How Would You Move Mount Fuji?: Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle: How the World's Smartest Companie...
"For the first time, William Poundstone reveals the toughest questions used at Microsoft and other Fortune 500 companies - and supplies the answers...
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reviews
Oct 27, 2011
Bruce
rated it: 
"... studies suggest that the standard job interview is a pretense in which both interviewer and interviewee are equally and mutually duped. The interviewer has made up her mind by the time the interviewee has settled into a chair. Maybe the decision is based on looks, body language, or the 'cut of your jib.' What's certain is that it's not based on anything happening inside the job candidate's head. The questions and answers that follow are a sham, a way of convincing both that some ratioMore...
Jul 17, 2011
CJ
rated it:
I have a fear of hiring people. Let's just say that my past record has not been stellar and we've been stuck with some people that we should never have been brought in. I came across this book and thought, "hey - this might help for next time!" Well, not really. It's an interesting book and if I ever need to apply to Microsoft for a job, I'll re-read it, but I can't see it helping me in the hiring process.
What it did help me with was the answers to a lot of logic puzzles. W More...
What it did help me with was the answers to a lot of logic puzzles. W More...
Jan 02, 2011
Sara
rated it: 
This book could have easily been half as long. There are a lot of repetitive passages that discuss the use of puzzles and IQ tests in broadstrokes, but rarely feature specific examples, statistics, or meaningful insights about the process. There are no cases studies or experiments about whether this works, just a lot of secondhand info. If you're looking for a primer on how to interview at Microsoft, this is a useful and quick read, although I'd recommend just skimming for the meatier bits an
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Aug 23, 2010
Jessie
rated it:
This book is interesting for someone doing a job search because the stories of crazy Microsoft interviews make you feel better about the semi-crazy questions you've been asked. And reading about some of the freak-outs in response to the crazy interview tactics make you feel better about your interview answers, too.
There was less focus on the answers to puzzle questions in this book than I expected. The major thesis is that puzzle questions are actually a really stupid way of judging More...
There was less focus on the answers to puzzle questions in this book than I expected. The major thesis is that puzzle questions are actually a really stupid way of judging More...
Aug 31, 2011
Emily
rated it:
An interesting look into some of these puzzles and interview tactics, but I think many of them go way beyond what's reasonable - asking a cerebral question about Russian Roulette is very different from acting it out to intentionally put the candidate under stress.
We use brainteaser and develop-a-solution-then-implement-it questions at my startup for our software engineering interviews, but we try to keep the interview room low-stress and we use these questions because want to see how h More...
We use brainteaser and develop-a-solution-then-implement-it questions at my startup for our software engineering interviews, but we try to keep the interview room low-stress and we use these questions because want to see how h More...
Jun 26, 2008
Jamal
rated it:
Microsoft is not the world's smartest company and employs not the most creative thinkers. It's almost impossible for that to be the case given their hiring practices lionized in this book:
If employees of the company evaluate the applicants suitability for the job without an external rubric then a hired applicant will most likely be only as intelligent and/or creative as the general employee base. Non-creative people tend to have trouble finding value in creative thoughts and smarty More...
If employees of the company evaluate the applicants suitability for the job without an external rubric then a hired applicant will most likely be only as intelligent and/or creative as the general employee base. Non-creative people tend to have trouble finding value in creative thoughts and smarty More...
Oct 10, 2007
Kathy
rated it: 
From a blog review I wrote in 2005:
I just finished How Would You Move Mount Fuji? - Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle by William Poundstone. It's about Microsoft's (and other companys') interview testing where they throw 'impossible' puzzles at applicants. I checked it out just to see if I could answer the puzzles (I'll give you an example question and its answer later.) I have to confess I couldn't figure them all out.
There's more to the book than just the puzzles, however. Poun More...
I just finished How Would You Move Mount Fuji? - Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle by William Poundstone. It's about Microsoft's (and other companys') interview testing where they throw 'impossible' puzzles at applicants. I checked it out just to see if I could answer the puzzles (I'll give you an example question and its answer later.) I have to confess I couldn't figure them all out.
There's more to the book than just the puzzles, however. Poun More...
Jul 17, 2011
Biblioworm
rated it:
Взвешенные и разумные рассуждения о целесообразности использования головоломок на собеседованиях. Пояснения, почему они популярны в Microsoft. Неплохая подборка головоломок, плюс очень нудно-подробные их решения.
Задачи типа разработки дизайна выглядят очень необъективными. More...
Задачи типа разработки дизайна выглядят очень необъективными. More...
Nov 19, 2011
Dmitri
rated it:
This book isn't just about puzzles but about psychology and the history of IQ metrics and lots of things that are more or less irrelevant to someone who is interested in JUST the puzzles. It would have been interesting a few years ago but now, in 2011, it's somewhat dated and doesn't reflect enough of today's Microsoft. That said, it's got some fun background info on the hiring practices of Microsoft. Certainly doesn't reflect my experiences interviewing there though :)
Mar 25, 2009
Jill
rated it:
One of those books that sounded more intriguing than they actually are. I thought the most interesting part of the book was its account of the development of IQ tests and their increasing popularity amongst companies and schools to select the best and the brightest. Unfortunately, that made up only a small section on the book, the bulk of which was dominated by popular questions used by companies like Microsoft in their interviews and their "model answers".
May 09, 2011
Ant
rated it:
Mixed feelings about this one. While it was fun trying to work out the puzzles, it was also a little frustrating doing this in your free time when you have to problem solve all day at work. I just couldn’t let the puzzles go which meant it was difficult to skip through reading the book. The background information on the psychology & reasoning behind them was interesting as was the field stories of what happens in the real world when these are applied at actual interviews as well as the history b
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Jun 11, 2011
David
rated it:
This is an unusual hybrid: a brief history of the puzzle interview in high tech and high finance, combined with a generous sample of the puzzles themselves (and solutions). Many of the questions are old chestnuts ("You have a 3-gallon bucket and a 5-gallon bucket and need exactly four gallons of water..."), though a decent number were new to me. The logic puzzles are the ones I found most interesting, but there are also a range of off-the wall questions, estimation questions, and tests
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Apr 17, 2010
Very thought-provoking book about the Microsoft job interview process, highlighting the fascinating scenarios used to narrow down a talented pool of candidates. Imagine going into your third interview of the day and the guy is asleep at his desk to see how you react in this situation... What do you do? Dec 28, 2006
Sep 05, 2010
James
rated it:
A number of interesting puzzles are given, with their answers.
Mostly the point of the book is about how flawed the interview process is.
As if we didn't already know that.
For many companies, it's more important to avoid the bad hires,
than get the good ones.
Mostly the point of the book is about how flawed the interview process is.
As if we didn't already know that.
For many companies, it's more important to avoid the bad hires,
than get the good ones.
Jan 20, 2010
Kevin
rated it:
Interesting "expose" on the hiring practices and interview questions of Microsoft. It doesn't convince me that this particular style is any more or less effective than most, but it certainly is an interesting and non-standard way to do so.
It does reinforce that MS self-selects for left-brained, logically oriented individuals. Overall, I recommend.
It does reinforce that MS self-selects for left-brained, logically oriented individuals. Overall, I recommend.
Nov 05, 2007
Dave
rated it: 
This is about half of the book I've been saying I was going to write for years now. It is very well done though. It spends a fair amount of time talking about the pros and cons of asking Microsoft-ish puzzle type interview questions. It also has quite a bit of content dedicated to a sampling of such questions, complete with discussions of possible answers. Whether or not they make good interview questions, they are a lot of fun to think about and discuss, and so the book has led to lots of fun d
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Sep 02, 2009
Brian
rated it:
The history of IQ/puzzle testing in the US and how it came to dominate the hiring process at Microsoft. Given that those who passed these interviews were responsible for Windows Vista, one has to question the validity of the metrics involveed
Jan 24, 2012
Moira
rated it:
Interesting, but merely a diversion. The main message of the book (or what I gather) is that for most of those so-called "puzzle interviews", the key is just to approach the question in a rational and logical manner, which I didn't need an entire book to tell me. Some of the appended puzzle interview questions and solutions are interesting, but the others are just jargon-littered and irrelevant. Recommend only if you're applying for an interview at Microsoft or any of those other newfa
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Dec 16, 2009
Khalid
rated it:
How Would You Move Mount Fuji is centered on Microsoft-style puzzle interview questions and issues that relate to them. The book addresses many interesting issues relating to interviews, intelligence, and puzzle solving. It also provides a lot of interesting puzzles and their solutions.
I enjoyed reading through the first parts of this book; when it talks about the history of job interviews and intelligence testing, told many interesting interview anecdotes, and addressed interview qu More...
I enjoyed reading through the first parts of this book; when it talks about the history of job interviews and intelligence testing, told many interesting interview anecdotes, and addressed interview qu More...
Oct 03, 2008
Sandy
rated it:
This guy is a complete asshole. The whole book is about the lack of significant validity of puzzle interview questions but virtually nowhere in the book does he mention that there is NO perfect interview technique and all we can do as interviewers is to assess our applicants the best, most relevant and most valid way we know how. This book also seriously lacks in statitical analyses and when he does throw in a statistic it is usually out of context and only to back up his ridiculous arguments.
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Aug 03, 2011
Adrian
rated it:
An interesting read, chock-full of mind bending riddles. It gives insight into what is becoming the standard interview. If that doesn't sound interesting, read it for the riddles!
Mar 16, 2009
Noirin
rated it:
It's hard to get excited in this economy over a book that's essentially about interviewing. This is definitely an interesting book though, and the puzzles are a bit of fun :-)
Aug 26, 2011
Biogeek
rated it:
A worthwhile book for anyone who loves puzzles, is interested in how to stimulate creativity, but also wondering how to prepare students for the world outside academia.
Dec 09, 2008
Shivering William
rated it:
An in depth look at Microsoft's interview process. I have a feeling this information could come in handy some day . . . If not, there were some great riddles.
Jan 29, 2011
Ben
rated it:
This is an excellent resource to study up for case interviews. beyond that the book gives some interesting context and history of case interviewing techniques.
Oct 18, 2011
Cristian
rated it:
An essential resource for anyone seeking introduction to the world of puzzle-based interviewing, as well as some pertinent analysis on the matter.
Aug 09, 2011
If you want to put your brain to a strenuous test, read it, if you like lateral thinking or improve your skill read it, I enjoyed it
Oct 07, 2011
Seth
rated it:
Poundstone is a facile writer and I enjoyed the puzzles. The commentary on Microsoft/new economy hiring felt a little dated.
Nov 26, 2010
Michael
rated it:
No matter how I have tried to find a good thing about this book, I cannot honestly find anything worthwhile in this book.
May 26, 2010
Ken
rated it:
Great puzzles, I definitely appreciated having the answers, and the historical aspects were interesting as well.
