[sjcrank]

Regarding the negative thinking, this is a really important point. Consider these two alternative attitudes when on-boarding a new employee:

1. Let's evaluate to see whether the new developer is good enough, so we can fire fast if our expectations are not met.

2. Let's figure out how to help this developer achieve his/her maximum potential for adding value to the organization. If for some reason the developer is unwilling or unable to develop to a level that makes a positive contribution, then we consider separating.

I find the second approach much healthier for the employee and the organization.

[devonkim]

False dichotomy in my world since I employ both 1 and 2 with a very, very lenient set of guidelines for 1. Some things do not manifest in an interview, and that's where during the first couple weeks I check for some basic professionalism. Things like: 1. Are you responsive to e-mails or IMs at all? I don't mean are you answering e-mails constantly and within 10 minutes each time, I mean "do you answer e-mails when you are asked for a response?" 2. Do you ask questions at all? If it's day 7 and you still don't have access to Github because you never asked "So where do I, you know... push code?" I have to wonder what you were doing from days 1 to 6. 3. Have you confirmed what your expectations are if they are not clear to you? I give a basic 1-day project fully expecting it to take a bit longer, but if it takes a whole week and you're silent, I have to ask why you think it's ok that you have no idea what's going on and that it's ok. If I suspect they're not pulling their weight, I'll give a project where they will immediately be blocked and require assistance if they spend more than 10 minutes investigating the issue. This also helps me determine if someone is simply really, really shy or if they're just not doing any work.

And lastly, reaffirm that you've done 1 to 3 and communicate clearly that those are the expectations before you fire the person for being pretty much dead weight.

You can't figure out how a lot of people will work until they actually start a job.