RE: [GD-General] what you look for in a coder...

[Nick T. <ni...@ro...>]

> Bryan Wagstaff
> > where you don't get a strong
> > feeling either way. Often candidates are nervous and not
> > quite themselves (offer them a belt of scotch! ;-D).
>=20
> Bad idea.
>=20
> If you are the job hunter, it might loosen you up, but what might come
out
> of
> that?  I've heard some pretty bad stories where a single drink ended
up
> with a
> candidate saying the wrong things or leading to a few more drinks and
> getting
> drunk.
>=20
> If you are the interviewer, (US) federal law prohibits discrimination
> based on
> based religious beliefs or on past alcohol use or abuse.  I can very
> easily
> see a turned-down applicant come back with a lawsuit saying "He
offered me
> a
> drink, he was trying to find out if I was (part of a non-drinking
religion
> | a
> past alcohol abuser )."
>=20
> Either way, it opens up the doors to bad situations.


Ah the wonderous US legal system; I'll scratch your back, you sue me for
assault. I was joking about offering slugs of scotch, but I take your
point. We often take candidates to lunch but it's totally up to the
candidate what they drink. Getting them out of the office atmosphere
helps break the ice.=20

Nick