What about young developers who haven't done any side projects, just trying to skill up at their company or spent all their time graduating?<p>What about older developers who worked before Github and so had their own projects dissolved to obscurity?<p>What about developers who don't do side projects but give 120% to the company product, even at home? (Some of us actually enjoy working on the products we build during the day :D )<p>You'll get exactly the same mileage by just asking the potential hire to tell you about something they built - full stop. You'll be able to gauge passion, if they actually did the work, how it solves a problem. You just won't be able to play with it, but I suspect the minimum of side projects is in any case live, and more about scratching an itch.<p>And even with non-disclosure agreements etc they'll be able to tell you enough of the technology to be able to make a call.
I've built up a solid work-life balance with an amazing girlfriend, a wide variety of interesting (and close) friends, and some cool hobbies. I'm content with not being considered by employers who don't respect that.
I've been a paid, professional software developer since 1995. In all of that time, I've been between jobs for a total of 4 weeks. And during all of that time, I've had employment contracts that said my work was for-hire, and the company owned all of the software that I wrote, even on my own computer on my own time.<p>So, the answer to your question is, I haven't written anything I can legally describe to you without permission, since 1995.<p>Is that seriously the ONLY question you want to ask me?
/me sighs<p>Come <i>on</i>. Isn't this getting old for anyone else? Do you check if your dentist goes to dentist meetups, or extracts teeth in his spare time? All you're doing with this question is asking "are you one of us".
"It would be useful to keep a diary, but I don't like writing unpaid. I don't like writing checks without getting paid."<p>— Christopher Hitchens, 2010<p>I understand the rationale behind asking what you've built without being paid, but if you're hoping, by that question, to identify people who are really smart ... then isn't it really smart to figure out how to get paid for your work, rather than doing it unpaid?
In my experience interviewing candidates, cultural fit largely outweighs other technical merits. I try to keep this in mind when I'm asked for my opinion.<p>While the questions in this article appear biased towards a 60/40 work/life balance, I would say they're spot on in detecting a very specific cultural fit. If nothing else, these questions would get a candidate talking. They're a little on the aggressive side for my interviewing style, but I imagine they're quite effective.<p>Keep in mind, the job candidate should also be interviewing the company. If someone were to ask me what unpaid work I have done in the past, I would consider the cultural ramifications of the question. In this case, I would need to be okay with an aggressive internal culture.<p>Come to think of it, it's important to realize that when you interview candidates you may very well be the first impression of the company. Articles like these offer a glance of a company/interviewer without having to go through the trouble of applying.<p>I would really like to find a way to study the effectiveness of interviewing styles. I wonder what metrics would even apply?
My answer to that question would be, when I am at work I give 120% of my effort to my job. I build skills and I do research the latest trends in the industry. However I believe a good work life balance is important. When I leave work, I spend quality time with my family and at the gym.<p>When I was looking for a job eight months ago. I had interviews with 10 different companies in the course of three weeks. I was not offered one job probably because of the attitude I expressed above. I accepted a job where the manager emphasized his belief in a work life balance.<p>It's a buyers market for qualified experienced software developers. I won't jumped through unnecessary hoops to get a job.
> What are your interests?<p>> you don’t care that they like cats – what you want to hear: they love their hoodie and their code<p>Well, speak for yourself. I look for people with outside interests beyond just programming. If the only thing they have going for them is their code, their ego and emotions are way too wrapped up in what they produce. They can't take criticism about their work as well as someone who has other things going on in their life. I'm not saying passion is not valuable; it is, but there needs to be a balance.<p>I understand that hiring someone with no life or interests outside of code and your company is a great way to build a cult, but a great way to build a <i>company</i> is by ensuring that it has a culture. That happens by hiring interesting people that have shared values <i>and</i> outside interests.
The one question to ask interviewers: "Do you ever use the word 'passion' to refer to anything other than sex?"<p>...I'll make an exception for religious feelings too.
This one weird trick to hiring great developers.<p>The manager asked the job candidate one question. You won't believe what happens next.<p>Startup hires an unemployed developer. The reason will shock you.<p>Sorry, I couldn't resist.