How Would You Move Mount Fuji?: Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle -- How the World's Smartest Companies Select the Most Creative Thinkers

Don't get decepted that this book is not about Microsoft -- rather how does one find the right talent! While the book talks about Microsoft examples on interviewing, it does contain lot more than Microsoft interviewing. It talks about how to conduct interviews for various levels and positions, how do you get the best out of a person, and how do you spot the right talent in the person whom you are recruiting. I have been on both sides of the table and these days almost on the side of interviewing candidates -- believe me this book has changed my attitude towards how I view every one of my candidate and it feels good about it too.Whether you are interviewing or being interviewed, you won't regret your money on this a bit. In fact, some one walked of with my book, so, I invested in one more copy of this book, that every now and then, I refer to it.

I read this book when I was interviewing with Google in 2007. I must say that while none of the questions appears in my Google interview (oh darn ;) JUST kidding), that it helped me prepare for that mindset of conversation.If you are reading the book for an interview in a time crunch, read Chapter 8 first. Poundstone discusses the generic puzzle solving technique and the mental preparation process you should follow after you hear or read the question. It worked well as I applied it to several puzzles in the book. Of course, lest you forget, as Poundstone put it, `For the purposes of a job interview, the reasoning is the "answer"`.'The author extends a helping hand to provide solid advice to companies who consider these techniques for interviews. He reminds them what to conclude and what not to conclude based on the candidate's response, the best ways to utilize this technique in an interview and ways to win the race of seeking and securing the best talent. He particularly reminds them that while the answer to the puzzle may not be as expected, it is in their best interest to place great value in the reasoning and logical approach taken by the candidate. By the same token, if the candidate has heard of the puzzle and knows only the answer, there are ways to test further their real understanding and further measure their puzzle solving skills, as well as eliminating those who have memorized a few answers to popular puzzles.There are some cases where there is no singular solution. For instance, in the types of questions where you are asked to design xyz, you can exercise more freedom and especially creativity, as long as you are aware of boundaries for acceptable responses. Therefore, if you are testing your reasoning abilities, do not read the answers until you have exhausted all your options.Remember, whatever you take away or learn, always stay aligned to a perfectly logical being when you want to solve a puzzle.

I am a great puzzle fan and that is why I bought this book after seeing it reviewed in one of my game and puzzle magazines. The book is much more than just puzzles. I loved the history of the IQ test and the interview hints. I just loved the book and couldn't put it down. I think that anyone facing a job interview should definitely read this book and am now recommending it to several people in this position. Of course, the puzzles were great fun, too.

Great book, must for interviews at great companies. Provides superb insight into the mindset of people who conduct interviews and their line of thinking. I think this book may still be relevant, for today's interviews as well.

The book primarily centers around the approaches to solving puzzle questions that are posed during interviews. It provides a basis of understanding how the interviews work, how to best approach the problems and tips to ensuring that you're not going to make a bad impression during the interview.

Most of the puzzles aren't very different from stuff you find at the back of a Discover or Scientific American magazine. The whole point, basically, is don't blurt out an answer, reason your way through the question out loud and don't assume any information pertaining to the question.I didn't find the puzzle questions or their solutions to be very interesting, except for how they make M&Ms, which I probably wouldn't have figured out.I really liked the rest of the book more - the history behind it and all the little tidbits thrown in about Gates, Microsoft culture, and interviewing in general.Reading this book won't get you through a Microsoft interview with flying colors. It will be obvious if you're regurgitating information or if you're thinking a problem through. Chances are they're not going to ask you anything in here since it's all common knowledge now.If you've no experience working through word problems and logic puzzles, then by all means get the book to see the kind of stuff they might ask you, and what typical approaches to those types of problems can be. But think of this merely as a mental guide and not an answerbook.

This book has very clearcut language and really charming brainteasers. Great for interviews.

Beautiful book about the origins of the Silicon Valley and the companies that made history. This is not only a book about puzzles, but also an interesting walkthrough in the history of puzzles in the cutting edge companies that changed the electronic world.

It is not just a puzzle book. It is more like a story book with questions in between.Quite well written for fast paced read.And the puzzles would make your conversations with friends spicier. :)

I loved this book. The puzzles are great and there's a good spread of difficulties. About half the book is given over the story of the rise of the tech giants and how they recruit good staff, particularly developers. It's all highly entertaining, the only bit I didn't care for was Poundstone's own theories on the best way to interview staff. I'm not in HR so this I could do without, but other than that this book is great fun, especially if you're a programmer.

最適だと思います。Microsoftでの中途採用の際のインタビュー用のクイズの問題を集めたものです。それ以外にも何故Microsoftでこのような質問が採用に際して使用されるかについての内部者のコメントもあり興味深く読めました。あれくらいの企業になると優れた一人を採用しそびれるリスクより、どうにもならないレベルの人間を間違って採用した場合のリスクを重視する、というのは勝者ゆえの論理でしょうが説得力があります。