Quick word of advice for all of you looking for a job

[Fabio FZero]

I'm interviewing some people to work as developers. We had some good
people and bad people, but yesterday we brought in a guy that I think
it's worth of note.

He clearly knew how to program. While he wasn't a genius, he could get
stuff done. Either way, after some deliberation, me and my boss
decided not to hire him.

Why? Well, he just had a serious problem interacting with people. Part
of working as a programmer in a team is discussing problems,
explaining what you're doing and collaborating. He clearly couldn't do
any of these things easily and would certainly become a problem really
quickly.

So, people, please work on your communication skills. Learn how to
present and explain what you're doing and what you're trying to
achieve. Be more social. Talking to people is part of the job. I made
sure we brought the guy for a second interview so we could be sure of
what we were doing, but he simply wouldn't work in a place with loose
hierarchy and where you basically have to decide what you'll do next
by yourself.

This is even more important if you want to work as a
freelancer/contractor, since you'll have to be your own
marketing/sales department too.

I think my point is that the age of the 100% socially recluse geek has
forcefully come to an end. Soft skills really matter these days.

(Remember I'm NOT an HR person; we only involve HR when we've already
made the decision to hire.)

Take care and good luck.

- Fabio
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