Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Good post Sassberto. You mentioned one thing that hit close to home with me and that was the "ask questions" part. I have noticed with many interviews I have been on that the interviewer pretty much covers all aspects of the job so there is very little room for questions. Of course the ones I can think of asking I don't feel are right to ask until a job offer has been made. Those would include things like benefits, holiday pay, how time off works within the company and those types which can be very important to know. And not for the sake of immediate planning of taking time off but more so that you are not breaking that company's policies in those regards.
The other thing that can be pretty frustrating is between all the "experts" out there - yourself, the Internet, the books, other Hiring Managers, so on - they all seem to have these little different do's and don'ts so nothing seems to consistant. One place will tell you to do this with a cover letter or resume, another will say not to but to do this. I often wonder if employers realize (or even care) how confusing it is to "nab it right" for the job-seekers these days. We are supposed to be ourselves yet at the same time give the "good impression" they want to see.
And as you yourself mentioned, the professional courtesy from employers has gone out the window. I recently went to one interview where the interviewer made it a point to mention for me to be sure to follow up (something I would have done anyways) and then never responded back to me when I did. And this was also after he promised to "let you know what we decided", the reason for the follow up. While I will admit some people will go to a interview with the worst impressions I am sure many of us are really trying to make the best and right ones. Sorry if I seem to be atacking your points, I'm not, but it can be really frustrating on "our end" also when we feel we have met (or can meet) the requirements for the open position and then never hear about it.
[quote=Sassberto;2034528]A big part of my job is interviewing candidates. Over the past 3 or 4 years I have interviewed dozens of candidates not to mention hundreds of phone screens and resumes. I thought you guys might be interested in some of the stuff I've learned.
Resumes
When I look at resumes, I am looking for a few specific things:
Appropriateness of the candidate vs the role.
This is a tough one. I don't want a guy with 25 years experience for mid-level developer job just like I don't want a new grad for a senior job. Too much experience means a bored worker. Too little - they can't get the job done.
I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. I had 35 years experience in my field, and was hired by another company after moving out of state. One of the reasons they hired me was not only because I could sit down and do the job within 3 days, but because I was bringing stability to the department...I was done with my corporate climbing, I would be and was very satisfied to hire in at the position offered, not quit, not post out to another dept, to move up etc. They knew I'd be to work everyday on time, not on the net, not on my cell phone, not on personal calls, not having earphones stuck in my ear listening to a radio station, not calling off because I went out drinking too much the night before, not calling off because my kids are sick and on and on it goes.
And guess what? I out performed everyone in the department within 4 months. I became the company's all time performer, in the history of the company. Me at 53 with 36 years in the job (yep I started when I was 17)
and the 20 something year olds fresh out of college ( and 3 of the 4 of them that were hired? were fired for all the reasons I gave above, calling off, late every day, playing on the internet, on phone calls of a personal nature, both on the business phone and their private cell phones and for general lack of knowledge and ability to learn, and underperformance...
It just stuns me how HR people and or interviewers think you can sum up someone just because of how long they worked at a job. Maybe you should take the time to talk to a few of them, see where they are in their life, instead of "Assuming" you know their life history by how long they worked in their field.
Then again, it's your company's loss if you continue to have that kind of thought process. You have probably lost a few really good candidates.
Mrs P What a GREAT POST!! I only wish (the philosophy of) the likes of your company was not becoming an extinct breed.
And too many "HR people" are just looking for robots, who will do the bare minimum -- never give anything extra. Go a little over-and-beyond and you're a misfit making the rest look bad. This is the trend I've been seeing anyways. And God forbid these people even call references when very good ones are provided! The HR people I had dealt with were all young white women who can't even relate to the job for which I'm applying, so the answer to what these people are really "looking" for:
Clones of the people they already have on staff. ROBOTS. Nothing more.
And if you're female, gotta be a Paris Hilton lookalike or foreign. Forget the hospitality (interacting with public/clients and not shoved behind a desk) field especially if you're female over 40. Had to finally give up on a profession I really enjoyed because of this. They don't want good experience and great references -- they want Paris Hiltons.
(And don't dare ever be very qualified and have a great attitude if you're trying to be hired by another woman! Tell them you were a dishwasher at the OK Corral Buffet if you hope to even get in the door!)
When they ask you to put previous salaries DON'T!! Just tell them you respect the confidentiality of those previous employers' salaries. Many good employers would never wish to have their salaries leaked anyway.
Thanks for the tips, but, not to mean any disrespect.. you are really, really judgemental. Yes, I know its your job to do that and I understand, but sometimes you hiring people just need to give someone a chance rather than looking over their job history or experiences and ruling someone out before you even talk to them.
Ruling someone out for trying to come up with an answer instead of saying "I dont know" ? thats rough... people think you want an answer to the question you ask, they don't want to blow it, so they try their best, and you rule them out on that? i dunno, just seems really weak to me.
Also, I don't know how you can look at someone who has 25 years experience in your field as someone you DONT want to hire...demean them like they're not good enough for you, thats insane..
As I said earlier, I mean no disrespect. But sometimes, couldn't these HR people just put all the mirco-analzing aside and give someone a shot?
I've been the primary interviewer for what I suppose would be called "high stakes" positions: VPs, executives, partners, senior managers, etc.
I cannot recall a single instance when I was ever this pretentious.
If someone tried to act like this I would have smacked them upside the head until they dropped the BS.
The only important thing, or I should say, the only common theme that recurs time and again in my judgment of workplace situations, is what type of person someone is. I want to know how their personality will "fit"; it doesn't have be the ideal fit at all. Usually I like to upset the balance of the workplace so that the new person brings new ideas, brings a counterpoint to the current management, and most importantly can work well with others.
Show that and you're in. If you believe that someone is actually judging you in the first five minutes you should be legally excused from homicide if you beat them to death with your suitcase.
Great post. People with your thinking are the good people in this world.
I agree to the point that the person being interviewed is in the hot seat, but I would not allow myself to feel I was in the hot seat. Besides the fact that it's too stressful to interview beleiving you're in the hot seat, this is also an opportunity to interview the person about the company and the position being offered, so we're truely both in the hot seat. I never wanted to take just any job so asking questions and listening to their answers helped me to decide if this was a company I wanted to work for. I wanted to know why the position is being offered, the turn over rate, and a few other questions of concern. Of course, this should be done professionally as you mentioned. Prior to the interview I do my homework and find out as much as I can about the company so I'm well informed/prepared. I also let the person interviewing me know that I have done this. They were always pleased that I took the time to learn about them, and they almost always offered me the job. I also followed up with a thank you note, which didn't hurt either.
Don't argue, don't interrupt. You're in the hot seat and you need to come off well. My job is to test your demeanor a little bit and see how you respond - make sure to keep your cool at all times - and if you need to disagree - be tactful and professional.
A big part of my job is interviewing candidates. Over the past 3 or 4 years I have interviewed dozens of candidates not to mention hundreds of phone screens and resumes. I thought you guys might be interested in some of the stuff I've learned.
Resumes
When I look at resumes, I am looking for a few specific things:
Recent, relevant experience in the area we are looking for
What has the candidate been working on for the last couple of years? I will always favor a candidate who's recent experience matches what we're looking for.
Reasonable tenures (at least a couple of years) at each employer.
Since I'm in tech, short tenures are common, but I want to avoid red flags like 3 jobs in 3 years.
A pattern of progression in responsibility and scope over time.
I want to see a guy go from entry-level to senior. I want to see him learning new skills and getting increased responsibilities. I don't want someone who's been doing the same job for 7 years.
Appropriateness of the candidate vs the role.
This is a tough one. I don't want a guy with 25 years experience for mid-level developer job just like I don't want a new grad for a senior job. Too much experience means a bored worker. Too little - they can't get the job done.
Phone Screens
99% of potential candidates get passed on after a phone screen. Since I'm in tech, we typically do some technical Q&A to make sure the person has the knowledge they say they do. Specifically, I want to see:
Candidate should validate the resume.
If the resume says "built an order management system", I don't want to hear that the candidate was only peripherally involved in the phone screen. I am going to ask about the stuff you put on your resume - be prepared to talk about it.
Admit when you don't know the answer
I don't expect anyone to get every single question on the tech screen right. But you need to know how to say "I don't know" when you don't. That means no stammering and hemming and hawing as you try to fudge an answer.
Know the questions everyone will ask you
There are some questions everyone in the industry asks. You can go to any number of web sites and find out what they are. You absolutely, must nail these.
Ask questions to the interviewer
This is an important factor in the phone screen. You must show interest in the company and the position. This is your opportunity to develop a rapport with me. Ask as many questions as you need to to - I appreciate it. Too many candidates say "I don't have any questions"!
The Interview
Contrary to popular belief the actual interview is more about fit and personality than ability. Sure, we are looking for your aptitude but moreso we are looking to make sure you fit in and will work out. A good candidate may be a little weaker in terms of skills and experience but has the attitude and personality that can push him in the other direction.
Appearances DO matter.
No matter what you want to believe, I am judging you by your clothes, hair, hygiene, and demeanor. I won't get too far into it here, but it's always better to err on the side of caution and conservatism if you are unsure of what is appropriate.
Don't argue, don't interrupt.
You're in the hot seat and you need to come off well. My job is to test your demeanor a little bit and see how you respond - make sure to keep your cool at all times - and if you need to disagree - be tactful and professional.
Sell Yourself
You are here to sell me on how great a person and an employee you'll be. I want to hear about it. I want you to tell me how good you are at what you do, and I want to believe it!
Remember I want to fill the position as badly as you want to get the job. I have spent hours and hours going through this process again and again with different people. Nothing will make me happier than finding the right person!
I could rattle on endlessly but that's enough for now - I hope this info has been helpful to some of you job seekers out there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had 35 years experience in my field, and was hired by another company after moving out of state. One of the reasons they hired me was not only because I could sit down and do the job within 3 days, but because I was bringing stability to the department...I was done with my corporate climbing, I would be and was very satisfied to hire in at the position offered, not quit, not post out to another dept, to move up etc. They knew I'd be to work everyday on time, not on the net, not on my cell phone, not on personal calls, not having earphones stuck in my ear listening to a radio station, not calling off because I went out drinking too much the night before, not calling off because my kids are sick and on and on it goes.
Don't argue, don't interrupt.
