I received a call from a software developer who spoke in a monotone and was difficult to understand. He hung up without saying goodbye and did not want to discuss the position, repeatedly stating he needed to call back. I eventually gave up and emailed him to withdraw my interest.

Two weeks later, a Yahoo! recruiter contacted me, asking if I had heard from anyone at Yahoo! and if I was still interested. I was still interested, but not in the first developer.

I then received an email from a second software developer with a vague job description for the Yahoo! Mail group. The posting sought candidates ranging from "rock star new grads" to individuals with 15+ years of experience, with the exact quote, "only true ninjas need apply."

The second software developer called me. He was pleasant and asked basic questions about Java interfaces, Java static members, Java inheritance, JavaScript innerHTML, JavaScript document.all, design patterns, and Big O notation. I answered all questions but mentioned that Big O notation and design patterns were not particularly interesting to me, so he asked very few questions on those topics.

A day later, I received a rejection email from an HR representative. I sent a follow-up email to the second software developer, but I have not yet received a response.

My general impression is that Yahoo! suffers from "Google envy." They seem to be attempting to build a reputation for a hiring process that is unnecessarily long, illogical, arbitrary, rude, and obscure, aiming to emulate Google.

What is a static method in Java and how does it differ from a non-static method?

What is a Java interface and how does implements differ from extends?

What is a design pattern? Name and describe one or two design patterns.

Do you know what Big O notation is?

In JavaScript, what is innerHTML and what do you use it for?