Zarf's Journal: Hiring a Software Engineer

So we've hired a temp Software Engineer to help me out over the summer. Now, I was expecting since this was a summer gig and this is the "Research Triangle Park" area that I would be interviewing college kids... sounds funny to call them college kids I'm not that much older myself... but instead our three month gig has been filled by the EX-CTO of the Duke University. He's spent the last six years doing eCommerce and web work in Perl since leaving the University.

<farnsworth>Ba-wha?</farnsworth>

Yes kiddies, when he applied for the job could I realistically say... no, no, no, not qualified. Yet I can't escape the feeling I just agreed to hire my boss. The guy is supposed to be the SE1 to my "Senior Software Engineer" WTF is that? He is horribly over qualified for the job. Terrifyingly so.

It is a temp gig or I'd be much more perturbed. Still... this feels wrong somehow. Apparently I'm the only one bothered by this. Should I be looking for another job now?

Wrong attitude

[ellem]

1) Sometimes people need to get "back to tools"
2) You have an amazing opportunity to LEARN things here, don't waste it
3) Do you suck at your job? Be honest.
4) See number 2. Don't blow this opportunity.
5) Every think; Maybe he sucked at his job?
6) Make your resume all shiny. IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE READY!

Re:Wrong attitude

[Zarf]

3) Do you suck at your job? Be honest.

*LOL*

There is a term called "Second Order Incompetence" these are people who are so incompetent that they have no idea that they are incompetent. So, whenever someone positively evaluates their own compentency the only real thing you can know without further study is that they are either actually competent or they are second order incompetent.

I should be kinder, but the person we are hiring is to replace a position vacated by someone you could claim was second

Re:Wrong attitude

[ellem]

Sounds like you're competent to me. Of course I probably suck too!

Suck his brain for everything he knows. Then discard his hollow shell of a body in a small tributary... I mean and then share that information with others.

Moo

[Chacham]

This is highly interesting.

Did you ask him why he was applying is he is so over-qualified? That is a valid question on an interview.

Re:Moo

[Zarf]

He never answered the question... but I used google and a few of the things he said to make a stab at it. My guess is that he started a consulting company and it didn't do well. His company has shrunk down to himself and his partner and they just finished their last contract which didn't elect to renew him because they had phased out his technical niche. Judging from his resume he also has not learned a new technology or technique in the last five years. I think he's still hoping his privately held company

Re:Moo

[Chacham]

Ah, interesting.

So, he's like a processor. Really powerful, but really stupid. :)