Best and shortest books on C++/STL/C#/J2SE to prepare for job inteview/tests [closed]

Question

I am a software developer with 10+ years commercial experience, I am comfortable with nearly all of imperative languages. But I realized that most of employers prefer not candidates who is able to deliver good software but those who is trained to answer questions like "what are ten differences between pointers and references in C++" or "what this messy code fragment will print". Last time I have read a book on C++ 15 years ago in secondary school and yes, that was Bjarne Stroustrup. But today I need something quick, without long philosophical explanations about polymorphism etc but with focus to silly interview tests. So, can you recommend any short and effective books to refresh my theoretical knowledge? Thank you.

Answer 1

Either you can program in these things or you can't.

If you can then it doesn't really matter what they ask. Some people may still ask esoteric questions but remember that an interview goes two ways: you're also interviewing them and if they ask silly questions then do you really want to work for them? Empirical data shows you get little more value from esoteric questions than simple.

If you can't then it sounds like you've said something that isn't true. Your best bet is to be honest and say "I Haven't coded C++ in 10 years so I'm a bit rusty" and then you're fine. If they don't hire you then again, was that the right employer for you? A good employer will realize that this shouldn't disqualify you for the job. As long as you can program in one language you can program in another, particularly one you've used before, with a ramp up period.