Experienced programmers come in...

[Markbnj]

Heh, bubble sort pretty much describes every thing you need to know in the name .

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
Documentation is your friend.

When I was working on things using the C++ STL, AWT/Swing, or (shudder) the Windows API SDKs, I was *constantly* looking things up (but those are very large, complex APIs).

For the day-to-day stuff I do at work, I'm mostly using internal APIs to our products, half of which I wrote or updated in the last year. Those I don't usually have to look up, but I use them constantly and there aren't that many of them.

I would not expect to grill someone on much more than basic language syntax in an interview (unless you're applying for a job where part of the qualifications are to know some particular API cold). As an interviewer, I'm much more concerned with your problem-solving skills and knowledge of different topics in CS. You can be taught to use an API. You can't teach someone to not be an idiot (or, at least, it takes a lot longer.)

As a n interviewer ... we actually consier 3 things mainly:

1) Do you know the basics of what we need you to do
2) Will you be able to figure things out
3) THE TRICKY ONE: Are you a good fit for the people you will work with?

etc ..
1 - if you are being interview, you probably already meet this criteria since we looked at your resume. You might get a question or two, jsut to make sure you arn't a liar. Best story ever ... someone had HTML on their resume. Upon being asked to write "hello world " HTML "code", the person couldn't do it. And wasn't hired. SO DO NOT LIE!

2) I guss we get this by feel mostly. One guy I knew was a slam dunk proved to be so after we hired him. He just had a strong interest in software and it was obvious. He was confident that he could learn things and he conveyed this well. And it got him a job offer.

3) is a funny one because if we all have fun at work (in addition to work) and you are a tool, we won't hire you. Don't laugh at het many Dilbert Cartoons i nthe lab or the "Eway Eakspay Igpay Atinlay" sign and you are fired!! Or the code found below ..... We don't care how good you are ..... if you are not going to gel with uis, you don't get hired.

http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~manuel/obfuscate/piglatin
Yes, this code actually converts english to pig latin and is in the shape of a pig head.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I use documentation all the time. We code mostly in .NET 2.0 now which is incredibly easy, especially with Intellisense. However, I still have to do some CSS, Javascript, ColdFusion, legacy ASP, SQL, etc. I don't know all of this, so I look it up whenever I find something goofy. We also work mostly with 2 APIs, but there is way too much in both to remember. I also have to refer to 3rd party API documentation, for back-end and payment processing systems.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: Matthias99
Documentation is your friend.

When I was working on things using the C++ STL, AWT/Swing, or (shudder) the Windows API SDKs, I was *constantly* looking things up (but those are very large, complex APIs).

For the day-to-day stuff I do at work, I'm mostly using internal APIs to our products, half of which I wrote or updated in the last year. Those I don't usually have to look up, but I use them constantly and there aren't that many of them.

I would not expect to grill someone on much more than basic language syntax in an interview (unless you're applying for a job where part of the qualifications are to know some particular API cold). As an interviewer, I'm much more concerned with your problem-solving skills and knowledge of different topics in CS. You can be taught to use an API. You can't teach someone to not be an idiot (or, at least, it takes a lot longer.)

As a n interviewer ... we actually consier 3 things mainly:

1) Do you know the basics of what we need you to do
2) Will you be able to figure things out
3) THE TRICKY ONE: Are you a good fit for the people you will work with?

I didn't mean to imply that #3 is *not* important... I was just talking about the technical side of things.

 

[Aikouka]

I usually just reference Google if I need to. I can remember most aspects, because of my photographic memory.

Although, interviews are all different. When I interviewed for my current software engineer position, they didn't ask me to code or block out a single thing. They did ask different questions that prodded my ideals toward programming as a whole. Everyone's different .

Oh and Mr. Dilbert guy sounds quite a bit pompous with the whole we won't hire thou attitude. I can tell you this, if I have to pretend to be like you and like you to get a job, I'd rather not get a job. I am who I am, and if I don't get a job because I'm a quiet and reserved person, so be it. Although, I do enjoy Dilbert cartoons .