So…you’d like to work for Integrum?
June 16th, 2010 » 21 Comments »
With a stable of long term clients and growth on the mobile development side as well, Integrum is looking to bring more talented developers to our team. We’re currently looking for Rails developers from n00b to the cliched ‘rockstar’ level.
We do real Agile (capital A because we don’t fake it) and SCRUM development, so you’ll have to be comfortable talking with clients on a regular basis. If you’ve got an interest in iPhone or Android development to go along with the Rails stuff, that’s a nice bonus too.
These are full time positions, on-site at our office in Chandler, Arizona. Benefits, perks, Pac-Man, we’ve got all those. Salary is dependent on experience.
Ready to apply? Here’s our job application — a little test.
Below is what you will find in the README for the job application on github.
Please note that these tests all require some basic Ruby knowledge. If you don’t know ruby, take a few minutes to learn the basics. You will need to have Ruby, rubygems, RSpec installed, and Factory Girl installed.
In order to be considered for a position at Integrum, you must follow these steps.
1. Fork this repository (if you don’t know how to do that, google is your friend)
2. In the refactor-this directory you will find some Ruby code that needs to be refactored.
- A test suite is included with failing specs.
- Please refactor this code, this is real code we found in a real project that could be much more readable and intuitive.
- Run spec helper_spec.rb to execute your specs and see if they are passing.
- Please note: feel free to change the specs, but they should all be passing when you turn in your code.
3. In the github-challenge directory, please create a Ruby script that accomplishes the following:
- Connect to the github API
- Find the rails/rails repository
- Find the most recent commits
- Print out HTML that groups the recent commits by author.
4. Add your resume to the resume directory
5. Commit and Push your code to your new repository
6. Send us a pull request, we will review your code and get back to you
For more information, contact Chris Conrey at conrey@integrumtech.com or hr@integrumtech.com.
Really like the way you are filtering job candidates. Wish more employers saw the value in these type of tests.
I think you guys forgot to link to the repository (http://github.com/integrum/job-application).
Nice ;)
Thanks for the heads-up.
Of course, part of the challenge was figuring out what repository we meant ;-)
I won’t be applying, because I don’t do Rails… but I would like to point out that I’m fairly sure your blog has mangled this post’s formatting.
First off, there’s no link, that I could discern, to the repository you want forked. I suppose you might expect applicants to locate Integrum’s GitHub account and the appropriate repository on their own, but that seems a bit silly, so I thought I’d point it out.
Second, there’s a bulletpoint that simply says “Commit: xxxxxxyyyyzzz,” and I have no idea what that means you expect applicants to do at that stage: http://drp.ly/1cO2f6
Finally, in both Safari 5 and Chrome on OS X, the text entry area I’m typing in at this moment is wider than the content; and this is causing the actual content of the post to be hidden under the overflow on the right and left as I type: http://drp.ly/1cO4at
You realize that you are stopping anyone currently
employed from applying, right?
Then they sure aren’t thinking hard or creatively enough…
I kind of feel like doing this just for the hell of it.
well, they might get creative, but github’s TOS forbids anyone from creating more than one (free) account
Also, how are you going to prevent cheating? I could look at someone else’s fork and be inspired by it.
If a person is so inspired – odds are they won’t take the time to cheat here….
This is awesome guys, I wish more employers would do this!
Good luck with finding the right person!
It is an effective way since you’ll eliminate guys that don’t know/want how to learn (clone, push etc.) by himselves and you can see something about the candidate
(the code).
Very nice way to hire people! :-)
Congratulations.
Interesting approach to finding job candidates. Please do a followup post in, say, 6-12 months to let us know how well (or not) this works.
I’m sure you’ll get some good buzz, but will it generate a good stream of qualified job candidates? I’m skeptical. There is an assumption (possibly even, “arrogance”?) that candidates are strongly motivated to jump through these hoops for you. Given that you’re also requiring people to relocate (or already live in) the Phoenix area… you’ve set up two pretty strict filters for your candidate pipeline.
@my current boss: No, I’m not looking for a job.
@elliotcable: You do realize that the over-wide textarea is just another filter, right? (”If you don’t know how to use WebInspector/Firebug to resize the textarea than surely you can’t have anything important to say”) ;)
Robert – great points, but the filters are there for the reasons you mention. Our team culture is important to us, and having a co-located team is one factor of that. We have had a couple of candidates already reply and even one we have an offer out to at the moment.
Seems to me that if a candidate cannot get through the challenges posted in the article and comments then they are probably not the right people for the job. This is a fantastic job application.
Is this also a test of how well people can use the GitHub network browser to pick and choose from everyone else’s good ideas? ;)
My theory is that people will work on something like that if they have no better options. The most talented people just have to put word out to their networks or make a few calls and they get hired right away. If someone has to work that hard to get an interview, then they aren’t among the top developers in their area.
I’d never ever do something like this. I don’t need to.
More than that, I’d rather work with people who bring me in at a higher level because they’ve worked with me before or because we know common people. If you want to know the quality of my code, ask the people I’ve worked for. They’ll tell you I was one of their top coders. If that’s not enough for you, then it’s not a good opportunity for me anyway.
This is a great way to higher one of the best of the bottom half of the developers on the market who has no better options.
I’m with Kevin on this one.
This also very much reminds me of the whole pitching for work that goes on in the Advertising/Design industry
Really like this execution of this idea. Nice job, folks.
@Kevin – if I was an employer I would follow this
example. Not only do they stand a chance of getting
someone for cheap at the beginning of their career
but they also weed out the overpriced, arrogant people
with inflated opinions of their own ability and no
grasp of the English language – “Higher”? I ask you!
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I’ve applied to the job application and that was fun.
If you are really a passionate professional and likes what you do, of course you will do the test.
It’s enjoyable get a challenge and do it. I think that’s not only about do some good piece of code but also show how much you like your profession.
I would never want an arrogant developer working with me, but I would hire a nice one, passionate and who likes what he/she does.
btw, is this test already done?