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

The Cobra programming language is a general-purpose, object-oriented language that was developed by Charles Esterbrook in 2006. It integrates features from Python, C#, Eiffel, and other languages to provide robustness and productivity. The software emphasizes design-by-contract principles while also supporting unit testing and static typing for enhanced reliability. Its source code is open-source under the MIT License on SourceForge.net since its inception. Cobra's unique blend of features has made it an intriguing choice for developers seeking a versatile yet powerful coding tool.

First 20 minutes

General Cobra 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.

What are Cobra's support capabilities for multi-threading?

Cobra has built-in support for multi-threading. It provides a simple and clean syntax for spawning threads, locking, signaling, and other threading operations.

Describe the difference between static typing and dynamic typing in Cobra.

Static typing in Cobra means the type of variable is known at compile time, which allows the compiler to perform optimizations. Dynamic typing means the type is checked at runtime, which offers more flexibility.

How would you handle exceptions in Cobra?

Exceptions in Cobra can be handled using the 'try-catch' block. We use 'try' before the section of code where an exception could occur and 'catch' to handle the exception if it occurs.

What are the benefits of using Design by Contract in Cobra?

Design by Contract in Cobra provides a clear specification of the system's components, improves software correctness, simplifies debugging, and aids in maintaining and documenting the code.

How would you define the key features of Cobra language?

Cobra language has several key features such as static typing, design by contract, unit tests, a clean syntax, automatic garbage collection, and inbuilt support for threading and multiprocessor work.

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

Have they demonstrated knowledge of software development methodologies, such as Agile or Scrum?

This is important as these methodologies are commonly used in the industry and can help to ensure that the candidate can work effectively within the team's established processes.

Do they keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their field?

This is a positive sign as it shows that the candidate is committed to continuous learning and development, which is important in a rapidly evolving field like software development.

Are they able to solve problems and make decisions independently?

A Cobra developer should have strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make decisions independently, as they may often need to troubleshoot and solve coding issues on their own.

Can they effectively communicate complex technical concepts?

This is important because it shows their ability to work in a team setting, where they may need to explain their work to non-technical team members.

Have they shared their past experience with similar projects or roles?

This will provide insight into their practical knowledge and ability to apply their skills in real-world scenarios.

Does the candidate demonstrate a strong understanding of Cobra programming language?

This is crucial because the role is specifically for a Cobra developer, thus, proficiency in the language is key to perform the job effectively.

Next 20 minutes

Specific Cobra 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.

Describe the difference between 'is' and 'isa' in Cobra.

'is' is used to check if an object is of a certain type. 'isa' is used to check if an object is an instance of a certain class or a subclass of it.

How would you implement polymorphism in Cobra?

Polymorphism in Cobra can be implemented through method overriding, where a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already provided by its parent class.

What are the uses of interfaces in Cobra?

Interfaces in Cobra are used to define a contract for classes. They are useful when we want to ensure that a class adheres to a certain contract but we don't care about the actual implementation.

Describe the difference between a class and an object in Cobra.

A class in Cobra is a blueprint or prototype from which objects are created. An object is an instance of a class.

How would you implement inheritance in Cobra?

Inheritance in Cobra can be implemented by using the 'inherits' keyword. The subclass specifies the superclass after the 'inherits' keyword.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The candidate should demonstrate strong technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities and teamwork skills. Red flags could include difficulty explaining complex concepts, lack of detail in responses or evidence of poor communication skills.

Digging deeper

Code questions

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

What does this simple Cobra code do?var x = 10
if x > 5, print 'Greater than 5'
This code declares a variable 'x' and assigns it the value 10. Then it checks if 'x' is greater than 5. If 'x' is greater than 5, it prints 'Greater than 5'.
What will be the output of this Cobra code snippet?var list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
for item in list, print item
This code declares a list with five elements and iterates over each element in the list. It will print each element of the list, so the output will be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
What does this Cobra code snippet do?var list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
list = list.reverse
print list
This code declares a list with five elements. It then reverses the order of the elements in the list and prints the reversed list. So, the output will be 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
What does this Cobra code snippet do?var lock = Cobra.Lang.Lock()
lock.acquire
print 'Hello, World!'
lock.release
This code creates a new lock object, acquires the lock, prints 'Hello, World!', and then releases the lock. This ensures that the print statement is executed in a thread-safe manner.
What does this Cobra code snippet do?class Animal
    var name = ''
    cue init(name as String)
        .name = name
var dog = Animal('Dog')
print dog.name
This code defines a class 'Animal' with a variable 'name'. It defines a constructor that takes a name as an argument. It then creates an instance of 'Animal' with the name 'Dog' and prints the name of the instance, which will be 'Dog'.
What will be the output of this advanced Cobra code snippet?class Person
    var name = ''
    var age = 0
    cue init(name as String, age as int)
        .name = name
        .age = age
    def isAdult as bool
        return .age >= 18
var person = Person('John', 20)
print person.isAdult
This code defines a class 'Person' with variables 'name' and 'age', and a method 'isAdult' that returns true if the person's age is 18 or more. It creates an instance of 'Person' with the name 'John' and age 20, and then prints whether the person is an adult. The output will be 'true'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Cobra role questions

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

How would you optimize a large Cobra application for performance?

Optimizing a large Cobra application for performance could involve strategies such as using efficient data structures, minimizing I/O operations, taking advantage of Cobra's multi-threading capabilities, and using the profiler to identify and optimize bottlenecks.

What are the best practices for error handling in Cobra?

Best practices for error handling in Cobra include using exceptions for error conditions, providing meaningful error messages, and using 'try-catch' blocks to handle exceptions gracefully.

Describe the difference between 'assert' and 'ensure' in Cobra.

'assert' is used to verify that a condition is true at a particular point in the code. 'ensure' is used to specify a condition that must be true when a method finishes executing.

How would you design a multi-threaded application in Cobra?

Designing a multi-threaded application in Cobra involves careful use of the 'thread' keyword for spawning threads, and the use of locks, signals, and other concurrency primitives to ensure correct and efficient operation.

What are Cobra's capabilities for handling null values?

Cobra provides the '?' operator to handle null values. This operator can be used to provide a default value when a null value is encountered.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Cobra application related

Product Perfect's Cobra development capabilities

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

Cobra Consultive assessments

Cobra Application Conversion Assessment Cobra Application Integration Assessment Cobra Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Cobra development projects

Custom Cobra App Conversion Cobra Custom App Development Process App UI Design for Cobra Facelifts

Cobra Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for Cobra Engineers

First 20 minutes

General Cobra knowledge and experience

What are Cobra's support capabilities for multi-threading?

Describe the difference between static typing and dynamic typing in Cobra.

How would you handle exceptions in Cobra?

What are the benefits of using Design by Contract in Cobra?

How would you define the key features of Cobra language?

What youre looking for early-on

Have they demonstrated knowledge of software development methodologies, such as Agile or Scrum?

Do they keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their field?

Are they able to solve problems and make decisions independently?

Can they effectively communicate complex technical concepts?

Have they shared their past experience with similar projects or roles?

Does the candidate demonstrate a strong understanding of Cobra programming language?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Cobra development questions

Describe the difference between 'is' and 'isa' in Cobra.

How would you implement polymorphism in Cobra?

What are the uses of interfaces in Cobra?

Describe the difference between a class and an object in Cobra.

How would you implement inheritance in Cobra?

The ideal back-end app developer

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

What does this simple Cobra code do?

This code declares a variable 'x' and assigns it the value 10. Then it checks if 'x' is greater than 5. If 'x' is greater than 5, it prints 'Greater than 5'.

What will be the output of this Cobra code snippet?

This code declares a list with five elements and iterates over each element in the list. It will print each element of the list, so the output will be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

What does this Cobra code snippet do?

This code declares a list with five elements. It then reverses the order of the elements in the list and prints the reversed list. So, the output will be 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

What does this Cobra code snippet do?

This code creates a new lock object, acquires the lock, prints 'Hello, World!', and then releases the lock. This ensures that the print statement is executed in a thread-safe manner.

What does this Cobra code snippet do?

This code defines a class 'Animal' with a variable 'name'. It defines a constructor that takes a name as an argument. It then creates an instance of 'Animal' with the name 'Dog' and prints the name of the instance, which will be 'Dog'.

What will be the output of this advanced Cobra code snippet?

This code defines a class 'Person' with variables 'name' and 'age', and a method 'isAdult' that returns true if the person's age is 18 or more. It creates an instance of 'Person' with the name 'John' and age 20, and then prints whether the person is an adult. The output will be 'true'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Cobra role questions

How would you optimize a large Cobra application for performance?

What are the best practices for error handling in Cobra?

Describe the difference between 'assert' and 'ensure' in Cobra.

How would you design a multi-threaded application in Cobra?

What are Cobra's capabilities for handling null values?

Cobra Consultive assessments

Custom Cobra development projects