Date: Tue, 23 May 1995 17:20:21 EST From: "Rob Slade, Social Convener to the Net" Subject: "Ace the Technical Interview" by Rothstein BKACTCIN.RVW 950407 "Ace the Technical Interview", Michael Rothstein, 1994, 0-07-054030-6, U$19.95 %A Michael Rothstein %C 2600 Tenth St., Berkeley, CA 94710 %D 1994 %G 0-07-054030-6 %I McGraw-Hill %O U$19.95 510-548-2805 800-227-0900 lkissing@osborne.mhs.compuserve.com %P 420 %T "Ace the Technical Interview" I happened to notice, a couple of months ago, a human resources officer working with someone from the MIS department, preparing questions for a set of job interviews. This might have been laudable, were it not for the fact that the time set for the first interview had already passed before they even started and, in fact, the first candidate was waiting in a reception area where their conversation was audible. Given that this astounding incompetence in the hiring process is lamentably common, I will not bother to take any stand in regard to "crib sheets" for interviewees. Instead, let us consider whether this book would be effective in helping a candidate to secure a job. Each chapter in the collection is a separate essay by a different author. Thus, the quality varies widely. The first three give general advice on the interview process, most of which is simple common sense. The remaining chapters address a number of different technologies, heavily weighted towards IBM systems. Specifically, there is coverage of MVS, UNIX, AS/400, OS/2, VM, REXX, RS/6000, Oracle, CICS, DB2, SQL, IDMS, VSAM, IMS DB- DL/1, client/server, networks, object-orientation, QMF, COBOL, SAS, structured methodologies, CASE, artificial intelligence, and BACHMAN. Some of the chapters give you material on terminology, which is likely the most helpful. The content on client/server and object-orientation is fairly general, and so would probably be of use as a quick brush up on the essentials. Some provide references, but some of the references are simply the system documentation. Much of the text is trivia, or quite limited. (The chapter on networks deals *only* with IBM's SNA.) Examples from UNIX are likely known to more of the readership here, so I will concentrate on that chapter. (This is *not* to imply the UNIX chapter is particularly bad: indeed, I am trying for a representative portion.) A question about "network addressing concepts" is answered with details of the IP (Internet Protocol) specification. (What about Ethernet addresses? What about domain names? What about bang paths?) "Q. Can you have multiple internets connected by routers? A. Yes." We are first told that the two major "camps" in UNIX development are USL (Unix System Laboratories) and OSF (Open Software Foundation), then that the two major versions are System V and Sun O/S, then that the two major types are BSD and System V. Some directions regarding hardware are obviously limited to Intel/BIOS platforms; others, just as obviously, refer to older minicomputers. A question on security is limited to a mention of C2 and B2 levels, with no details beyond mention of the DES (Data Encryption Standard) of the password file. And it is hard to tell what the definition of "font" has to do with UNIX. Reliance on this book to bluff your way through a technical interview depends primarily on the interviewer's being a lot dumber than you are. The assessment of this probability is left as an exercise to the reader. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995 BKACTCIN.RVW 950407 ============== Vancouver ROBERTS@decus.ca | "I finally realized why Windows is truly Institute for Robert_Slade@sfu.ca | multitasking. I find myself keeping some Research into rslade@sfu.ca | secondary task (like ... mail) handy so I User rslade@cyberstore.ca| can make good use of the time I spend Security Canada V7K 2G6 | waiting for Windows." -Steve Edelson