Booting Up: Hiring and Growing Boot Camp Graduates

RailsConf 2016

by Eric Weinstein

The presentation by Eric Weinstein at RailsConf 2016, titled "Booting Up: Hiring and Growing Boot Camp Graduates," explores the unique challenges and opportunities associated with hiring graduates from programming boot camps. Weinstein emphasizes that boot camp alumni possess different skill sets compared to traditional computer science graduates, warranting a tailored approach to interviewing and career development.

Key points discussed include:
- Differentiating Skills: Boot camp graduates often have practical coding skills rather than theoretical knowledge, yet hiring managers tend to conflate their abilities with traditional expectations.
- Interviewing Issues: Many interview processes fail to assess candidates based on the real-world problem-solving skills necessary for software development, such as adaptability, collaboration, and self-awareness.
- Holistic Growth Model: Weinstein argues for a comprehensive approach to help boot camp graduates thrive within organizations, which includes mentorship and continuous learning.
- Action-Oriented Initiatives: He recommends creating internal education programs, establishing mentorship relationships, and encouraging a growth mindset among team members to facilitate ongoing development.

Weinstein shares that many boot camps focus on hands-on skills relevant to current industry needs, including frameworks like Ruby on Rails and best practices in software development. He advocates for hiring individuals who demonstrate a passion for continuous improvement and collaborative problem-solving rather than those who excel in traditional interview formats.

In conclusion, the gains in hiring and nurturing boot camp graduates hinge on evolving the interview process, recognizing the real strengths candidates bring, and fostering an organizational culture dedicated to learning and growth. Weinstein calls for hiring practices to align with the practical contributions of candidates, thereby improving overall team dynamics and performance.

00:00:10.130 I think we'll go ahead and get started. If folks are coming up, we'll catch them up still.

00:00:15.960 Okay, sound-wise? A little louder? How's that? Better projecting? Cool.

00:00:24.420 That's good. I did turn off flux. Excellent.

00:00:31.380 Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to see me talk. Thanks to RailsConf for allowing me to speak, and thanks to Kansas City for hosting all of us!

00:00:39.030 So, let's give some applause for Kansas City.

00:00:52.010 Excellent! Cool! So, hello, everyone. I figure since this is a computer talk, we have to start with zero.

00:00:59.850 Thank you. I tend to speak really quickly. If I start going way too fast, just give me a wave or a big gesture—anything that will catch my attention—so I can slow down and help you all follow along.

00:01:11.400 I'm going to talk for about 30 minutes, maybe a tiny bit more. I will have about 10 minutes at the end for questions. I'm going to try to avoid just plowing through this talk.

00:01:18.300 It's funny, a little while ago, I gave a talk on Ruby garbage collection, and I felt good about it. I practiced it well, but then right before I started, Matt sat down front row center.

00:01:46.830 I ended up teaching Matt about Ruby garbage collection, along with half the Ruby core team, so I hope I'm in a good spot now.

00:01:54.180 Also, I'd like you to stretch one arm. You can go ahead and just raise one arm. There’s going to be a little bit of interaction—not a lot, I know we hate that—but I will ask you to raise your hands at some point in the presentation.

00:02:14.070 So, as I mentioned, hello, my name is Eric Weinstein, and I work at Hulu as a Senior Engineering Lead. You can find me on GitHub, Twitter, etc.

00:02:28.590 This human hatch that I made teaches Ruby to eight to twelve-year-olds. There's a book I wrote called 'Ruby Wizardry' that you can purchase from No Starch, which has offered us a 30% off coupon promo code. If you go to NoStarch.com anytime this week and want to buy a copy of 'Ruby Wizardry,' either physical or eBook, just use the promo code RailsConf2016 for the discount.

00:03:09.650 This talk is pretty quick, but I think it’s beneficial for us to have a clear overview of what we’ll be discussing, complete with the obligatory clickbait. We'll cover some of the common mistakes we keep making, one weird old tip, etc.

00:03:35.240 We’ll talk about different boot camp programs: what they offer and what one learns in a boot camp, and what we should be looking for when interviewing boot camp graduates. The theme throughout this talk will be the belief in improvement. If you don't believe that you can get better at math, programming, interviewing, or any skill through deliberate practice and dedication, you're not going to improve.

00:04:39.980 We'll also discuss a holistic model for continued growth. We’ll examine both interviewing and how we can help people learn and grow once they are part of our organization.

00:04:51.230 Let's move on to Part 1: Hiring. I think the crucial issue we’ve lost the thread on recently is confusing the product with the process in interviewing.

00:05:02.330 Essentially, when we want to hire someone, we should be asking: regardless of the abstraction of what it is you know how to do, are you good at that thing? We've confused this fundamental question with concrete expectations concerning what we think people should know.

00:05:39.800 Let’s raise our hands for the first audience participation exercise. How many of you have attended a boot camp or something that could be described as a boot camp, a retreat, or something similar? Cool! And now keep your hands up if you've worked with someone from a boot camp, hired someone, or had some meaningful interaction with boot camp graduates.

00:06:03.170 Great! Now, just to clarify, this talk is not entirely about boot camps. It covers a larger perspective on hiring and growing talent, primarily through the lens of boot camp programs, as they're a trending topic in our community.

00:06:19.360 This isn't exclusive to boot camp graduates; it's about hiring and growing everyone. Is that good? Is it sounding good so far?

00:06:56.370 Now, what is the traditional experience? I think of a degree in computing science—not a typo, Dijkstra called it that. I like that term because it reflects reality. When someone majors in computer science, they look at compiler design, algorithms, and data structures, but not necessarily the hands-on programming we do day to day.

00:07:12.950 In school, students learn coding languages like Java or C++, but to be successful in our industry, we need to know that the real questions we face in day-to-day programming are very different from those we solve in academic settings. This brings me to a pivotal mistake we make in hiring: we have confused whether someone is good at what they know with what we actually need.

00:08:02.130 Take, for instance, the question of whether we want someone training in computer science fundamentals—or a hiring manager who primarily focuses on if they can write a red-black tree in memory. We often ask these types of questions, especially of bootcamp graduates or people from non-traditional backgrounds, making them feel inadequate.

00:08:41.269 I'll give you a brief survey of the field. I only picked six boot camps that I know of: Hack Academy, Dev Bootcamp, Flatiron School, General Assembly, Hack Reactor, and others. It’s good to examine their curricula and guide our interview process based on what they teach.

00:09:29.020 What do we actually learn in boot camps? It’s typically not computer science—they focus on practical skills like Ruby on Rails. The curricula vary, but generally include server-side programming, client work in JavaScript, and best practices for software development.

00:10:09.350 Boot camps teach candidates to function as working software engineers, focusing on resolving conflicts, deploying projects, and tracking down bugs—things you won’t learn as an undergraduate. Knowing how to do the hands-on work is essential.

00:10:38.400 In terms of what I look for when interviewing, especially boot camp graduates or those with non-traditional backgrounds, I emphasize the ability to write a non-trivial program that interfaces with network access or APIs. I often base my interview questions off of issues we encounter on my team at Hulu.

00:11:47.450 I also value the ability to adapt to new and changing requirements. This is a major challenge during interviews. Candidates will often be presented with a solution that meets initial requirements but then be asked to accommodate new edge cases or bugs. Being comfortable with ambiguity is essential. Very rarely does someone come forth with complete specifications.

00:13:04.120 Collaboration is also highly valuable. I prefer pairing interviews and collaborative exercises over adversarial interviews. It's important to approach problems together rather than pit candidates against each other.

00:14:06.190 I seek individuals who are passionate about learning—those who strive to improve and who won't settle. I want candidates that would rather solve a nagging bug than shrug it off as acceptable. Lastly, I look for self-awareness and empathy. Candidates who understand their impact on a team, can communicate effectively, and recognize how they come across to others, will flourish in an organization.

00:15:53.620 To wrap it up, there's an important correlation between performance and interview success: strong performance doesn't always equal proficiency in traditional interviewing. We often need to separate the skills required for interviewing from the actual skills required for success in the job.

00:17:31.250 Going forward, raise your hand if you have transitioned from an individual contributor to a manager position. Keep your hand up if you believe the best developers make the best managers all the time. Intuitively, we grasp that excellence in development doesn’t always translate to excellence in management. Interviewing is a separate skill that requires cultivation.

00:18:15.840 It’s crucial to fix the interviewing process itself, as we need to identify the mistakes we are making. That said, I must share with you that Hulu is hiring. If you're interested in working at Hulu, feel free to reach out after the talk!

00:18:59.120 Now that we've discussed how interviews can often overlook the value candidates bring, let's look at how we can support growth and learning on the job for everyone—not just boot camp graduates. If you take nothing else away from this talk, please take this core belief: improving your abilities is connected to better performance.

00:19:59.360 Carol Dweck authored a paper called 'Math is a Gift: Beliefs that Put Females at Risk,' later transformed into a book titled 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.' This book examines whether success is innate or can be developed through effort and practice. It demonstrates that positive reinforcement leads to improved performance.

00:21:38.910 Continuing from the theme of growth, how many of you are first-time attendees at RailsConf? Welcome! It's great to have new folks every year. If you attended RailsConf two years ago, you may remember Chuck Lorre's talk on building kick-ass internal education programs, which I encourage you to check out. Here’s the plan: You don’t have to know everything.

00:22:31.780 Start taking action. You don’t have to wait for someone to formally approve your idea; just start implementing an internal education program. You can start informal meetings or lunch-and-learns to teach content that’s valuable for your team's growth.

00:23:35.760 The concept of an accountabilibuddy—the practice of pairing new hires with experienced colleagues—can dramatically decrease the time needed for onboarding. This system of mentorship offers support for questions about internal services and day-to-day tasks, streamlining the adjustment period for newcomers.

00:25:56.239 Above all, you must assert this initiative and take ownership of it. Communicate the eagerness to learn and grow within your team, reinforce internal resources, and foster an atmosphere that values curiosity. Initiatives such as lightning talks allow everyone to share expertise and insights while practicing public speaking.

00:27:18.390 In closing, write down your expectations for interviews! List the skills and personality traits you want. Compare this with how candidates perform during interviews. If you don't find the right candidates, evaluate what you're asking in interviews and consider the strengths a candidate can bring.

00:28:03.020 Self-improvement is paramount. If nothing else, make improvement a key valence in your culture. Inspire your team to grow and iterate on how we operate. Ensure that your organization has a growth mindset, allowing room for development and fostering an inclusive environment.

00:29:04.390 Thank you for the opportunity to speak. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me during the remainder of RailsConf. All my contact details are on the final slide.