Weirdest interview question?
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Just a matter of logic.
Of course, if you get many correct answers on questions like this one, you might want to go see a specialist
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Nah... get too many right like this and you might "BE" a "Specialist"
--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally) -
A body excavation specialist?
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Mmmmmm - tastes like salami - yum.
(Hey - I didn't start this most-recent topic!
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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The Strangest question I've ever asked someone at an interview was "Why is there fuzz on a tennis ball?". (this was for a report writer position for a financial
Anyone got any answers? id like to know your thoughts
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I should imagine for grip. With a smooth ball and nylon/gut racket strings the friction coefficient would be too low for imparting spin to the ball which would make the game of tennis even more boring.
K.
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It's so those hard smashes will leave a rug burn!!!
Fuzz on a tennis ball? Who cares is the answer, unless you're interviewing for the position of designer.
Maybe that's why I'm not a developer
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There is infact a real answer and that was becuase it would slow the ball down as it travelled through the air during play making the game longer.
But the idea of the question is to understand how people go about solving problems and understanding how they come to their own assumptions and conclusions.
Very effective if they actually make an effort, those that said they didnt know werent given the job.
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I suppose as usual it's one of those questions which is designed to test how well you deal with a question you don't know the answer too. Occasionally they back-fire spectacularly as was proved by the BBC a few years ago.
Back in the days when we had sunshine the BBC ran a story on the London regional news basically suggesting that the public were ignorant of the way in which the Ozone layer was being depleted and the affects this might have on sunbathers. They went to Regent's park and found the 5 most likely looking idiots with sunburn to spring their questions on, unfortunatley for them the last idiot had a PhD in atmospheric Physics, his thesis was in Ozone depletion by CFC's
K.
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I've had a couple of these....
Q's:
1.) If you were a pizza topping which one would you be and why?
2.) If you could choose any state to secede from the United States which one would it be and why?
A's:
1.) Green Peppers - because I'm a little different and always fresh 🙂
2.) California - It's where I live and would allow us to be removed from overzealous corporate sponsored federal legislation
I didn't get the 1st job (didn't care really) and I got the 2nd one although I'm not sure either question had anything to do with me getting hired.
Cheers,Ben Sullins
bensullins.com
Beer is my primary key... -
Anchovies, because I would only be pursued by those with exquisite taste.
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The problem with the 'anchovies' answer is that a great many of us would say something along the lines of: "You equate yourself to being something that sneaks in where it's not wanted and leaves a disgusting taste in ones mouth once gone?"
Sounds like you're aiming to become a 'Seagull Manager'
(for the uninitiated... Seagull Manager: Flies in; runs around aimlessly; wants everything; squarks annoyingly at everyone; shits on everything and flies out again.)What pizza topping would I be? Hmmm...
Chili? "hot stuff" -- nah...
Cheese? "A pizza isn't complete without it" -- dunno that I complete anything and since cheese is said to block up the works at the back end - that's the opposite of my ability to give people the shits
Pineapple? No way! I'm no fruit!
Tomato? "Firm on the outside but soft & squishy inside"? -- bleh...
I know - I'll be the base - always there to support the others and to hold things together when things don't quite work together (like those pizzas with asparagus & froot loops on them
)A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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Heh heh had this one yesterday <<Why are man hole tops round?>> at an interview for a gig with a mortgage company. I answered "so they fit" and "'cos a round manhole cover won't have a specific weak point that a rectangular one might have, at the sides or corners". Forgot to say that we only see round manhole covers in the UK in movies.
“Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail ShawFor fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden -
That's a classic MS interview question on the web. Lots of possibilities, can't fall through, strength in the circle. Personally I like the "it fits" answer.
I'm not sure that abstract thinking in that sense helps you program. It's a design question to me, not a solve a problem question. More I'd like to see you answer more logical questions.
The key with questions like this is you have to ask them of everyone. Similar types of answers help you hire similar types of people.
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<<Similar types of answers help you hire similar types of people.>> I hadn't thought of that and you're spot on.
They asked if there was a particular area of TSQL in which I considered I had a weakness ("Where are we gonna start!" I know I know), and I said yes, helper tables. I'm currently using number tables for deduping - creating the most-used word list and also doing the substitution - but I still find the code wacky and in some cases really difficult to fully understand. But they hadn't even heard of the concept. I'm taking that two ways: 1. there's a huge range of competency which will get you into a well-paid gig and 2. you can get very polarised in the way you use TSQL, depending upon what sort of work you tend to do.
“Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail ShawFor fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden
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