{"id":370,"date":"2015-06-15T18:48:32","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T00:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.managerjs.com\/blog\/?p=370"},"modified":"2015-06-15T18:51:32","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T00:51:32","slug":"learn-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.managerjs.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/learn-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn to Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

What will more effectively convince a hiring manager that you can produce results for them? Should you focus on making products? Should you complete programming challenges?<\/p>\n

Past results are the best evidence of future results. But it\u2019s hard to beat solving a problem before the eyes of your interviewer. Here\u2019s Raul\u2019s question:<\/p>\n

Candidate Question: Preparing For Interviews<\/h2>\n

Hi Tyler,<\/p>\n

It\u2019s me again! with another question. I’m interested in what you think.<\/p>\n

So I’m deciding on where to put my free time, building something or practicing algorithms\/DS problems, to get the better job\/opportunities out there.<\/p>\n

I believe that someone can learn how to build something in their normal job but in opposite, they need to study\/practice specifically for algorithms\/DS to be good at it.<\/p>\n

Do managers think that a candidate should be expected to know how to build things just because they have worked before in a related field? and go straight to algorithms\/DS questions because they want to see how the candidate thinks? or will they care about the candidate showing them what they have built and will not be very strict on your algorithmic\/DS skills?<\/p>\n

How does this work? what is you opinion? What is more impressive to you or for what do you look into a candidate when you hire him, that he has actually answered your algorithmic\/DS questions or that he has built something?<\/p>\n

For example: I had some coworkers that were really good at building whatever you liked but they did not know what Big O, BFS, DFS, Binary trees were etc…<\/p>\n

So they clearly won’t be able to answer most technical questions on an interview but they are really good at building something.<\/p>\n

Thanks for your time!<\/p>\n

Raul<\/p>\n

ManagerJS says…<\/h2>\n

Thank you for your question, Raul. Before I give my own answer, realize that there are many important abilities that you need in order to be an effective worker. Managers often call these competencies<\/em>. Each job opening will have three to five competencies that the hiring manager considers essential.<\/p>\n

In this case I\u2019ll limit my comments to a vague technical<\/em>\u00a0competency.<\/p>\n

Results Matter\u00a0Most<\/h2>\n

In short: a manager hires a candidate because she believes they will produce results. More specifically, the right results in the environment of the company she is hiring for.<\/p>\n

The future isn\u2019t known yet. So a manager has to guess at what information will most reliably predict good future results.<\/p>\n

Time and again the best predictor of future results has been shown to be past results.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While it might sink you when na\u00efvely applied to the stock market it\u2019s really the first rule in hiring.<\/p>\n

Have a Portfolio<\/h3>\n

If you have a product you\u2019ve created yourself, and it\u2019s sharp, then put that in your portfolio. That\u2019s one of the best bits of evidence that shows you really can produce future results.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many people don\u2019t have compelling products they\u2019ve made in isolation. When they talk about past results it\u2019s often difficult to tease out what exactly they<\/em> did versus their team<\/em>. (I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve been part of a team with some free riders.)<\/p>\n

No matter how good a portfolio a person has I want first-hand testimony to add to my list of evidences. I have a short list of people I trust enough to give a recommendation that fills that need for me. If you don\u2019t have that kind of referral then I\u2019m going to want to see you work.<\/p>\n

Be Prepared to Audition<\/h3>\n

When I give a candidate a sample problem and ask them to solve it with me I specifically do not want them to solve it from memory. If the solution comes too easily then I\u2019ll give them another one. I need to see them think.<\/p>\n

At the same time, I don\u2019t want to see them think abstractly. I don\u2019t use brain-teasers or riddles. I ask them to solve a realistic problem that lends itself to basic analysis and problem solving.<\/p>\n