ATS Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for ATS Engineers

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

ATS is a computer programming language created by John McCarthy in 1968. It is a functional programming language that is designed to be easy to read and write. ATS is used in a variety of applications, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, and natural language processing. Source: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATS_(programming_language)

First 20 minutes

General ATS knowledge and experience

The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.

How would you handle error handling in ATS?

ATS provides exception handling mechanisms similar to other languages. You can use the try-catch-finally construct to handle exceptions.

Describe the difference between static and dynamic typing in ATS.

Static typing in ATS means that the type of a variable is known at compile time. Dynamic typing means that the type is known at runtime. ATS is statically typed which helps catch errors early.

What are some of the challenges you might face when developing with ATS?

ATS has a steep learning curve and its syntax can be quite complex. It also lacks extensive libraries and community support compared to more popular languages.

How would you describe the difference between ATS and other programming languages?

ATS combines functional and imperative programming. It allows for theorem proving which is not common in other languages. It also has a very strong type system which can prevent many runtime errors.

What are the key features of ATS?

ATS has several key features including strong static typing, pattern matching, theorem proving for program verification, and support for functional and concurrent programming.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What youre looking for early-on

Does the candidate have a good attitude and seem like they would fit in with the company culture?

A candidate can have all the skills in the world, but if they don't fit in with the company culture, they may not be a good fit for the team.

Has the candidate shown a willingness to learn and adapt?

The tech industry is constantly evolving, so it's important that the candidate is willing to keep up with new trends and technologies.

Does the candidate have experience with the specific ATS systems your company uses?

Having experience with the specific systems your company uses will allow the candidate to hit the ground running.

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively?

Communication skills are important in any role, but especially in development where they will need to explain complex concepts to non-technical team members.

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills during the interview?

Problem-solving skills are essential in development roles as they will often need to troubleshoot and solve issues that arise during the development process.

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of ATS development?

This is crucial as the candidate needs to have a solid foundation in ATS development to be able to perform the job effectively.

Next 20 minutes

Specific ATS development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.

How would you use dependent types in ATS to ensure correctness?

Dependent types in ATS can be used to express properties about the data in the type system. For example, you can use a dependent type to ensure that an array index is always within bounds.

What are the advantages of using theorem proving in ATS?

Theorem proving in ATS allows you to formally verify the correctness of your code. This can prevent many types of bugs and increase the reliability of your software.

Describe the difference between dependent types in ATS and generics in other languages.

Dependent types in ATS are a way to express properties about the data in the type system. Generics in other languages are a way to write code that works with any data type. Dependent types are more powerful and flexible than generics.

How would you optimize a program written in ATS?

Optimization in ATS often involves using the type system to ensure correctness, using linear types to manage resources, and using the theorem proving capabilities to verify the program's correctness.

What are linear types in ATS and how would you use them?

Linear types in ATS are a way to ensure that resources are properly managed. A value of a linear type must be used exactly once. This can be used to prevent memory leaks and null pointer exceptions.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The ideal back-end app developer

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

At this stage, the ATS engineer should demonstrate proficiency in ATS systems, strong problem-solving skills, and excellent communication abilities. Red flags include lack of detail in explaining previous projects, inability to articulate complex concepts simply, or unfamiliarity with latest ATS technologies.

Digging deeper

Code questions

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

What does this simple piece of code do?

let x = 10;
let y = '5';
let z = x + y;

This code concatenates the string '5' with the number 10 to produce the string '105'.

What will be the output of this code snippet?

function test() {
  var x = 1;
  if (true) {
    var x = 2;
    console.log(x);
  }
  console.log(x);
}
test();

The output will be '2' and then '2' again. This is because in JavaScript, the 'var' keyword does not have block scope, but function scope.

What does this code snippet do?

let arr = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
let sum = arr.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0);

This code calculates the sum of all numbers in the array 'arr' using the 'reduce' method.

What does this piece of code do?

let promise = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
  setTimeout(() => resolve('done!'), 1000);
});

This code creates a new Promise that resolves with the string 'done!' after 1 second.

What does this code snippet do?

class Person {
  constructor(name) {
    this.name = name;
  }
  sayHello() {
    return `Hello, ${this.name}`;
  }
}
let john = new Person('John');
john.sayHello();

This code defines a 'Person' class with a constructor and a 'sayHello' method. It then creates an instance of 'Person' named 'john' and calls the 'sayHello' method on it.

What will be the output of this code?

let x = function() {
  console.log(this);
};
let y = {
  x: x
};
y.x();

The output will be the 'y' object. This is because when a function is called as a method of an object, 'this' is set to the object the method is called on.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for ATS role questions

The final few interview questions for a ATS candidate should typically focus on a combination of technical skills, personal goals, growth potential, team dynamics, and company culture.

What are the most complex projects you have developed using ATS?

I have used ATS to develop a variety of complex systems, including a high-performance web server, a concurrent database system, and a real-time operating system.

How would you use ATS to develop a high-performance system?

ATS is well-suited for high-performance systems due to its low-level capabilities, strong type system, and support for concurrent programming. You can use these features to write efficient and reliable code.

Describe the difference between pattern matching in ATS and switch statements in other languages.

Pattern matching in ATS is more powerful than switch statements in other languages. It allows you to match on the structure of the data, not just its value.

How would you use ATS to develop a concurrent program?

ATS supports concurrent programming through the use of channels and processes. You can use these features to write concurrent programs in a similar way to other languages like Go.

What are some of the limitations of ATS?

ATS has a steep learning curve and its syntax can be complex. It also lacks extensive libraries and community support compared to more popular languages.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

ATS application related

Product Perfect's ATS development capabilities

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