Episode 446: Wading through AI slop and they don't get git
Feb 3, 2025
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The hosts dive into the murky waters of AI-driven hiring, offering tips for managers to sift through the chaos of AI-generated resumes. They tackle the struggle of developers underutilizing Git, highlighting the importance of regular code commits and effective version control. The discussion includes how to persuade teams to adopt better source control practices, emphasizing the need for leadership support and peer encouragement. With humor peppered throughout, they navigate the complexities of technology adoption in software development and the generational shifts affecting coding practices.
Managers should implement rigorous screening techniques to identify genuine candidates amidst the deceptive landscape of AI-generated resumes.
Promoting regular commits and educating developers on the benefits of Git can significantly improve collaboration and project management efficiency.
Deep dives
Challenges in the Hiring Process
The current hiring landscape is filled with numerous applicants, which presents a challenge for managers trying to find suitable candidates. Many resumes appear either custom-written for the job or even fabricated, making it difficult to determine a candidate's true capabilities. The ease of creating tailored resumes using AI tools has led to a proliferation of deceptive applications, complicating the hiring process significantly. Additionally, there are increasing numbers of fraudulent job postings aimed at exploiting job seekers, indicating a more challenging environment for both candidates and employers.
AI-Driven Resumes and Their Impact
Resumes generated through AI tools can give hiring managers an illusion of ideal candidates, as they often closely match the job descriptions to make them appear highly qualified. However, this can lead to disappointment during interviews, where candidates lack the skills they claimed to possess. The utilization of AI in crafting resumes has created a situation where it becomes easier to misrepresent abilities, leading to a greater volume of poorly qualified applicants reaching the interview stage. Consequently, this trend increases the burden on employers, as they must invest more time and resources into the vetting process.
Adopting Effective Screening Techniques
To combat the challenges presented by AI-driven applications, employers are advised to adopt rigorous screening techniques to identify genuine candidates. This includes seeking evidence of candidate engagement in personal projects, blogs, or open-source contributions, which indicate real-world skills and creativity. Pair programming during interviews can also be effective in assessing a candidate's understanding of their own code, ensuring they can articulate and modify it successfully. A focus on these strategies may provide better insight into a candidate's abilities and help mitigate the risks associated with AI-generated content.
Improving Source Control Adoption
A significant issue in software development teams is the lack of adherence to source control systems like Git, where developers may only commit code infrequently, treating it as a mere backup. Implementing regular commits offers numerous benefits, including smoother collaboration, effective project management, and reduced merge conflicts. Educating teams about the value of active source control in improving efficiency and enabling better integration of code updates can be pivotal. Overall, encouraging a cultural shift towards more frequent use of source control can lead to faster development cycles and enhance the overall quality of the codebase.
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
A listener named Matthias (mah-TEA-as) asks,
In episode 444 you’re talking about the problems when hiring in the age of AI. I’m a manager who’s trying to hire right now and frankly I’m at a loss. If feels like I’m wading through a sea of AI slop. What tips do you have to cut through the slop and reach actually good candidates?
Where I work the developers do not seem to “get” source code control systems like git. I’m not a developer but have worked with developers at previous jobs and usually the developers instituted good source control practices themselves.
Our developers know they should push their code to the repo but only do it weekly/monthly, treating it as a “backup”. Some back up their laptops using tools like Time Machine so think have taken care of safeguarding their source code that way.
How can I convince them that working in git, committing their code as they go, pushing regularly, branching/merging, tying code updates to tickets, etc will benefit them far more in the long run?
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