Reading through these nodes I see that some people are in favor of hiring tests and others are not. The difference of opinion though tends to be based on who the tester is. I for one can't stand to be tested by a computer (I agree completly with
chromatic's complaints) or even worse by some head hunter who's knowledge of perl consists of, "variables start with a dollar or at sign." On the other hand I've had real interviews with programmers (or "engineers" if you prefer) where the questions were, "what modules are you familliar with" and "What kinds of perl code have you written" and I was able to tell him what I had done. No code writing (syntax errors are all to easy when you are nervous) and no third degree about the difference between
my and
local (not that I could have answered that question... I can now though <grin>). I appreciated the level of respect given to me by the interviewer, and they could quickly assess my skill level. Of course, this only works if the interviewer is qualified for the job!
