On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:46:20 +0100, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:

>>> In summary, this test boils down to "how much stuff can you Google
>>> about VB.Net in just 30 minutes?"
>>>
>>>
>> So! What is wrong with that?
> 
> I believe the purpose of the test was to find out if you *know* VB, not
> whether you can Google it really, really fast. ;-)

The purpose is to see if the candidate can get the job done.

Learning has in some ways moved on from "memorize/regurgitate" to "can I 
find the information I need quickly?".

It's like my former boss once said - if he wants to fix a hole in his 
roof, he's not going to take a course on roofing, he's going to search 
for a video that shows him just what he needs to know.

The ubiquity of the 'net has shifted how people learn and how people 
tackle tasks.  Many hiring managers want someone who can take something 
and run with it, even if it's something outside their experience.  Being 
able to effectively research stuff on the 'net (and that usually means 
using Google effectively) is a huge skill that's not explicitly asked for.

When I would do technical interviews, I'd ask questions I knew the 
candidates couldn't answer, because I wanted to find out how they would 
think about something outside their experience and how they'd research 
it.  I always found good candidates as a result.

>> Good luck with it. :-D
> 
> Thanks. Luck is what it'll take...

Yes, good luck indeed. :)

Jim

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