don't translate to the real world. Even in closely aligned programs, like medicine, law, accounting, there is a good amount of training done for the candidates later. I do wonder, however, how often companies in those fields regret their hires?
I am one of them. I got my first job in computing before I went to college/university. After 5 years I realised I could never compete with graduates who had a deep understanding of the underlying concepts in computer science, so I went to college, got my A-levels, then went to university and got a degree in Mathematics. I then went back into computing and now work as a senior software engineer responsible for some very large and complex databases.
When I left university I would have certainly failed the SSMS test because I had never had any exposure to Microsoft technology. Therefore, I know from personal experience that rejecting someone based on an SSMS test would be wrong, and I'm pretty sure that positively choosing someone based on a limited SSMS test would also be wrong because it only proves a very narrow range of skills and doesn't really prove the deep understanding of the underlying concepts that is necessary for problem solving and innovation.
I'm not saying that academic qualifications are a 100% reliable indicator of ability, but based on my personal experience from both sides of the fence, I strongly believe they are the best available indicator, certainly for entry-level jobs.
Simon
I don't believe a college degree is all that valuable in the IT field. I do have a BS. I do have experience on both sides of the fence as you do. I found that in my computer classes (programming, database, project management and hardware), there was not a single professor qualified to teach the material. In my programming and database classes, I was tutoring the professor. Having an Academic degree proves nothing more to me than the person spent money to go to and finish school.
College degrees are gamed and cheated - this is no secret. Here is a small figure from Stanford on the topic.
73% of all test takers, including prospective graduate students and teachers agree that most students do cheat at some point. 86% of high school students agreed.
source http://www.stanford.edu/class/engr110/cheating.html
College exams were far easier than the MCM exams and were just about on par with the MCSE/MCITP exams imho. You are trained to answer questions pertinent to the college exam. You cram for that college exam. Then you pass the college exam.
A college degree is not the same value in today's market as it was 20 years ago. I would dare say that cheating has increased and the negative stigma with cheating has been decreased significantly. Like with certifications, a degree can be largely gamed.
I'd rather gauge work experience, the candidates psyche, and then grill them to see how well they think than rely on a piece of paper.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events