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Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent
by
Joel Spolsky
A guide to attracting, recruiting, interviewing, and hiring the best technical talent.A comprehensive system for hiring topnotch technical employees Packed with useful information and specific advice written in a breezy, humorous style Learn how to find great peopleand get them to work for youin an afternoon
The top software developers are ten times more productive than a
...moreHardcover, 182 pages
Published
May 31st 2007
by Apress
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I read this book on a 5 hour flight and had lot of time leftover to nap and play with the onboard tv screen. Overall, it was a decent book and somewhat useful to me personally.
The book has some good references and also some good pointers which are valuable to keep for the future. His site, http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ is mentioned a number of times and is a good site to follow. His style is sometimes sarcastic and casual, which may appeal to many techies, and I personally found ...more
The book has some good references and also some good pointers which are valuable to keep for the future. His site, http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ is mentioned a number of times and is a good site to follow. His style is sometimes sarcastic and casual, which may appeal to many techies, and I personally found ...more
This is a great book both for people who are interviewing programmers and for programmers who are looking for a job. I've read it briefly a couple of years ago and now I read it again. This time from cover to cover, taking notes, thinking of what the author says, how it aligns with what I did on the interviews and what I should do differently next time. I have several interview books in my collection, But this one is probably the best so far. This book is short, to the point, with lots of practi...more
I read this book this morning after it was recommended (and loaned) to me by our fantastic new recruiter, Ali. She had read a post I had done for my team on hiring and interviewing and thought I'd like.
couple macros before I go into what I took away:
1) I am going to try to hunt Joel down next time I'm in NY. I've read two of the books he's written and enjoyed (other is Joel on Software), he's clearly a very smart guy, and we have a few overlaps that could be fun to explore ...more
couple macros before I go into what I took away:
1) I am going to try to hunt Joel down next time I'm in NY. I've read two of the books he's written and enjoyed (other is Joel on Software), he's clearly a very smart guy, and we have a few overlaps that could be fun to explore ...more
Enjoyably written, and delightfully short and to the point. I do feel though that it goes over a lot of the same ground as 'Peopleware', only in less detail. What it does have going for it is a discussion of hiring practices from the point of view of managers and interviewers. A very valuable insight indeed, especially for those of us who haven't gone for many interviews and even the very idea of which makes us nervous. That said, Joel doesn't do anything to relieve my fears, describing a proces...more
Joel has a very distinctive style that I find appealing because it is matter of fact, slightly bitter, but also resolutely "visionary". I scare quote the visionary because it seems like he considers himself more of a visionary than anything else, but that's how it gets baked into his style for better or worse. Full of useful tips, tid bits, and anecdotes, I find this book to be useful in my own evaluation of my working environment, myself as a worker, and my colleagues. I am recomme...more
Короткая и локоничная книга, которая нужна не только людям, работающим в сфере найма персонала, но и каждому айтишнику. Она позволит вам понять как выглядит нормальная компания, на чем стоит экономить, а на чем нет, как выглядит адекватное отношение к персоналу, о чем спрашивают на собеседованиях, что стоит отвечать, а что нет.
Более того, в ней содержится небольшой опросник, который дает понять что должна содержат нормальная группа, занимающаяся разработкой программ. Положительный ответ на...more
Более того, в ней содержится небольшой опросник, который дает понять что должна содержат нормальная группа, занимающаяся разработкой программ. Положительный ответ на...more
I'm giving this book a five because I think everyone in the software business should read it, even though there are points I disagree with. Spolsky's contention (as everyone who reads his stuff knows) is that one should only hire the very best programmers, and then treat them like rock stars. Being (IMHO) a top programmer, I can't help but enjoy that concept. However, I can't entirely agree with it. As Spolsky comments at one point, it really should be "Smart, Gets things done, and Not ...more
This is a thin book on a narrow topic, so I think the author had a difficult task of getting the length right and this is probably as good as one could hope for.
I read the book from the vantage point as someone who attends interviews and sometimes is asked if I know anyone who could work in a position, so some good advice had to do with things out of my span of control.
All that said, this is likely the definitive volume on the topic.
I read the book from the vantage point as someone who attends interviews and sometimes is asked if I know anyone who could work in a position, so some good advice had to do with things out of my span of control.
All that said, this is likely the definitive volume on the topic.
It's a great book; to know what to do when you're running interviewing process, but for me I'm still on the other side of the table and it's good to know How are folks on the other side think.
I like the way he's running the interview, and when he's choosing a developer he's choose him according on his way of thinking (Smart and Get thing done), not according on what the language/technology he knows because if his mental power is great then he can learn any new language/technology fast.
...more
I like the way he's running the interview, and when he's choosing a developer he's choose him according on his way of thinking (Smart and Get thing done), not according on what the language/technology he knows because if his mental power is great then he can learn any new language/technology fast.
...more
I read this when I was a manager at Discovery and found it a worthwhile read. While I don't necessarily agree with some of the formulaic interviewing techniques mentioned in it, I do like its no-nonsense approach to hiring technical folks. There are some really sound interviewing practices in it and some common pitfalls to avoid. Overall I'd say if you are planning on recruiting or hiring technical people, give it a read.
A very interesting read. Joel's ideas on finding and retaining good talent ring true to me as a developer. I cringe a little at the private offices because I am really social, but in terms of productivity, he is probably right.
His interviewing techniques do not resemble what we do at my current job, so that could account for our difficulty in hiring top talent.
His insistence on having a steady stream of interns to feed your permanent personnel seems spot on as well.
His interviewing techniques do not resemble what we do at my current job, so that could account for our difficulty in hiring top talent.
His insistence on having a steady stream of interns to feed your permanent personnel seems spot on as well.
It's just a collection of his essays that you can already find on the web, but a great refresher course for hiring. Definitely recommended as a gift to your manager if your company seems to be constantly hiring terrible people. A good read for yourself too if you play any role in hiring, as most developers should.
I wish more recruiters had read this little book, a how-to manual for recruiting engineers by the author of Joel on Software. I liked the anecdotes and the advice seemed salient, though I probably won't be sitting on the interviewer's side of the desk anytime soon.
Targeted to people who hire programmers. Gives good insights into how to find the people with the best talent--the ones who can "hit the high notes." Also has some great pointers on making a software team better, whether you're the manager or one of the members.
Very quick read. It's means for people hiring programmers rather than the programmers themselves. The book is useful to programmers, though, to give us an idea of what we should be looking for in a workplace and what the interviewers might expect of us.
Joel with his rich experience has written the best, and that too, in a concise and a more practical manner. Some of the chapters make you laugh and some of them make you think seriously about how a software organization should be and how it should treat its developers etc. I liked reading each page of this book and I believe that I will revisit it once again sometime in the near future.
Spolsky is, as usual, on his high horse, explaining all the wonderful ways in which his company (Fog Creek) is the best place anyone could ever want to work. Despite the fact that most of his ideas originated during his stint at Microsoft (private offices, college and even high school intership programs, and other perks), they are important in attracting good employees. I will definitely pick this up again if I find myself interviewing for another job in the future, so if anyone is currently int...more
Smart, opinionated but has justifications for those opinions. Correct about product companies being the best to work for but his notion that profit will just happen lacks his normal analytical rigor.
Short, to the point, and classic Spolsky humor. I've followed Joel's blog for a couple years now, and much of this content comes from points he makes again and again, but it was great to put it all into context of how to identify, attract and hire great engineers.
An excellent book that is ostensibly about hiring software developers, but is actually about hiring, leadership, and team-building for anyone who works around tech geeks.
Totally loved this book. Brief, concise, and to the point. Very common-sense advice about the challenging process of recruiting technical specialists.
Nice little book, if you read Spolsky site you'll find little new, but not a bad compilation regardless.
Great and simple book if you are in charge of assessing or hiring tech talent.
Most of the material in this book was familiar to me from reading Joel's blog, and I would recommend reading that instead of buying this book. In fact, I read this at a Borders one afternoon because I don't want to financially support his work and certainly not his authority. I agree with most of his hiring and workplace philosophies, but less so his technical philosophies. I wanted to hear what he thought about resumes, but it turned out to be uninformative since I am seeking work not hiring...more
At my business we've been trying to figure out the best way to find new employees that are well...smart and get things done. Joel has a funny but real way of writing what he has learned in the process of growing his buisness Fog Creek. Not only does Joel have excellent ideas on how to hire the best he also addresses how to manage a team and a simple checklist that can help one's business be better.
Great stuff and a quick read.
Great stuff and a quick read.
Basically a collection of several articles from Joel's blog composited into a book -- this lays out Joel's philosophy on how to find, hire, and retain star programming talent. Joel makes the argument that you really want superstars since they're much more productive than "normal" employees, and that you should go to most any length to find and get them. He also talks about some of the things they do at FogCreek to make that happen.
Extremely readable compilation of columns from Spolsky's website, themed around hiring within the IT sector. The key ideas are that IT productivity varies by magnitudes, and that companies have to work to attract and retain the star performers.
A quick, easy read. This is the sort of book managers should read but, of course, don't. His prescription for hiring is interesting, but I can't see it being used anywhere other than a small programming shop. Nonetheless, a lot of what he says would be helpful to anyone managing programmers.
A lot of the material here is recycle from his website, so there's not much new content if you already follow his blog. However his writing style is entertaining and straightforward enough that I didn't mind, although his insights aren't as impressive the 3rd time you read them.
Lots of practical advice on hiring developers and how to create the right environment to attract and keep the best. Nothing too earth shattering, but stuff that's easily ignored in the rush to fill positions and the desire to cut costs.
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