Didn't like this article at all. The writer's style is dismissive and combative in a way that's at odds with the message it's trying to convey. It's not an idiotic myth that most people aren't good programmers and it's not arrogance that makes people think that it's very important to make sure the wrong person isn't hired. I don't think this because I've spent too much time on Hacker News, I think it because I've worked with a lot of people over the years and I know how a team can be dragged down by a bad hire.
Of course you shouldn't humiliate the candidate, that's never the right thing to do. But there's a huge gap between maintaining a high hiring standard and believing that "everyone else looking for a job is an idiot, and our job is to expose them, to teach them a lesson, to humiliate them till they quit." The bulk of the advice in this article is fine, but the hyperbole is just plain annoying.
Also, seeing people site the no asshole rule is a warning sign for me. I worked at a place that constantly mentioned that, and let's just say it was clearly ineffective. Assholes rarely think that they are the asshole and are perfectly comfortable citing that principle.
I feel like in the third situation it means that the team is way too picky and that’s why you should try to avoid job postings that have been open for a few months or more.
Of course you shouldn't humiliate the candidate, that's never the right thing to do. But there's a huge gap between maintaining a high hiring standard and believing that "everyone else looking for a job is an idiot, and our job is to expose them, to teach them a lesson, to humiliate them till they quit." The bulk of the advice in this article is fine, but the hyperbole is just plain annoying.
Also, seeing people site the no asshole rule is a warning sign for me. I worked at a place that constantly mentioned that, and let's just say it was clearly ineffective. Assholes rarely think that they are the asshole and are perfectly comfortable citing that principle.