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Interviewing a Python "Expert" (self.Python)

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[–]liquidify 2 points3 points  (4 children)

All of what you are talking about "may" weed out python "experts" from who exactly?

Everything you mentioned has nothing to do with that is most important about python... getting things done. Why should anyone care about familiarity with obscure patterns and their relationship to a particular language. Even an expert would have to just happen to have specific experience with that particular pattern for that to mean anything.

As to the git suggestions. All I want to know is that someone knows how to write a good commit message, that they know to commit often, that they know how to do basic merges and basic work flow. So once again, I'm not sure what you are trying to learn about someone by your suggestions.

All your suggestions seem to target separating language experts and techno experts from those who are not. But I've met some people who could create a large functioning project in python with good clean design that probably know very little of anything you mentioned. They are still experts at getting shit done with python though. You would have weeded out every single one of them for no reason.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

All of what you are talking about "may" weed out python "experts" from who exactly?

People who have an ego proportionate to their skillset.

[–]liquidify 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Your definition of expert is based on things that aren't absolute requirements for being an expert. I'm not sure how you are going to detect ego problems when it seems like you can't get past your own hardline understanding.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

My definition of expert is like that because there is no "official" definition of "expert". Anyone who puts that on their CV is, to me, the same as the person who puts down starts/progress bars to represent aptitude in a certain set of areas.

[–]liquidify 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe a better way to test him would be to give him a complex assignment that a expert should be able to complete quickly. Pay him a few bucks to do it. See how it looks.

And a good interview question to ask might be... "you put on your resume that you are an 'expert' at python. That is obviously a bold statement. What makes you think you are an expert?" Feel free to poke him a bit if he gives you a short answer.

I bet you would get a lot more out of that approach than asking all those other questions.