Call me narcissistic, but I had to search on Amazon.com’s “Search Inside the Book” for my name. It’s just too easy—there aren’t many Tashians in this world. (note to my friend Mr. Kaldari who was once Mr. Smith: here’s another advantage of the name change)
The result of my search came in the form of a book which documents, in humiliating detail on page 70, my failure as a computer scientist. I’m not going name the book in question or discuss the source of these scandalous allegations, but I will say that I had it coming.
It’s always nice to see your name in print.
Well, sometimes.
Comments
Jan 27 02004 1.04a
daniel #
Unbelievable!
What were your thoughts after reading about how the interview process works from the inside? So Kafka-esque!
Did you order the book?
Do they pay to reproduce your article, or ask permission?
Curious to the n^squared degree!
-daniel
Jan 27 02004 12.43p
phredx #
So did the author ever actually contact you? His account seems pretty plagiaristic, as I don’t see anything that indicates he ever was a Microsoft employee.
Jan 27 02004 3.01p
carl #
He did contact me. He asked a few questions, I answered them, and as I recall he never wrote back. I never bothered to look him up and see what his story is.
It was interesting to read the Microsoft side of the interview process. Going into the Microsoft interview, I’d already worked at HP, so I was familiar with the big company interview process. But at HP they did a full day of interviews with only one that focused specifically on puzzles. I think that’s why I got in there— by the time we got to the puzzle part, they liked me well enough to want me regardless of how I did.
I think companies like the puzzle-heavy interview because they can enforce it as policy across a large organization. It’s a standardized (if arbitrary) method for reducing the applicant pool.
Sounds a little like the SAT, doesn’t it? Puzzlers have it good, but they are soulless.
Jan 27 02004 3.24p
Lorraine #
Glad you like to see your name in print. I have tried to get ahold of you about a photo of Times Square you took in 2000. The publisher I work for would like to use it for the interior. Please contact me at the e-mail above to discuss further.
Jan 28 02004 4.58p
daniel #
what does that have to do with anything?