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You are an employer, You get two CVs for a role in your company.
Candidate#1:
He has taken part in debugging competitions, good marks in selective computer practicals, Some papers presented, and few (Average) tips & tricks article published. BUT he has an inconsistent academic results. Poor marks in subjects like Maths, which includes some failures & reattempts in exams. & Tries to talk like a nerd in the telephonic interview.
Candidate#2 : Good & consistent academic results including handful of marks in Maths. Good replies & limited talks in the telephonic interview.
Whom do you pick ? Just imagine it's for a project that has a tightly packed schedule for achieving milestones.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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Candidate #1. You can't fake what he does, or achieve it with BS.
[edit] I missed the "tries to", and read "talks like a nerd". What do you mean by that?
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Depends on the project, it's criticality etc.
#1 will probably be more adaptive, work under pressure, to an ever changing scope definition. However they will also be the most likely to move on if something better comes along, so you would need to work hard to keep them.
#2 dependable, no hurrying them along in for the long haul.
If they were companies, #1 would be like an aggressive start up, #2 would be the lumbering giant.
I would probably tend to favour #1.
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Like I'd replied to Pete[^], The immature-geek like employee tends to spoil the team spirit & productivity.
But the normal disciplined one follows the plans correctly & has a sense of guilt when a deadline is missed.
Moreover, we have enough training in place. The desciplined simply follows it and completes whatever is assigned, on time. If the team lead & project Manager plan their targets well, just with a bunch of "disciplined", we can complete any complex project on time.
A well known devil is better than unknown angel. We don't need geekangels really. The guy with a neat & consistent academic tells about his accountability just with his CV. And the interview panel is never going to pick a dumb-head-in-disguise with a neat record. We have neat procedures to pick the right candidate that includes technical/Programming tests.
So the disciplined candidate is better.
A disciplined geek could be best, but we don't get one so easily.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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It's difficult to say, but you do seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on academic results, which might not really be that important. Number 1 might not be good at doing exams, but could easily be as academically capable as number 2. While number 2 may excel at exams but be completely useless when it comes to real world problem solving.
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Yes I tend to feel I'd better go with a guy who is consistent at least at SOMETHING. Rather than a GeekoNerdoHacker spoiling the project plan completely. I should further classify the geek types
Type 1. The Productive Geek -
* That is matured enough to know what a project plan means.
* Helps to iron out undiscoverable spikes/bugs on the way.
* Finishes his work first. Then gives a helping hand to mates.
* Focus is on Geeking but no Geek-like talking.
* The task list gets Auto-Prioritized in mind without anybody explaining the priority.
Type 2. The lame unproductive geek like thing -
This kicks the team out of track showing bad examples.
* Slacks out a lot of time with sheer over-confidence at everything.
* On everyday status update, says "It's in progress" at everything assigned and keeps working on something else that he feels is amusing, Until the final stinker reaches his butt.
* He projects as if he has the ultimate vision on project completion.
* He leaves home early when his peers work days and nights to complete their tasks to meet their daily schedules. (just like how Bruce lee stays unmoved seeing a silly street fights.)
* He picks the task from the least priority order.
* Finally proves the recruiter that he is miserably wrong with his decision.
I've been struggling with a Type 2 disease.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
modified 19-Sep-13 4:31am.
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Vunic wrote: * He leaves home early when his peers work days and nights to complete their tasks to meet their daily schedules. (just like how Bruce lee stays unmoved seeing a silly street fights.)
I would do the same to be honest. I do not care much for projects I'm (or good senior devs/architects) not involved in estimating the duration of or that seem terribly out of sync with reality. That just shows complete failure from management. Managers like that do not deserve respect or overtime, it's on their heads.
I would on the other hand work overtime without pay if sh*t hit the fan with something unexpected which goes above the 25-50% risk already included in the estimations (even if those can sometime be traced to poor understanding from the team that estimated the project).
Maybe I'm just too spoiled with good managers that prefer projects on budget and on time rather than on time and screw the budget (overtime work is quite expensive).
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Nobody likes micro-management. And the Companies that do these would see the grave quite soon. We don't actually focus on the work timing. The developers can come and go anytime.
If not the daily targets, the weekly ones should be met at least.
Missing out all weekly deadlines without a sense of guilt saying "I know better, I can complete it" simply spoils the plan. This might work on a small tool the geek is working alone. But this would never suit a complex project where multiple developers are involved in different modules.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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Vunic wrote: Whom do you pick ? Just imagine it's for a project that has a tightly packed schedule for achieving milestones.
I would go for the option of referencing previous jobs.
No use asking in vain here as there are a whole lot of examples of very successful IT (& other) businessmen/women (millionaires and up) from every imaginable background and walk of life 
Best advice: Trust your gut
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Trading creativity for reliability. What do you like more?
Veni, vidi, vici.
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I have been programming for 20 of my 30 years (hobby, academic competitions, some random apps for acquaintances). I have crawled my way through University.
But, I have learned work ethics while working, mostly without hindering product timelines (I hate not finishing something I already said I will finish at a specified date, plus close deadline -> best focus).
I know very few good programmers that did well in Uni. I also know very few good programmers that did badly in Uni.
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I would hire the one with the bigger tits.
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
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Alas, he neglected to mention whether these were overweight middle aged gentlemen.
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No, Dalek Dave words were aimed at the middle aged gentlemen with big tits.
You got it 
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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You don't have enough information to pick. It's possible that both or neither will be able to handle the workload and work environment.
This is mostly a question of which personality you like the most. If neither personality really suits you, flip a coin.
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We can simple down the option into two types of personalities:
#1 He could be performing well but he's totally unstable and unpredictable. He's like the drunk pilot that scarifies himself to hit the alien spaceship in Independence day movie. He might do adventures but nobody knows, when.
#2. Guaranteed above-average-performance , excellent deadline adherence.
Seriously I simply go with #2. I know enough about the project and it's not like we are going to hit a wall and seek for a heroic breakthrough. I can handle them I just need people to do their own task and check in the code in TFS on time.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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At the risk of repeating what DD said... #2 is probably a woman, so with no further information, I'd probably give her a shot.
Seriously, I'd probably wind up throwing #1 off a roof within a week, so #2 is the safer bet.
I'm glad I'm not in a position to hire people.
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Yup!We are really safe with this bet.
A well laid project plan don't need any surprises. May it be good or bad.
Consistency matters and the records in their CV simply portray it.
In fact I have my downs in my CV but still we can make out a pattern which says, untilmately I'm above average in my academics and at whatever I was involved with.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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Vunic wrote: Whom do you pick ?
You have described two people who have zero work experience.
Which means either you get what you hope you pay for regardless or a senior developer is going to be spending a lot of time daily for a long time mentoring them.
So you pick which ever one you like best, subjectively, from the interview, because it is nothing more than a gamble either way.
Vunic wrote: Just imagine it's for a project that has a tightly packed schedule for achieving
milestones.
Err...you are kidding right? That is a good way to set everyone up for failure.
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Hire both of them and fire someone else in the group (or vice versa). Wait a month between each event if you like (and possibly fire one of these two).
Windows 8 is the resurrected version of Microsoft Bob. The only thing missing is the Fisher-Price logo.
- Harvey
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.. buying a house ... 
I guess I'll soon become a modern day indentured servant of the banks!
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Super Lloyd wrote: yous
isnt that plural for sheep ?
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Nope, that's "Little Darlin's"
The only instant messaging I do involves my middle finger.
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I wanted to use the Texan yall, but it hurt my spelling sensitivities more than yous...
but silly me, you is just as plural as yall! ^^
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We bought a house this spring, got it yesterday. A day of anger and frustration... 
A lot of the things the seller should have done wasn't done, I know we bought the house from a person that makes a lot of promises and keeps some of them. So I wasn't surprised.
So he has today to fix the things that was left, otherwise we bring in craftsmen to do it at his expense. So I'm not worried that it isn't done, just how much frustration it will take before it's done.
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