Random Rants
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As regular readers are aware, I've recently moved to Australia. I'm looking for work to keep me in food, accommodation, and IH gear.
I write Android software, and have been putting feelers out with agents. About half of all jobs down here require the applicant do a test as the first round of an interview process. Normally this consists of writing an app to do the following:
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Read in data in the JSON format for either a location on the web, or a file on the computer.
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Extract the relevant information.
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Display it in a suitable fashion, which varies between tests.
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And often they want development artefacts, such as design documents, test harnesses, etc.
None of this is difficult, but it's time consuming. I reckon that it'll take two or three days to put something together, and anyone who knows anything about writing software will probably double my estimate as a reflex action.
Anyway, I get an email from an agent on Thursday evening that one of the Big Four Australian banks wants me to do a test. I normally end up ignoring these requests because of the time involved, and when I have done things like this in the past I rarely seem to get any feedback, which makes me disinclined to actually spend time on them.
But I figure the job could be a good one, and since the test says it should take two hours to do I decide to timebox it to around about that. After three or four hours I'm part way through step 2, and decide to call it a day.
I write a couple of pages on the fact that the initial estimate was wrong, expecting a candidate to spend several days on a pre-interview test is excessive, and that I've had four such requests in the last few weeks, with sufficient differences to make curtail code reuse.
I submitted my answer this afternoon, after having problems getting the Zip file to either be accepted by Gmail at my end, or the bank. (They also insisted on using the 7Zip format, which struck me as wasting more of my time.)
A bit later I got a call off a very upset agent. Apparently the hiring manager was upset that I wasn't willing to spend three days on this test for them, and hadn't been showing willing. I think that my included document rubbed him up the wrong way, particularly as I've been applying to other places.
What does this tell me?
The bank has a massive sense of self-worth. The developers or managers who put the test together have no clue about software estimation. There would be no work-life balance. And they don't want to hire anyone who's willing to talk back.
I've discussed these tests with @Snowy before, and he made the point that he'd regard the sort of response that I sent favourably. OK, maybe I'd used a bit too much sarcasm in it. But it really does put me off working for that bank.
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Hahahahaha. I am just a bit of a Zappa fan and have been in similar conversations about him, with similar people. Too bad they don't get him.
@TrickHell:
Anyone who dislikes Bukowski needs a couple of drinks…
Snotty New York "writer" types all hate him. It's like listening to 15-year-old punk rockers shit on the Beatles.
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I have had customs dorks roundtrip my goods before, for no specific reason. I would have been happy to pay whatever was due.
Looks like my package got bored in Jersey and went back to Europe.
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@Graeme
I feel you! Been there, done that. Plus I presently work in the field (in an entirely different, totally non-IT function), profoundly hate it and can only advise against working for a bank.
Question is can one get a decent job without leaving ones personality at the coat-check. I've lost two good jobs by "talking back" as you put it. I was right in both incidents, but that helped me exactly nothing…or close to nothing, as I successfully sued the second employer afterwards, which increased my severance pay, but obviously didn't get me my job back. The deciding persons in both cases were incompetent women, with a scheming, ruthless, truthless personality. Both of them later failed miserably in their positions, when their "policies" of finding fall guys to blame their own failures on eventually stopped working.
The essence: my good wishes! To find suitable and decently paying employment is tough these days. Choose your boss well (I know that does not really make it easier...).
And don't stop talking back! -
Was brought in for an interview today that left a really bad taste in my mouth. Essentially a sales/marketing position, which I'm used to. However the salary and expectations of hours in felt like a total 180° from what was briefly discussed in my phone interview. They sought me out mind you, after coming across my resume online. So not like I was looking or in immediate need of employment. Just a bit pissed that I feel my time wasted over something I wouldn't have agreed to if they were upfront.
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I hate it when companies do that man, I have been there with that one too.
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Huge Zappaphile here.
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Wow–that is a story for the grandkids (if they even know who Zappa was/is by then). Music history.
I was in the same room with Hunter Thompson once, there is my entire brush-with-greatness inventory.
@TrickHell:
I actually toured his house once for a story. Met Gail, Diva made me coffee, got to look around the archives, listened to some tracks off of master tapes. It was a good day.
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Hardwood floors in the living room are starting to buckle. Still haven't figured out why.
Home ownership is a constant money sucking pain in the butt.
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Hardwood floors in the living room are starting to buckle. Still haven't figured out why.
Home ownership is a constant money sucking pain in the butt.
Amen. Really a luxury than an investment IMO.
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Hardwood floors in the living room are starting to buckle. Still haven't figured out why.
Home ownership is a constant money sucking pain in the butt.
Chris, is your house pier and beam or do you have a slab foundation? Moisture in one form or another is your most likely culprit. Do you have any indications of a leak anywhere? Decreased water pressure, higher than normal bill? Have you had any changes with your HVAC system?
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My daughter promptly informed me that mommies' friend Steve brought them dinner tonight. To which my ex tried to explain away as "just a good friend". Don't care if she's seeing someone but hearing about it from my 4 year old wasn't ideal. One of those days I guess
Ouch.
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As long as it isn't a bump more than once a day i don't see the problem.
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Chris, is your house pier and beam or do you have a slab foundation? Moisture in one form or another is your most likely culprit. Do you have any indications of a leak anywhere? Decreased water pressure, higher than normal bill? Have you had any changes with your HVAC system?
Slab foundation. Plumbers spent a few hours yesterday pressure testing the pipes and found nothing. No changes in the HVAC, no signs of roof leaks or changes in landscape drainage, no unusually wet weather, floors and foundation are 50+ years old, though both were restored about ten years ago. Hardwood floor specialist thinks it might be our rubber backed rugs reducing breathability, despite the fact that the floors started to buckle a couple of weeks ago and we've had the rugs for over a year. Nonetheless, we've pulled them up and we'll see if it helps.
