Item — HN Reader

I don’t accept the premise that being kind and respectful in an interview leads to underperforming teams. My current team is way, way into the “exceptional” range by common measures (DORA, etc). I don’t characterize what I do as “tests” because there is no wrong answer. I’ve never worked on software that didn’t have competition, and so literally different “right” answers.

Maybe it is a test as there is an evaluation, an assessment of fit and ability of compliment the team’s current skills and way of working. That evaluation is uncompromising, not an “easy pass” by any means.

1 comments

“Kind” as in passing people who probably wont cut it? You’re only being kind in a feel good about yourself sense and just setting them up for getting pip’ed later on. What’s so kind about that?

That is not what I wrote, and not at all what I meant. A high-pressure "test" is cruel to folks who simply don't test well. Simple as that. Interviews can get at the skills of someone without putting them through that.

I can't, so far, think of anyone who faked it past my interview teams over the years. It's not that hard to figure out if someone can actually code, has a sincere interest in it, respects others, craves improvement and measures their work by the value created. I really don't care if they test well.

And, like I said, the bar is actually very high to join my teams. But my teams aren't prototype or manifestations of any theory of teams -- it's just folks getting the work done and enjoying it along the way.

A team of different folks will need different things by definition and still be valuable individuals, each different, each worthy of respect.