Exit Interview

Java master Bawan was interviewing an applicant for the Elephant's Footprint Clan. After the usual preliminary questions had been asked (about abstract classes, and how to make numbers fizz or buzz), Bawan drew a simple database schema on the whiteboard and asked the applicant to define some POJOs suitably annotated for Hibernate.

“I don’t know what you mean,” said the applicant.

“Domain objects,” said Bawan, “with Hibernate annotations.”

“I still don’t know what you mean,” said the applicant.

“Perhaps you know them as JPA annotations,” offered Bawan.

The applicant shook his head.

“EJB3?” asked Bawan. “ORM?”

The applicant shook his head.

Bawan scrutinized a sheet of paper. “Then perhaps you can tell me why Hibernate, JPA, EJB3, and ORM are all mentioned at the top of your resume, under the major heading Principal Skills.”

“Oh!” said the applicant. “My recruiter told me to put those there. He said they would prove most beneficial for interviews.”

“I see,” said Bawan. “Well, that’s all the time I have. Your next interviewer will be master Kaimu, who is less particular about such things. Turn right, up the stairs, look for the door with his name.”

The applicant thanked Bawan and departed.

The next day, Bawan asked Kaimu his opinion of the applicant.

“I never saw him,” said Kaimu. “It appears that he turned right from your office instead of left, climbed to the pinnacle of the cliff-side tower, and hurled himself through a maintenance door normally used to access a WiFi antenna on the outside of the building. Perhaps you can tell me why my name was written at the top of that door, above a sign saying Close Eyes, Push Hard.”

“Oh!” said Bawan. “Madame Jinyu told me to put those there. She said they would prove most beneficial for interviews.”