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.”
