How To Interview And Why

An interview too often feels like a first date - awkward, strange, and not entirely predictive of what’s to follow. There are countless books and websites to help you when you’re a job seeker, but what about when you’re the one doing the hiring? Will you just ask the same puzzle questions or sort algorithm problems? What are your metrics for evaluating or contextualizing the answers? In this talk, I’ll discuss successful practices and techniques to help you find someone who will innovate your business, bring new energy to your team, get the work done, AND be someone you’ll want to work with.

Transcript

1. HOW TO INTERVIEW AND WHY Saturday, August 2, 14
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7. HOW TO BE AWESOME AT INTERVIEWING • Know What You’re Looking For • Find People Who Have It • Keep Improving Your Process Saturday, August 2, 14
8. 1 KNOW WHAT Y O U ’ R E LOOKING FOR Saturday, August 2, 14
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11. DEFINE YOUR CULTURE • Start the conversation early • Refuse to accept vagueness • Generate “Belief/Therefor” statements Saturday, August 2, 14
12. "WE BELIEVE IN RESPECT, THEREFORE WE WILL SHOW UP ON TIME FOR ALL MEETINGS." Saturday, August 2, 14
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14. TYPICAL HIRING PROCESS 1) Job posted 2) Resumé and/or code samples reviewed 3) Initial phone screen(s) 4) Technical phone screen(s) 5) Interview Saturday, August 2, 14
15. 2 FIND PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT Saturday, August 2, 14
16. Interview Day! Saturday, August 2, 14
17. INTERVIEW DAY! • Have a schedule • Set expectations • Make an effort to have diverse interviewers • Allow for breaks Saturday, August 2, 14
18. MAKE A GAME PLAN • Assign different areas of focus for each interviewer • Have a hand-off system • Create 3-5 questions for each interviewer to ask • Record impressions immediately after interview Saturday, August 2, 14
19. SETTLING IN • Start with a simple conversation • Ease candidates into process • Double-check for red flags • Learn how they communicate Saturday, August 2, 14
20. BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING • Hypothetical questions are game-able • Ask for the story of specific situations • Keep in mind they want to get hired! Saturday, August 2, 14
21. COLLABORATION AUDITION • Plan an app • Focus on high-level design • Jr - simple MVC app • Mid/Sr - OO game • Sr/Lead - distributed API Saturday, August 2, 14
22. PAIRING AUDITION • Not everyone pairs • Let them use their setup • Pick a kata, Ruby quiz, or open source project you’re both familiar (but not intimate) with Saturday, August 2, 14
23. PRESENTATION AUDITION • Have candidate teach you something • It needn't be technical • Set clear expectations about length, format, and investment of time Saturday, August 2, 14
24. INTERVIEW LUNCH - AN OPPORTUNITY! Saturday, August 2, 14
25. AFTER THE INTERVIEW • Gather all feedback, then discuss as a group • Find a consensus • Follow-up interviews can be problematic • Set candidate expectations for response and meet them Saturday, August 2, 14
26. • Don’t say why, call out deficiencies, or make it personal • Be respectful • Explain potential for reapplication (if any) • Be cautious with follow-up HANDLING REJECTION Saturday, August 2, 14
27. 7 INTERVIEW ANTIPATTERNS Saturday, August 2, 14
28. GPA, SAT, GRE • GPA useless after 2-3 years • More interesting to see what was studied than test results • SAT and GRE are for judging academic performance only • High School transcripts = LOL Saturday, August 2, 14
29. “NEGGING” • “You’re not qualified for this job -- I’m not sure how you got this interview” • “You’re qualified but I’m not feeling a spark. Convince me you’re the right person for this job.” Saturday, August 2, 14
30. “SUBMIT A PR TO APPLY” • What about the well- documented barriers to OSS? • You’re asking for free work for the CHANCE of a job • Many people can’t tip their hand that they’re looking for new employment Saturday, August 2, 14
31. GROUP/SPEED INTERVIEWS • Disrespectful of individuals • Filters for people who can attract your attention Saturday, August 2, 14
32. PUZZLE QUESTIONS • Google on puzzle questions: “a complete waste of time” • Filter for people who have the same context as you • Only serve to make you feel smart Saturday, August 2, 14
33. WHITEBOARD CODING • It is artificial to code by writing on the wall • Adversarial rather than collaborative Saturday, August 2, 14
34. FIZZBUZZ • At best: a time waster • At worst: an insult Saturday, August 2, 14
35. 3KEEP IMPROVING YOUR PROCESS Saturday, August 2, 14
36. WE IMPROVE WHAT WE MEASURE • Register predictions ahead of time • Discover your biases • Keep tabs on people you turn down Saturday, August 2, 14
37. Steven Mullin Saturday, August 2, 14
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39. KERRI MILLER (@KERRIZOR) • glass artist • Vespa mechanic • lighting designer • author & teacher • player of games • software developer Saturday, August 2, 14
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