Gene Frenkle Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I've drawn the personally undesirable duty of interviewing several candidates tomorrow. Some background: I have never interviewed anyone before. Nearly all of the candidates are at least 15-20 years my senior and therefore have more work experience than me. All of these facts are combining to stress me the hell out. Any advice? Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've drawn the personally undesirable duty of interviewing several candidates tomorrow. Some background: I have never interviewed anyone before. Nearly all of the candidates are at least 15-20 years my senior and therefore have more work experience than me. All of these facts are combining to stress me the hell out. Any advice? Please? Why on earth would your company have someone who has never interviewed someone before do this? It's hard to say how best to do this for you because I have no idea what you do so don't know what questions to ask. But what you need to do is come up with a list of questions and have them written down and try to memorize them if you have time. I don't think it's a problem to have them written down as long as you take notes next to the questions and don't read from the page just havem the sheet as a crutch in case you get stuck. I interview several times a month so I have tons of experience. Just remember they'll be just as nervous, if not more, than you're going to be. Good luck. Oh, and don't ask them is they liked George Bush or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Call in sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Ask them lots of personal stuff so you can get to know the real people. Marriage, kids, sexual proclivities, that kind of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Frenkle Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 Why on earth would your company have someone who has never interviewed someone before do this? That's a fine question. We're a smallish company but that's still no excuse for making me interview anybody. I'm a web app developer and I already Googled a list of applicable questions. I have to pare the list down tonight. Thanks for the advice, I'll memorize as many as I can and try to act too far out of my league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've done a handful of interviews, and there is one thing I can offer up here that I hope will help. When you are interviewing them, ensure they understand everything that you understand to be their responsibility in this role. Everything. And then ask them, point blank, if they understand all of this and if they are willing to accept the job knowing what you just explained to them. So many times I've seen interviews focus only on the person's capabilities without a clear definition of the position. Next thing you know, three months in, the person is sitting there saying "Well this isn't what I thought it'd be." I believe there are three key traits you need in an employee: the fact that they know their role, they accept their role, and they execute their role. It helps if you get the first two out of the way early, then find out how they think they can do the third during the interview. For what it's worth. Ask them lots of personal stuff so you can get to know the real people. Marriage, kids, sexual proclivities, that kind of stuff. And then when the interview is over, call human resources and let them know your findings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Frenkle Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've done a handful of interviews, and there is one thing I can offer up here that I hope will help. When you are interviewing them, ensure they understand everything that you understand to be their responsibility in this role. Everything. And then ask them, point blank, if they understand all of this and if they are willing to accept the job knowing what you just explained to them. So many times I've seen interviews focus only on the person's capabilities without a clear definition of the position. Next thing you know, three months in, the person is sitting there saying "Well this isn't what I thought it'd be." I believe there are three key traits you need in an employee: the fact that they know their role, they accept their role, and they execute their role. It helps if you get the first two out of the way early, then find out how they think they can do the third during the interview. For what it's worth. And then when the interview is over, call human resources and let them know your findings. Thanks, that's great. I'll have to lay that list of responsibilities out tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Ask them lots of personal stuff so you can get to know the real people. Marriage, kids, sexual proclivities, that kind of stuff. Oh, that's just wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 And then when the interview is over, call human resources and let them know your findings. I don't have to worry about that. I'm 'human resources' at my Company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Frenkle Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thanks for all the advice - I just struggled through the last one. I mostly felt like I was the one being interviewed the whole time. All three looked at me stragely when I asked to see a picture of their wife and kids. I might omit that from future interviews. If you get your advice from PPP, you'll get what you deserve... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I believe there are three key traits you need in an girlfriend: the fact that they know their role, they accept their role, and they execute their role. It helps if you get the first two out of the way early, then find out how they think they can do the third during the interview. This line of questioning usually works on first dates too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 If you get your advice from PPP, you'll get what you deserve... If you had asked this on OTW you'd have gotten responses like "what are they listening to right now" or "do they have any good retatta recipes" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 That's a fine question. We're a smallish company but that's still no excuse for making me interview anybody. I'm a web app developer and I already Googled a list of applicable questions. I have to pare the list down tonight. Thanks for the advice, I'll memorize as many as I can and try to act too far out of my league. Beyond questions of aptitude... If you're a small company I think it is best to try to identify the company culture in 5 or 6 adjectives, or things that are valued in your workplace They may be.... Independent, Knowlegable, Adaptable, Creative, Salesdriven etc... And frame some questions around these to make sure the person fits your company culture. E.G. How were you able to adapt through your tenure at _________ ? If they can't answer, give them a chance to relate it to their own life, if they can't do that be polite, it might not be your person but you are still representing your company. Lot's can be unearthed with questions like : Tell me a little about the supervision style of best manager you have worked with, How about the worst? Red flags if they can't tell you anything nice about the best Supervisor they worked with. They might have tons of baggage. These are conversational, but you'll get a sense if they fit your company culture, or even have qualities that may enhance it. Usually you want to find out not only if that person are good for your company, but if your company will be good for them and they will be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The BEST thing you can do is to understand the requirements of the position you're seeking to fill. You're looking for either experience doing that job, or basic skills that will translate into the ability to do that job quickly. Let the candidate talk. Prompt him/her if you need to. Don't let THEM take control of the conversation. THEY want to sell you on how great they are. YOU want to get a feel for their skills and "fit" into your environment. So talk about yourself and the company enough to make them feel comfortable but don't let that take up the bulk of the time. As a web app developer I am sure you've had the opportunity to sit down with clients (internal or external) to elicit the info you need to do your job. This isn't very different. Don't ask about kids, religion, marital state, etc etc. Also it's ok to ask about gaps in employment but...be careful about going too deeply. If an offer's going to be made then the past employer can fill you in. I usually ask: 1) Tell me about yourself? The correct response would be to state qualifications for the job, not to blab about their life history. The way they respond to this tells me how much they prepared and how well they understand the job requirements. 2) Why do you want this job? 3) How would approach your first 30 days in this position? The BEST questions are situational / results: 1) Give me an example of a challenge you faced when you were wtih [past company] and what you did to meet it? Results? 2) Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a co-worker and how you resolved it? etc And lastly - ask them what questions they have of and make careful note of them. If they ask about money and vacation - that's not really appropriate. Again, you'll know how well they prepared and what matters to them by what they ask. To be honest - if someone has the basic skills and experience, good references and that intangible "fit", they're often a better hire than someone who meets every job requirement but who is hard to warm up to. "Fit" is hard to describe, but you know it. It's better to take a chance on someone who is willing and able to learn - and good to work with, at least IMHO. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsidethebox Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've drawn the personally undesirable duty of interviewing several candidates tomorrow. Some background: I have never interviewed anyone before. Nearly all of the candidates are at least 15-20 years my senior and therefore have more work experience than me. All of these facts are combining to stress me the hell out. Any advice? Please? So, what your saying is Burger King is hiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thanks for all the advice - I just struggled through the last one. I mostly felt like I was the one being interviewed the whole time. All three looked at me stragely when I asked to see a picture of their wife and kids. I might omit that from future interviews. If you get your advice from PPP, you'll get what you deserve... I've never felt like I was being interviewed. Well I did have someone sort of interview me yesterday. He asked what made me a good manager. I told him what made me a good manager was that I realized that he'd never work here....just kidding I actually hired him. Key thing to remember during interviews. You have a job and they don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Frenkle Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 So, what your saying is Burger King is hiring? Not any more. Suit up and put on the headset - you're hired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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