This dev guy got a PhD in deceit!!!

[mation77]

So, I hired a dev guy who practically lied to impress us during the hiring stage but literally cannot do shit. I mean, I don't know how he did it, it's crazy.

Myself and my senior dev guy are looking at each other like "whose fault is this?” He must have ChatGPT'ed his answers during the interview and test stage because there's no way he could have come up with that stuff on his own.

Anyways, I need to prevent this kind of mistake from happening again. Needless to say, he got a 'subtle' boot out the door, and I'm left learning a valuable lesson: be vigilant, folks! People will do whatever it takes to get hired, even if they don't know the first thing about the job.

Keep your eyes peeled and don't be afraid to call out the BS.

Trust me, your team (and your sanity) will thank you.

Also, any advice on simplifying hiring? Especially vetting.

 

[davidasj7]

@mation77 If you cannot tell a dev is bullshit you might want to rethink that senior title you gave yourself.

 

[coder]

@davidasj7 I think you need some exposure at least once to people who can talk a crazy game and can't do a thing to identify them, some people are really good with words, also some people can be even more cunning where they just decide to weaponise incompetence

 

[davidasj7]

@coder Sounds like boomer problems.

 

[shirel]

@davidasj7 I think more what happens is you like someone and decide you’d like to work with them. And that clouds your vision. The process needs to insulate abba protect you from that bias

 

[unikue]

@mation77 I’ll take his gig

 

[christian_commenter_1234]

@mation77 For more experienced positions I've stopped doing code tests and just do interviews now. It's too easy to use chatgpt to solve any take home problem, but if you're talking to someone about their past experience, it's pretty easy to see if they're BSing.

 

[danieltham103]

@christian_commenter_1234 Agreed.

A couple of simple questions often shows the level. It's usually to distinguish BS speech from knowledge.

So far I was wrong only once - and that was a case where I was against hiring but the other colleague wanted to give them one more chance and they passed it.

 

[heavencitizen]

@christian_commenter_1234 Why not both? Filter out crappy CVs, send coding test to the promising ones, invite those that solve it to an actual interview

 

[anotheruser]

@heavencitizen Depends on the market conditions, but an extensive drawn out interview process might actually attrite out the best candidates.

 

[yeshuabride]

@anotheruser I wouldn't do a code test because it could be a waste of time.

We have seen many good coders, but if they are assholes, that's a deal breaker.

 

[christian_commenter_1234]

@heavencitizen The point of a coding test is to save time, since it filters out people who can't / won't do it. However, if chatgpt makes solving the test trivial, you now have of a bunch of tests to review, which costs more time than it saves by any potential filtering.

The point of a programming test isn't really can the person do it, it's how they do it. Is the solution understandable and maintainable? Would it fit into your existing codebase? Are there any footguns? How did the person attempt to solve any blocking issues?

If you're using a programming test to see if a programmer is capable of solving it, you're hiring in the wrong places.

 

[randomchristian]

@christian_commenter_1234 that's a lot of wishful thinking because you can't check fuck all with coding tests. As someone who's specialised in this area and have given out plenty of coding tasks some years ago, the only thing they do is harm you as an employer. And yet everyone has been doing it, so they keep on doing them. Although there is 0 science behind them

 

[randomchristian]

@heavencitizen coding tests are a sign you don't know what the fuck you are doing as an employer but have heard others are doing it too

 

[coy]

@christian_commenter_1234 How about platforms like test gorilla that allow proctored tests for your candidates? Is that worth a shot?

 

[christian_commenter_1234]

@coy I don't know, it depends how they're proctored.

 

[coy]

@christian_commenter_1234 They usually use snapshots but no manual or AI proctoring, my organisation actually has been designing a solution for that but we are still halfway through.

 

[christian_commenter_1234]

@coy Then I wouldn't use them, nor would I use your AI powered solution. Both are trivial to get around.

 

[coy]

@christian_commenter_1234 Not trying to sell but I believe tests should be proctored even if with the bare minimum like TG.

 

[sesan]

@coy Yes, but not digitally. If you insist on proctoring my exam through screenshots I’ll prop my phone up next to the laptop and use chatgpt on that instead. If your service involves hiring physical people to look over the shoulder of a person taking the exam I think you might be on to something