What have you developed in your spare time?

Abstract: Over the years, I have interviewed many Program Personnel, so what kind of questions can be used to maximize a person's ability and enthusiasm for programming?

Over the years, I have interviewed many programmers. Recently, I have been thinking about how to passOneWhat kind of problems can maximize a person's ability and enthusiasm for programming information.

I have concluded that only this problem has the strongest Penetration ability:

What have you developed in your spare time?

I like this problem because it involves many aspects at a time. In your spare time, it is a very valuable resource. You usually use it for the things you are most interested in. If you use such resources for development, this is a strong signal, indicating that you are enthusiastic about this. On the other hand, if the reply is "ah ?" Or "in your spare time ?", This may be a good reminder that he may not be the person you are looking.

What they do is also an interesting indicator. Have they donated to open-source projects?Code? Have you ever ported a tool to a new language? Using some new technologies to develop some cool tools? Based on what they develop and the reasons for development, you can truly understand their ideological motives and challenging spirit.

This problem also allows you to understand their ability to maintain technological updates and learn independently. If so many new technologies and new ideas are constantly emerging, efforts must be made to avoid falling behind. You can hardly do this during work hours.

This is why I like this question and all interviews need to raise it.

What is your favorite question?

Update:

Thank you very much for your reactions and opinions on this special topic. I have no idea how to simply classify candidates through such a question. This is just a small point of view I have drawn from my personal experience. What I want to express is that I want to find out what a person is interested in. If someone says, "Why do I have to work at home after a day's work ?", I totally agree! But such a thing should not be regarded as work.

You can also do things at home by accident. On average, I spend 2-3 hours a week at home to implement some of my ideas, test some new technologies, or just read a good book. This is hard to say.

Moreover, I think it is more and more important as time goes on. When you have accumulated deep knowledge and experience in a certain field, this will become a multi-prism for you to observe the problem. Expanding your knowledge will allow you to create creative (or even surprising) ideas on new projects, create new ideas for past thorny problems, or bring a lot of personal fun.

The key is a kind of desire for programming. if you don't press the keyboard, your hands will itch.

What have you developed in your spare time?