This post was originally published in my blog smartpuffin.com.
I often ask this question on interviews:
"What is the most interesting or chall...
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I wish I had known this before!
But now I do, thanks for sharing :)
I actually had that question today in an interview. This is the kind of interview I prefer over a game of programming language Trivial Pursuit or some unrelated-to-the-job whiteboard programming puzzle.
My answer revolved around a project I worked on a few years ago that involved working with cardiac monitoring data. In that project it was essential that everything worked right because peoples' lives depended on it. If an alert condition was missed or a doctor wasn't informed when necessary, someone could have died. I described how testing was done and how levels of error handling were included to insure accuracy and security.
Wow, Frank. My respect. That's a very challenging project indeed, and I'm sure you've done a great job there.
When I listen to people talk about previous work, I'm not sure if I'm actively listening for the "why". I am definitely listening for an understanding of their work though, which probably includes quite a bit of "why".
It can be difficult for people, especially those not in senior roles. Here are some valid answers you might encounter, but are challenging to formulate and not sound stupid or like a dick:
I reflected on this today, great article. So many things to take in and improve upon!
great post. I had always struggled to answer this question. Now I have a better idea and will spend some time thinking about what I have done in my previous projects.
Something to this effect should be included in the requisite Developer 101 handbook reading for every new member of the community. Well said!
Wow, thank you :)
Important subjet perfectly explained, very helpfull :) Thanks for sharing