> The moment the program outputs the correct answer, take note of the time again. That's all you have to do to evaluate how talented the candidate is. The technical aspect of the interview is over. (Yes, you read that right!)
In my opinion that is complete BS (as is much of the rest of the article) - the candidate could have seen the problem or something similar before or used a particular technique or data structure that suits the problem - while that may indicate a general technical ability it could have been something they spend weeks figuring out last month but can now roll out again quickly.
Never base hiring decisions on a single task or question. Even if they did dreadfully on what you think is a basic topic that everyone should know, don't automatically disqualify them. Mark them down but ask other questions.
In my opinion that is complete BS (as is much of the rest of the article) - the candidate could have seen the problem or something similar before or used a particular technique or data structure that suits the problem - while that may indicate a general technical ability it could have been something they spend weeks figuring out last month but can now roll out again quickly.
Never base hiring decisions on a single task or question. Even if they did dreadfully on what you think is a basic topic that everyone should know, don't automatically disqualify them. Mark them down but ask other questions.