Interview with Muhammad
Sep. 16th, 2017 01:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dennisgorelikMuhammad contacted me on LinkedIn:
===============
M: Hi Dennis,
As one of my connections, I wanted to quickly reach out to see if you have any current or future opportunity for me?
...
I am based in Islamabad Pakistan.
{Long list of buzzwords and self-praise skipped}
D: What's your hourly rate?
M: Hi Dennis, thanks for your response.
I am happy if I can get $40+ /hr. Incase of remote opportunity $20/hr is good.
===============
We chatted on LinkedIn a little about his participation in nTaskManager project.
I pointed out to a misspelling in his resume "Windows Azuer" (which is not a good sign), but he fixed it (which is a good sign) and said "thank you" for that.
I was not able to get answers from Muhammad to my specific technical questions and was considering dropping it, but Muhammad offered to talk on Skype.
So I decided to try and see what would happen. In particular, my goal was to learn how text chat correlates with voice conversation over Skype.
Muhammad proved to be consistent: he could not answer my specific tech questions in text chat, and he could not answer my specific questions in our voice conversation.
Transcript of our voice interview
--------------------
D: Hi Muhammad.
M: Hi Dennis, how are you.
D: Let’s start with question about email that this nTask sends (*1). Did you create this email?
M: Actually, I created this with the team. It was not only my task. I think it was team of 5 persons. I see your screen.
D: So, yes, I’m talking about this email. Did you participate in any way in creating this email.
M: Actually, my participation was only technical: creating technical design, ..., creating technical implementation , ...
D: So, did you do anything about this email. Anything. Any activity. Did you put any work into this email?
M: There are 2 things: one is content and second one is how email is being sent. What I implemented is to send emails. This email template was designed by our designer, and content was designed by the owner of this application. My role was to write code, so this email will be sent.
D: When this code was (*2) ... are you saying you wrote code that was sending this email? Or you are not saying this? Or you did not do it?
M: Sorry, I could not get what you said.
D: Did you write the ... I still cannot understand what you did here. Did you do anything here? Or you actually wrote code for sending this email. Or was it somebody else who was doing it?
M: I was writing the code.
D: You were writing the code. Ok. How many developers were writing code that sends this email?
M: I had one front-end developer...
D: Uh-huh.
M: ... and one SQL guy with me, and I was only backend developer. And the code was written in C#. And we were using Mongo DBs database.
D: So could you explain, in this email, what was the backend work and what was the front-end work, and which part did you do, specifically? In this email.
M: Actually, as a backed it is, actually MVC single-page application. And this is using ...
D: [Interrupting] Ok, now you mention MVC. Single page application. What does it have to do with MVC? Like this email – what does it have to do with MVC?
M: Actually, MVC is the main framework for this.
D: What do you mean? Are you saying you are using MVC in order to create email?
M: No-no-no. Definitely there is an application. It’s a complete architecture. Having multiple ... for database, operations, sending emails...
D: So, we are talking specifically about email. Do you understand it, right? We are talking specifically about sending email. I am asking you specifically about this email. You were mentioning MVC. Why were you mentioning MVC in the context in the email?
M: Sorry, I were talking about overall architecture ...
D: [Interrupting] No, we were not talking about overall architecture. I was talking, specifically, about this email. I am not talking about overall architecture. Did I say “overall architecture”?
M: N ... this specific email – there is nothing special, just Microsoft [unclear] just register. Request will go to the server. Once your account is created. And we are sending email to just verify you enter your own email address, to avoid spamming.
D: Uh-huh.
M: There is not special, there is just as way for emails.
D: Ok. And?
M: What do you mean “and”? ... I think there is nothing special or complicated in sending email.
D: Ok, Muhammed, here’s what I noticeD: you do not answer my questions. Ok? It looks like you do not even understand them.
M: Sorry, can you repeat the question?
D: I asked you several questions. During this conversation (while we are talking for, like, 3 minutes now) I asked you several questions. You answered almost none of them.
M: Yes, can please start with one by one. I will be answering.
D: All right. So, one of my question was: “Did I ask you to talk about overall architecture?”.
M: Eh, sorry, I was talking about what is the overall implementation of this project. And you asked me what was your role. I was talking about my role. My role was to create an architecture.
D: Ok, it looks like you, again, did not hear my question. Could you repeat my question before you answer that? (*3).
M: Sorry, actually, when we were talking about few seconds ago, and you just asked what was my role. And my role was from multiple tasks. So, I talked about the architecture and MVC-like things in the context of my role.
D: So, context of your role... Context of your role in what? What do you think I asked you?
M: Actually, I understand it was, there you wanted to ask me what was my role on this application, and I was just explaining my role on this application.
D: On “this” – on what “this” application? What do you mean under “this” application?
M: “This application” means “nTaskManager”.
D: I did not ask you that! I did not. I asked you, specifically, about this email.
Ok, Muhammad, I think there is no point to waste the time. I see what would happen going forward. You do not understand my questions – we are not able to work together. Thank you.
M: Thank you.
D: Bye.
--------------------
Foot notes
(*1) - The email subject is "Complete your nTask Registration". Email messaging is very important for my business, so I decided to start conversation with it.
(*2) - I started asking Mohammad about "when this code was written", but then changed my mind mid-sentence and moved on to the question that focused on his role in creating this email.
(*3) - At this point I sound noticeably angry, and that makes Muhammad a little bit nervous.
What do you think: if interviewee is not able to repeat my question and instead talks about a different topic - is it reasonable to terminate interview at that point?
===============
M: Hi Dennis,
As one of my connections, I wanted to quickly reach out to see if you have any current or future opportunity for me?
...
I am based in Islamabad Pakistan.
{Long list of buzzwords and self-praise skipped}
D: What's your hourly rate?
M: Hi Dennis, thanks for your response.
I am happy if I can get $40+ /hr. Incase of remote opportunity $20/hr is good.
===============
We chatted on LinkedIn a little about his participation in nTaskManager project.
I pointed out to a misspelling in his resume "Windows Azuer" (which is not a good sign), but he fixed it (which is a good sign) and said "thank you" for that.
I was not able to get answers from Muhammad to my specific technical questions and was considering dropping it, but Muhammad offered to talk on Skype.
So I decided to try and see what would happen. In particular, my goal was to learn how text chat correlates with voice conversation over Skype.
Muhammad proved to be consistent: he could not answer my specific tech questions in text chat, and he could not answer my specific questions in our voice conversation.
Transcript of our voice interview
--------------------
D: Hi Muhammad.
M: Hi Dennis, how are you.
D: Let’s start with question about email that this nTask sends (*1). Did you create this email?
M: Actually, I created this with the team. It was not only my task. I think it was team of 5 persons. I see your screen.
D: So, yes, I’m talking about this email. Did you participate in any way in creating this email.
M: Actually, my participation was only technical: creating technical design, ..., creating technical implementation , ...
D: So, did you do anything about this email. Anything. Any activity. Did you put any work into this email?
M: There are 2 things: one is content and second one is how email is being sent. What I implemented is to send emails. This email template was designed by our designer, and content was designed by the owner of this application. My role was to write code, so this email will be sent.
D: When this code was (*2) ... are you saying you wrote code that was sending this email? Or you are not saying this? Or you did not do it?
M: Sorry, I could not get what you said.
D: Did you write the ... I still cannot understand what you did here. Did you do anything here? Or you actually wrote code for sending this email. Or was it somebody else who was doing it?
M: I was writing the code.
D: You were writing the code. Ok. How many developers were writing code that sends this email?
M: I had one front-end developer...
D: Uh-huh.
M: ... and one SQL guy with me, and I was only backend developer. And the code was written in C#. And we were using Mongo DBs database.
D: So could you explain, in this email, what was the backend work and what was the front-end work, and which part did you do, specifically? In this email.
M: Actually, as a backed it is, actually MVC single-page application. And this is using ...
D: [Interrupting] Ok, now you mention MVC. Single page application. What does it have to do with MVC? Like this email – what does it have to do with MVC?
M: Actually, MVC is the main framework for this.
D: What do you mean? Are you saying you are using MVC in order to create email?
M: No-no-no. Definitely there is an application. It’s a complete architecture. Having multiple ... for database, operations, sending emails...
D: So, we are talking specifically about email. Do you understand it, right? We are talking specifically about sending email. I am asking you specifically about this email. You were mentioning MVC. Why were you mentioning MVC in the context in the email?
M: Sorry, I were talking about overall architecture ...
D: [Interrupting] No, we were not talking about overall architecture. I was talking, specifically, about this email. I am not talking about overall architecture. Did I say “overall architecture”?
M: N ... this specific email – there is nothing special, just Microsoft [unclear] just register. Request will go to the server. Once your account is created. And we are sending email to just verify you enter your own email address, to avoid spamming.
D: Uh-huh.
M: There is not special, there is just as way for emails.
D: Ok. And?
M: What do you mean “and”? ... I think there is nothing special or complicated in sending email.
D: Ok, Muhammed, here’s what I noticeD: you do not answer my questions. Ok? It looks like you do not even understand them.
M: Sorry, can you repeat the question?
D: I asked you several questions. During this conversation (while we are talking for, like, 3 minutes now) I asked you several questions. You answered almost none of them.
M: Yes, can please start with one by one. I will be answering.
D: All right. So, one of my question was: “Did I ask you to talk about overall architecture?”.
M: Eh, sorry, I was talking about what is the overall implementation of this project. And you asked me what was your role. I was talking about my role. My role was to create an architecture.
D: Ok, it looks like you, again, did not hear my question. Could you repeat my question before you answer that? (*3).
M: Sorry, actually, when we were talking about few seconds ago, and you just asked what was my role. And my role was from multiple tasks. So, I talked about the architecture and MVC-like things in the context of my role.
D: So, context of your role... Context of your role in what? What do you think I asked you?
M: Actually, I understand it was, there you wanted to ask me what was my role on this application, and I was just explaining my role on this application.
D: On “this” – on what “this” application? What do you mean under “this” application?
M: “This application” means “nTaskManager”.
D: I did not ask you that! I did not. I asked you, specifically, about this email.
Ok, Muhammad, I think there is no point to waste the time. I see what would happen going forward. You do not understand my questions – we are not able to work together. Thank you.
M: Thank you.
D: Bye.
--------------------
Foot notes
(*1) - The email subject is "Complete your nTask Registration". Email messaging is very important for my business, so I decided to start conversation with it.
(*2) - I started asking Mohammad about "when this code was written", but then changed my mind mid-sentence and moved on to the question that focused on his role in creating this email.
(*3) - At this point I sound noticeably angry, and that makes Muhammad a little bit nervous.
What do you think: if interviewee is not able to repeat my question and instead talks about a different topic - is it reasonable to terminate interview at that point?
