For my computer science friends...

[DaveS]

If Carpenters Were Hired Like Programmers

Interviewer: So, you're a carpenter, are you?
Carpenter: That's right, that's what I do.

Interviewer: How long have you been doing it?
Carpenter: Ten years.

Interviewer: Great, that's good. Now, I have a few technical questions to ask you to see if you're a fit for our team. OK?
Carpenter: Sure, that'd be fine.

Interviewer: First of all, we're working in a subdivision building a lot of brown houses. Have you built a lot of brown houses before?
Carpenter: Well, I'm a carpenter, so I build houses, and people pretty much paint them the way they want.

Interviewer: Yes, I understand that, but can you give me an idea of how much experience you have with brown? Roughly.
Carpenter: Gosh, I really don't know. Once they're built I don't care what color they get painted. Maybe six months?

Interviewer: Six months? Well, we were looking for someone with a lot more brown experience, but let me ask you some more questions.
Carpenter: Well, OK, but paint is paint, you know.

Interviewer: Yes, well. What about walnut?
Carpenter: What about it?

Interviewer: Have you worked much with walnut?
Carpenter: Sure, walnut, pine, oak, mahogony -- you name it.

Interviewer: But how many years of walnut do you have?
Carpenter: Gosh, I really don't know -- was I supposed to be counting the walnut?

Interviewer: Well, estimate for me.
Carpenter: OK, I'd say I have a year and a half of walnut.

Interviewer: Would you say you're an entry level walnut guy or a walnut guru?
Carpenter: A walnut guru? What's a walnut guru? Sure, I've used walnut.

Interviewer: But you're not a walnut guru?
Carpenter: Well, I'm a carpenter, so I've worked with all kinds of wood, you know, and there are some differences, but I think if you're a good carpenter ...

Interviewer: Yes, yes, but we're using Walnut, is that OK?
Carpenter: Walnut is fine! Whatever you want. I'm a carpenter.

Interviewer: What about black walnut?
Carpenter: What about it?

Interviewer: Well we've had some walnut carpenters in here, but come to find out they weren't black walnut carpenters. Do you have black walnut experience?
Carpenter: Sure, a little. It'd be good to have more for my resume, I suppose.

Interviewer: OK. Hang on let me check off the box...
Carpenter: Go right ahead.

Interviewer: OK, one more thing for today. We're using Rock 5.1 to bang nails with. Have you used Rock 5.1?
Carpenter: [Turning white...] Well, I know a lot of carpenters are starting to use rocks to bang nails with since Craftsman bought a quarry, but you know, to be honest I've had more luck with my nailgun. Or a hammer, for that matter. I find I hit my fingers too much with the rock, and my other hand hurts because the rock is so big.

Interviewer: But other companies are using rocks. Are you saying rocks don't work?
Carpenter: No, I'm not saying rocks don't work, exactly, it's just that I think nail guns work better.

Interviewer: Well, our architects have all started using rocks, and they like it.
Carpenter: Well, sure they do, but I bang nails all day, and -- well, look, I need the work, so I'm definitely willing to use rocks if you want. I try to keep an open mind.

Interviewer: OK, well we have a few other candidates we're looking at, so we'll let you know.
Carpenter: Well, thanks for your time. I enjoyed meeting you.

NEXT DAY:

Ring...

Interviewer: Hello?
Carpenter: Hello. Remember me, I'm the carpenter you interviewed for the black walnut job. Just wanted to touch base to see if you've made a decision.

Interviewer: Actually, we have. We liked your experience overall, but we decided to go with someone who has done a lot of work with brown.
Carpenter: Really, is that it? So I lost the job because I didn't have enough brown?

Interviewer: Well, it was partly that, but partly we got the other fellow a lot cheaper.
Carpenter: Really -- how much experience does he have?

Interviewer: Well, he's not really a carpenter, he's a car salesman -- but he's sold a lot of brown cars and he's worked with walnut interiors.
Carpenter: [click]

[cabinetman]

That's a good one.

.

[TB Roye]

I will have to show that to my youngest son. He is Journeyman Union Carpenter who has never built a house or any type of building. But he did help build the new San Francisco Bay Bridge. He builds the forms and false work for the concrete that support the freeway over passes and approaches to the bridges, some out of wood and form are made of Steel and bolted together. He has worked as high as 250' above the SF Bay and other places where they built over Canyons. I visited one of his work-sights once and never again absolutely scary.
I guess sometime in the past the Carpenters Union took over the Bridge builders union that is how he is a Union Carpenter he was trained and a Carpenter but works for a contractor and doesn't hire out of the hall. He told me once that put up the false work and form is the easy it gets dangerous when they have to take it all down because of the built up stress on the forms and false work. He does know how to do both framing and finish work as the has remodeled his house. He is currenly working on an Flyover(overpass) for the new Light Rail line that is going between our house and his that is only 25' of the ground but false work is just as interesting.

Tom

[LinuxRandal]

They could outsource their own job to China, and get paid for it.

[Stytooner]

That is pretty cool. I took a couple courses in Computer Science way back when. What I recall from those is that most of what I leaned in them was obsolete just a few years later. The basics of how it works was the same, but all the "colors" had changed.

I do recall a few interviews I had when I was young. The first was a framing job. Boss said so you are a framer? I said I have done quite a bit of it. He said okay. Build me a set of saw horses. I had a good set done in about 15 minutes. He said be here at 7 AM in the morning.


Another was an interview with a cabinet shop. He said so you are a cabinet maker? I said I have built and installed plenty of cabinets.
He started asking basic questions like what is the standard height of a kitchen counter top? What are the dimensions on standard base cabinets?
Same with vanities in bathrooms. About 25 questions in all. From the questions he asked, he could tell without a doubt if someone had experience.

Two totally different interview methods and both were pretty effective.

[BobSch]

They could outsource their own job to China, and get paid for it.

Not so funny.e was a news blurb the other day about a programmer who outsourced his own job. His employer pays him, he pays the outsourcer and keeps the difference... a permanent, paid vacation!

[LinuxRandal]

Not so funny.e was a news blurb the other day about a programmer who outsourced his own job. His employer pays him, he pays the outsourcer and keeps the difference... a permanent, paid vacation!

Hence my post.