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How to Recognize a Good Programmer

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the looking-beyond-the-resume dept.

KDan writes to share an article he has written about what some of the key factors in recognizing a good programmer. "It's not as easy as it sounds. CV experience is only of limited use here, because great programmers don't always have the 'official' experience to demonstrate that they're great. In fact, a lot of that CV experience can be misleading. Yet there are a number of subtle cues that you can get, even from the CV, to figure out whether someone's a great programmer."

10 of 529 comments (clear)

  1. it's easier than you think: by yagu · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's easier than you think:

    1. Find a good programmer and learn his (or her) name.
    2. Get to know him (or her).
    3. Take him (or her) out to coffee a few times.
    4. Engage in as many social activities with this good programmer as possible.

    After sufficient interactions like these with a good programmer you really should be able to recognize him (or her).

    (Appropriate apologies to Steve Martin for shameless borrowing of his "How to get a million dollars, and not pay taxes" routine.

  2. Re:Hope this makes it. by Reverend528 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sorry, it doesn't compile. I'm going to have to mod you down for that.

    --
    Badass Resumes
  3. How to recognize a good sysadmin by alta · · Score: 5, Funny

    They obviously can't find a good sysadmin that can project future load on their servers and scale accordingly ;)

    Or maybe they can, and the sysadmin can just blame the evil bean counters.

    --
    Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
  4. Re:BigInt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    How can I find programmers who don't squander their days reading Slashdot.

  5. Ask him... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ask him if he's a good programmer in klingon

  6. Re:BigInt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    How can I find programmers who don't squander their days reading Slashdot.

    Easy...If they can finish any of these.. don't hire them...

    a) I for one welcome our new programming _________

    b) In Soviet Russia the programmers ____ ___

    c)
    1. Hire programmer
    2. ?????
    3. ______

    or make a comment about Macs/PS3/Windows and if you get modded/spelling or grammar corrected.. the same applies.

  7. See previous article by tmcmahon · · Score: 5, Funny

    He can re-program a Tram system with a remote control.

  8. He? She? by AeroIllini · · Score: 5, Funny

    If your potential programmer didn't do any programming before university, and all his experience starts when she got her first job, she's probably not a good programmer. Apparently, a lot happened between university and that first job.
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  9. Re:Hope this makes it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    By reverse engineering this article, I've found out "How to be recognized as a good programmer."

  10. Re:BigInt by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

    a) I for one welcome our new programming challenges

    b) In Soviet Russia the programmers know math

    c)
    1. Hire programmer
    2. ?????
    3. Pay salary!

    OK, did I pass the test? :-)

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.