Hiring guide for JBasic Engineers

JBasic Developer Hiring Guide

JBasic is a computer programming language that was developed by Microsoft in the mid-1970s. It was originally designed for beginners to learn the fundamentals of structured and procedural programming. The language has evolved over time, with versions such as Visual Basic becoming popular for Windows application development. JBasic's simplicity and versatility have made it a staple in educational settings worldwide, fostering an understanding of logical problem-solving among students (source: "The History of Visual Basic", ThoughtCo). Despite its age, JBasic remains relevant today due to its ease-of-use and broad applicability across various computing platforms (source: "Programming Languages History", Computer Hope).

Ask the right questions secure the right JBasic talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General JBasic app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in JBasic application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you declare a variable in JBasic?
You can declare a variable in JBasic using the 'DIM' keyword. For example, 'DIM x AS INTEGER' declares an integer variable named x.
What are the different data types in JBasic?
JBasic supports several data types including INTEGER, FLOAT, STRING, BOOLEAN, and OBJECT.
How would you write a conditional statement in JBasic?
In JBasic, you can write a conditional statement using the 'IF' keyword. For example, 'IF x > 10 THEN PRINT "x is greater than 10" END IF'.
Describe the difference between a WHILE loop and a FOR loop in JBasic.
A WHILE loop continues to execute as long as the condition is true. A FOR loop executes a specific number of times. The number of iterations is determined at the start of the loop.
How would you define a function in JBasic?
In JBasic, you can define a function using the 'FUNCTION' keyword. For example, 'FUNCTION add(x AS INTEGER, y AS INTEGER) AS INTEGER RETURN x + y END FUNCTION'.
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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate possess a strong understanding of JBasic?
Can the candidate problem-solve and think critically?
Is the candidate able to articulate their thought process clearly?
Has the candidate demonstrated an ability to learn new skills quickly?

Next 20 minutes

Specific JBasic development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

What are the different types of error handling in JBasic?
JBasic provides several ways to handle errors, including 'ON ERROR GOTO', 'ON ERROR RESUME NEXT', and 'TRY...CATCH...FINALLY' statements.
How would you handle exceptions in JBasic?
In JBasic, you can handle exceptions using the 'TRY...CATCH...FINALLY' statement. The 'TRY' block contains the code that might throw an exception, the 'CATCH' block handles the exception, and the 'FINALLY' block contains code that is always executed.
Describe the difference between a local variable and a global variable in JBasic.
A local variable is declared within a procedure and can only be accessed within that procedure. A global variable is declared outside all procedures and can be accessed anywhere in the program.
How would you create an array in JBasic?
In JBasic, you can create an array using the 'DIM' keyword. For example, 'DIM arr(10) AS INTEGER' creates an array of integers with 10 elements.
What are the different ways to read and write files in JBasic?
JBasic provides several ways to read and write files, including 'OPEN...FOR INPUT', 'OPEN...FOR OUTPUT', 'READ', and 'WRITE' statements.
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The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the JBasic engineer at this point.

At this point, a skilled JBasic engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in JBasic programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with JBasic.

What does the following JBasic code do?
PRINT 'Hello, World!'
This code prints the string 'Hello, World!' to the console.
What will be the output of the following JBasic code?
LET x = 5
LET y = 10
PRINT x + y
The output will be 15. The code assigns the values 5 and 10 to the variables x and y respectively, then prints the sum of x and y.
What does the following JBasic code do?
DIM arr(5)
FOR i = 1 TO 5
LET arr(i) = i * 2
NEXT i
This code initializes an array of size 5 and populates it with the first five multiples of 2.
What does the following JBasic code do?
THREAD CREATE 'MyThread'
THREAD RUN 'MyThread'
This code creates a new thread named 'MyThread' and then starts it.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for JBasic Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle JBasic application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

How would you connect to a database in JBasic?
In JBasic, you can connect to a database using the 'OPEN DATABASE' statement. You need to provide the connection string, which includes the database name, server name, username, and password.
Describe the difference between a subroutine and a function in JBasic.
A subroutine is a block of code that performs a specific task but does not return a value. A function is a block of code that performs a specific task and returns a value.
How would you handle string manipulation in JBasic?
JBasic provides several functions for string manipulation, including 'LEN' for getting the length of a string, 'MID' for extracting a substring, 'INSTR' for finding the position of a substring, and 'TRIM' for removing leading and trailing spaces.

JBasic application related

Product Perfect's JBasic development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your JBasic engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in JBasic projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.