Now,
every Ex-ThoughtWorks friend of mine warned me to not go the company for
discussions. But I really needed to find out why they were all asking me not to
go. They also requested me to not make fun of the interviewers on their faces.
The
first round of discussion was with two people. One of them seemed ready for
some kind of war, while the other sported an expression which would steal all the
smiles away from Jim Carrey's face. I was already looking forward to the
exciting opportunity of losing an entire form of expression - happiness.
I was
there hoping to talk about some of the big data work that ThoughtWorks had
proudly displayed on their website: http://www.thoughtworks.com/big-data-analytics
I was
immediately told by them that Big Data is all bovine excretion and that there
are more solutions available than problems to solve. I was also told that
Thought Works was never planning to become a Big Data house. So I tried to ask
why they mentioned it on the website but all I got in response is - we're
digressing, and that we needed to get back to the interview. I wondered for a
short bit if I was at the Times Now studio in one of their interviews.
We
began discussing Java. In two minutes, that discussion turned into a one-sided
rage against Java and how the frameworks that people-successfully-used-worldwide-across-millions-of-organizations
was the biggest crime of the 21st century, second only to Justin Bieber's
shirtlessness. In the 5th minute it was evident that neither of them had any
depth in the said frameworks yet had an opinion of its evil monstrosity. They
prided on it too. It was like watching Yo Yo Honey Singh expressing his pride
over being from UK (in spite of being there for only 2 years). Not to mention
the pride over his two Yo(s). It also reminded me of his depth of Rap music.
The
two of them tag teamed and took down the various elements of java while all I
was thinking was - Man! What is stopping these two from joining Oracle and
fixing Java so it can become the most widely used programing platform today? (Apart
from the fact that a taser would be used and they’d be removed from the
building).
The
next set of gentlemen were a fine example of how ThoughtWorks can have the
exact replica in "pairs" for both looks and thoughts. Here again, one
of them was so devoid of happiness that Pharrel Williams would stop singing his
Happy Song. Neither of them wanted to hear anything related to my past
experience. Again, both of them lacked depth about frameworks and voila, up
came the framework bashing. It was amusing to see such hard opinions created
over nothingness. It was all like the glory of watching Himesh Reshammiya
express his opinions on the errors of film making.
At the
end, I learnt what my Ex-ThoughtWorks friends were trying to explain. The
culture revolved about how having an opinion was more important that having
knowledge and this opinion is not even self-formed. I also understood why Yo Yo Honey Singh has the right to keep that
ridiculous name and be proud of it. At this rate he could obtain a 3rd Yo.
On a
serious note, the interview experience was nothing but disappointing. Technology
is but a means to solve problems that customers face. There is no need for
egotistic attacks during an interview. Companies need to start keeping a check
on the attitude and arrogance of their employees, especially during interviews.
The panel is the face of the company’s culture. The interviewers and the
processes are also being judged by candidates to decide if they are going to
like working in the company. Companies should ensure to keep out arrogance as
they expand.
Interviewing is a skill on its own. It doesn't come to you one fine day like puberty. Most companies lose out on good people because it's done by random employees who are completely clueless about an effective interview process. It's time employees are trained on how to take interviews before they are allowed to. Candidates have to be assessed for skills that are inclined to what the company needs, not what every random interviewer needs.
Interviewing is a skill on its own. It doesn't come to you one fine day like puberty. Most companies lose out on good people because it's done by random employees who are completely clueless about an effective interview process. It's time employees are trained on how to take interviews before they are allowed to. Candidates have to be assessed for skills that are inclined to what the company needs, not what every random interviewer needs.
Here is a follow up post based on people reaching out for more feedback:
http://lovethoughtworks.blogspot.com/2014/07/response-to-people-looking-for-feedback.html
Here is a comment to this blog that is worth reading:
http://lovethoughtworks.blogspot.in/2014/07/top-comment-so-far-for-blog.html
Check out the glassdoor entry:
http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/ThoughtWorks-Senior-Software-Consultant-Interview-Questions-EI_IE38334.0,12_KO13,39.htm#empReview_4473726
An interesting phrase:
http://lovethoughtworks.blogspot.com/2014/08/thought-twerk.html
