I was recently asked for my Stack Overflow reputation score in a job interview. Is that appropriate?I was recently asked for my Stack Overflow reputation score in the context of a job interview. I was first asked what blogs I read, and after mentioning Coding Horror and Stack Overflow, was asked for my user id and reputation score.
Is that a fair question?
Just tell them your alias on Stack Overflow is "Jon Skeet".
Here's how I would answer it:
If my score is high, I would say "I enjoy programming so much that even outside of work I participate in forums like stackoverflow to improve myself".
If my score is low, I would say that "I'm so busy with work that I can hardly find time to participate actively in forums like stackoverflow even when I really like to".
Either way, you leave a positive impression on your interviewer (hopefully).
It's not a fair question. You could be:
Maybe they are looking for someone who can delete posts for them :)
Honestly when I see question topics like "programmer baby names", "programmer license plates" and "programmer quotes" are the most popular/highest rated, it pretty much makes the whole reputation thing worthless in my opinion, especially when you see other really technical/hard questions get a few votes.
Sure, I think it's fair. It's an interview, so they're trying to get insight into what makes you tick. So, pretty much anything's fair, provided they're not entering discrimination territory, which this question does not.
Keep in mind that just because they ask your rep doesn't mean that that's what they're trying to find out. They might just want to see your reaction to the question, or to find out if you know about SO. I think it's a good sign that they know about SO.
There have been other questions about the value/meaning of Stack Overflow reputation score outside of Stack Overflow. I think the most accurate way it has been described is that your reputation is an indication of how much Stack Overflow trusts you.
The score in and of itself doesn't mean much. If they ask for your user id and take the time to read your questions and answers, then it's more akin to reading a potential hire's technical blog, which has some merit.
Reputation and other metrics (upvotes/downvotes, accepted answers etc etc) is largely meaningless.
However being able to view a candidate's questions/answers on technical topics would be extremely valuable to anyone involved in a screening/hiring decision.
Binary Worrier Editing Andrews Post.
I agree completely.
If I were in the position of looking at a candidate's SO profile, I would be far more interested in the quality of posts rather than the quantity.
However I can imagine snap judgements being made e.g.
If no of questions > number of answers, then the candidate isn't a self starter, and relies too much on others to get things done.
If Large number of answers but low rep, then the user either
NB: I'm not saying that this is the way it is, I'm saying there's a danger the data could be viewed this way (i.e. don't shoot the messenger).
Your rep is a good reflection of the quality of the questions and answers you post here, but not of your knowledge.
For example you can be a complete newbie in a certain field, and post loads of questions here so you will end up with a lot rep also.
Sounds like a pretty natural conversational progression. It's not like they made your Stack Overflow data a part of the application criteria.
They probably just wanted to downvote all your answers, the scum!
It is totally up to you. If you want to 'show yourself' tell them the user id. It's public information after all. If not, you could have said: I read anonymously :)
Apart from technical knowledge, reputation depends upon how long you have been a member. Comparing two candidates' reputations is meaningless.
Access to a candidates questions and answers would provide some insight into their communication skill, ability to reason about technical problems and general community/team behaviour.
I don't think it is a fair question really. If you wanted to show them the technical prowess you've demonstrated on this or any other site, then you would have included it in your resume. It's akin to an employer coming to look at your bedroom to see if you're a tidy person.
Whether or not such questions are "fair" isn't the question I'd ask. Whether it's blogs you read, online communities you're part of (Stack Overflow, Facebook, etc), your comments on blogs, or blogs you write--they can work for you or against you. In this day and age, it's wise to expect that today's employers will find out whatever they can about you online. So when you put anything online, do what you can to make sure it shows you in the best light possible.
In past jobs, when interviewing has been a large part of my role, I nearly always asked prospects what sort of things they read (print and/or online) that related to their job. To me, the fact that you're involved in Stack Overflow is something I'd look on as a plus. Rather than ask you your id and rep score, a more useful question from them would have been what your favorite question was. A good interviewer would be able to use that question to find out more about your interest and skills.
From an interviewer's point of view, taking a note of the user name could be useful, more so than the actual rep score. It allows them to go and have a look at some of your answers and see if you generally know what you are talking about.
Unfortunately, if somebody looked at my top-rated answers they would see that I am an expert in Jon Skeet's abilities and getting laid off.
Imho No, it is not a fair question. It is ok to ask which blogs, etc do you read, but the rep score doesn't necessarly show your "real" knowledge. It should be enough for your future boss to know that you are trying to stay up-to-date.
Additionally such question automatically lets me think, that there is a lot of employee monitoring going on, in this company (but this might not be true)
It depends on the expectation the interviewer puts on the answer. Here are two ways to think about it that would not be proper:
On the other hand, if the interviewer just wants to incite the interviewee to tell about his activity, in order to get an impression, I think it's OK.
Maybe they wanted to spy on you making sure SO doesn't answer all of your programming queries? :O.
;)
It's totally non-sensical to ask this question in a job interview IMHO. Rep points on SO correlate with length of membership and number of questions and answers more than anything else like quality, knowledge, etc.
To me this says 3 things about the interviewer:
Bottom line is - you put it out there so don't be surprised where you pop up. Own your web presence.
I think it's a fair question, but I would consider it more of a social/hobby/interest question rather than a way to assess someone's professional skills or experience.
Personally I would not ask about a candidates reputation, but I might ask about their username. That way I could check out their questions/answers and use it in my evaluation of them. Mind you that the evaluation would be based purely on what they actually wrote on the site, not what their score was. If somebody did not want to share their username (or otherwise indicated that they didn't like the question--i.e. by coming up with an excuse), I would simply move on and think nothing of it.
As for my own answer to the reputation question, I would just say something along the lines of "Sorry, but I don't remember." or "Sorry, but I don't know. I don't really keep track of those things."
It seems like a fair question, but because stack overflow allows some (but not all) non-programming and discussion questions, it would not really be an accurate scoring of your skill level or dedication. Though the leadership may eventually get it's act together.
This question itself, is to some degree a measure of the failure of the stack overflow system. Because while you may receive reputation for a question like this, it would not reflect any underlying programming knowledge.
Yes, it is a fair question as how you answer it may say a lot about your communication skills.
Do you:
Lots of different perspectives that I think how you answer is the key here.
I think it's a fair question, but only to a point. A high rep means that you participate in SO a lot. Thus someone with a high rep is likely to be very interested in programming. But it shouldn't be considered a measure of programming ability.
Yes, it's a fair question.
However, what they see is really up to you.
This is web privacy 101.
If you are doing something online that you don't want an employer (current or future) or anybody else to be able to find then don't use your real name.
But if you are doing something online that your are proud of and are happy for anybody to see then sign that baby with your real name.
Any employer worth their salt should be googling you anyway to scope you out before they even ask you in for an interview.
I'm not sure whether or not it's a fair question, as in fair to you to have to answer it. But I do think it's a stupid question to ask in an interview, since in fact it gives very little information about your actual programming ability.
Asking what your Stack Overflow user account is and looking at your questions and answers would be a much better way to actually evaluate your abilities. It's also just as fair as asking if you have any published work relating to the job.
It is fair, as long as it is viewed as a benefit. In fact, I was curious on why was that question asked. Which leads me into some insights to share:
1) I wouldn't think it could be shown as pejorative, but recruiters and HR-minded people usually doesn't follow logical conventions.
(And if you're one and you're looking my online profile, I will happily tell you: I didn't write the previous statement. The computer did by itself!)
2) Ok, back to the not-so-common-sense: A Company could leverage that as some Marketing and PR effort, specially if it offers products like components and libraries.
On the other hand, if the interviewer has some IT background, well, it might look either as a icebreaker and try to focus on which stuff were you into lately, or trying to find if you have some deep knowledge and experience, and you were willing to share - which is good when you consider teamwork.
I don't think it's very appropriate. But only because my profile shows that I've wasted company resources playing on this thing and that's not the sort of thing I want potential employers to know.
Kieran: On a personal note... If I were you, I'd be wary of giving my stackoverflow ID to any potential employers because your answers may stand against you. You've a tendency towards community questions; you quote religious text; you state you wouldn't be good in areas outside programming and your answers are sometimes a bit unstructured.
(I hope you don't take this personally - I don't know you, and I don't want you think this is what I think about you or your abilities. I have no personal opinion about you any way.)
I think it's a fair question, it shows you have an active interest in programming and are keen on learning. Alot of developers can just stand still and let technology and methods pass them by... These are the developers you don't want.
