Your Opinion on Good Interviewees

In My Humble Opinion
21

Actually, since I genuinely like being a programmer, my stock response to “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is usually along the lines of “Building and running a top of the line database, hopefully here.” Even when I applied for admin assistant jobs, I tried to answer it in a way that indicated I wanted to stay with the company, increasing my skills and responsibilities. It’s also what I really do hope any employer will give me a chance to do. I hate job hunting and I like seeing how much I’m capable of. Among other things, job hunting is a distraction from that.

By the way, I have to share the best question I ever heard in a job interview in that it was the one which got me the job. I was being interviewed for an assignment for one of my employer’s brand new clients. The idea was I’d assist their two official IT people, both of whom were interviewing me. Now, all 3 of us were technical types, therefore we realized that some of what we were doing was BS required by HR. Nevertheless there were certain questions they had to ask me and they were going through the list. The question which sealed my fate was, “What’s the most boring job you’ve ever had?”

I grinned broadly and replied, “Watching the exits at [my college’s] cafeteria.”
They laughed and I laughed and one of them said, “Then we won’t ask you the follow-up question, ‘Why?’” I had the credentials to do the work and an assignment which was supposed to be for 3 or 4 months turned into 16 months, but I’m still convinced that question was one reason working there and becoming their Y2K expert!

CJ

22

Note: this will double-kill you if you will be working with children. :smiley:

That’s the part I’m working on this weekend. Lots of reading for me to do.

I do have one question I’m worried about asking - actually maybe two. Any advice on how to politely ask about the fact that they’ve had a lot of staff turnover recently? Or about why they have such a low profile in the area’s educational community?

Do you see a lot of people who are actually stupid enough to do this? jaw drop

23

You can control the basics so get those right.
-Be early, and try get some brownie points out of it. Tell reception you’ve got a 3:00 interview and gosh it’s only 2:15 since you didn’t know how long it would take. Would you let the interviewer know I’m early, and I’m happy to wait or if it’s not convenient, come back in 30 minutes.
-turn off your cell phone
-dress appropriate to the position and company.
-if it’s a casual dress company but you’ll be customer facing, wear a suit. You can ask about it in the interview what the company considers to be acceptable business wear
-be yourself - I’ll look right through you if you’re trying to come off real cool and you’re really a nervous wreck. Don’t know about others but I give points for honesty (I’m a little nervous)
-If you don’t know an answer admit it. Always try to make it a positive statement. No, I’ve never managed a group of 10 people but I have managed 5, and I would like to opportunity to prove I can handle 10 as well.
-definately know about the company and the industry. If it’s in google, then I expect you to have read it.
-have a list of questions prepared. Maybe you do get the guy that wants to see how you can pull out information
-Offer at the beginning to give a brief (2 minute) background. I’m sure you’ve read my resume and cover letter (often times not) so if it’s alright with you, I’d like to give a short self introduction.
-ask what the next steps are in the interview process. When is the deadline.
-if you’re a good right hand person, say it in the interview. Better to look for more jobs than to get into one where the position isn’t right for you.
-depending on the company/position, you may have to interview with multiple people and any one of them can torpedo your chance. Keep that in mind. You’re on stage before you walk in the front door.
-ALWAYS follow up. A lot of people don’t send a thank you email. Also it’s a chance to make a comeback or raise a point that you missed in the email. Also, if the position is not for you, say so. “I really like the company and enjoyed the interview, but I’m really looking for a role that will get me to x.” If they think you are a strong candidate, they might recomend you to another department or figure out a way to entice you.
-sell yourself
-evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Your weakness might be a strength. You might think not wanting to be the boss is a weakness, and I think the last thing I want is some fuckwit that won’t be satisfied and will cause all sorts of shit in the team.

Abbie Charmichael said something like being hypercritical of own work. That’s a weakness for some positions, and a HUGE strength for others. Sell yourself as one that get’s things done right. I make deadlines, but if you want a fast, sloppy job, then that’s not me. If you want it done well, then I’m interested.

wevets, you might want to save those hard questions for the second interview (sounds like a position where there will be several interviews).

Be ready to write something then and there. Years ago when I ran editing for a brokerage house, I’d make people do a live edit. I’d also ask them to prove they could type (about 25% could not type without looking at their fingers - automatically out the door). Bring some stuff you’re proud of, and make sure it is a good format and printed nicely on decent paper (show you made a little effort). If it’s your sample then it should be damn good. Kills me when I ask someone to show something they did and it’s ho-hum. Come on, it’s a lay up to prepare something yourself ahead of time.

Zut, I think that would bother me if someone took notes or had to refer to notes to answer a question. but if you’re smooth, make it natural, and ask if it’s okay if I took notes. Actually, depending on the job, you could take notes on a pda as a way to show you know how to use technology and could lead to an interesting side track discusion.

Oh ya, figure out how to answer the toughest question of all: what kind of package are you looking for? This is the seriously a tough question. As an interviewer, I’m interested if we are ballpark so we don’t waste time. If I don’t have the budget, I don’t have the budget. You’ve got to finese this question (again depending on the position you’re going for) and usually avoid answering it without looking like a total jerk.

24

Actually, they’re looking to have a decision by the week of May 9th. Their last education coordinator left about three weeks ago so they want someone soon.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I love how they keep on coming! :slight_smile:

25

Bring. A. Pen. Back when I was interviewing recruits for an English school in Japan, anyone who didn’t have the sense to bring a pen - and I’d always find a way of casually checking - didn’t have their shit together enough to get the job.

Be early, but not too early - I’d say about 15 minutes or so: any longer and you’ll just be cluttering the place up.

Wear. A. Suit. Even if you won’t be wearing one on the job, unless you’re applying for a job as a ditchdigger wear one - it shows you give enough of a shit.

Most of this stuff shouldn’t need saying, and most has been said before but you’d be amazed at the number of people who don’t have a clue about how to conduct themselves professionally - lateness, gum-chewing, swearing, scruffiness, stinking, cockiness, nose-rings, dirty jokes…

My all time worst bozo was a guy who started out by informing me that he wouldn’t be able to work on certain days since he wasn’t really interested in teaching, but was only in the country to study Japanese, and then proceeded to dictate the schedule that would suit him and what days off he would require. {We were actually reasonably flexible in alloting schedules, and if he’d asked politely what days he’d be required to work and if there would be any chance of flexibility, there wouldn’t have been a problem}

He then went on to tell me that he didn’t really want the job so much as he wanted a work visa, which we provided sponsorship for, and would probably quit anyway as soon as the visa was approved in order to work at a bar where he could “meet chicks”. Normally I let interviews run their full course just out of interest, but I took great pleasure in bouncing the clown out of my office forthwith and telling him exactly why.

The gaijn community is a relatively small one, and I knew most of the recruiters in the major schools in Osaka from around the bars - I used to work with half of them - so I took great pleasure in faxing this idiot’s details to my counterparts in the competition, with the reasons why they should chuck him out too if he ever turned up.

26

Wevets, I disagree with China Guy. However, it’s totally a matter of personal preference, so you may want to proceed with caution.

I respect candidates who expect me to do a little selling of the position and the company. They know they’re worth a good job. Also, I prefer to get someone who knows what they’re in for and that they can handle it. Better they decide before accepting our offer that the job isn’t for them than after we’ve invested time and money in them. (Also, we rarely do second interviews except for higher level positions than those where I participate in the interview process. Generally, we look at resumes, tell HR which candidates we’re interested in, HR will do a phone screening, then they’ll bring in those that pass for interviews with several of us. So you wouldn’t get a chance for a second interview with us.)

If you’re concerned about the two items you mentioned (enough that it makes a difference as to whether you would take the job), you should find out about them. Since it is an area where opinions differ (I don’t mind those types of questions, others do), you may want to bring them up with the hiring manager after getting an offer. Or you may want to bring them up in the interviews if you get signals that they’re open to those types of questions. I generally ask interviewees straight out if they have any concerns about the position or the company.

Why are you concerned about recent turnover? Was it a round of layoffs and you’re worried that they’re increasing head count too quickly (so there may not be much job security)? If so, maybe say something like “I understand you had some layoffs recently. What is different in the present environment that makes you comfortable increasing headcount?” Are you concerned that the place is a real pressure cooker? If so, maybe try something like “I understand that this is a very results-oriented company and not everyone succeeds. What do you think makes the difference between someone who is successful here and someone who isn’t?” (Then, when you hear the answer, you get to tell them how you share the characteristics of the successful employees.)

Likewise, what about the company’s low profile bothers you? If you’re concerned that the company may not be all that strong, maybe you can ask something like “What do you think is your company’s major challenge?” and see if they share your concerns. Or you can be more direct and try something like “Do you think increasing the company’s current profile in the industry is an opportunity for you? If so, how are you addressing it?”

I never hold it against someone if they have concerns about the job (unless they say something really insulting like “how come you can’t hold onto people” or “why has no one heard of you”). I expect that most quality candidates are looking at our company as well as others and are trying to find the best fit. Frankly, I’m a little scared by those who seem so desparate to get a position–any position–that they have no reservations whatsoever and just want an offer.

But it’s obviously an area where YMMV.

27

What interviewers look for will vary by company and person. Personally, I was mostly interested in whether the person seemed to enjoy learning. Specifically I would ask what would essentially be impossible questions for someone in an interview to answer in any reasonable amount of thinking time, then explain the answer to them after giving them a bit. If they asked good questions to clarify the question, came up with some good (though flawed) first steps and stuff then I was satisfied they could approach a work problem–and if when I explained the answer they seemed interested in learning the material then I was satisfied that they could improve themselves and adapt readily.

Specifically my evil question was (for programmers):



Rewrite:

if (i > 0) {
   i = 1;
}
else if (i < 0) {
   i = -1;
}

so that it does not branch. And why and when would one want to do that?
28

Abbie, if it helps, I had someone ask me that question when I was applying for a secretarial position. (Secretaries should be Leaders? Who knew?)

I said that I absolutely wasn’t and had no desire to be, which is why I liked working *for * Management instead of holding that position myself. I’m surprised I got offered the assignment, really. The question caught me by surprise and I expect that the fact I thought it was an incredibly stupid question probably came through fairly clearly. (shrug) Maybe they were just checking I didn’t intend to take their job…

Your response has helped me crystallise what I’d say if I got asked it again, though. I think I’d go for: It depends on what you mean by “Are you a leader”. If you mean, “Do you like to be in charge of stuff and are you good at it?”, then no. If you mean “When things get out of control do you bring the situation back into line instead of waiting for someone to tell you what to do and how to do it?”, then yes.
I figure whichever way you cut it, that’s *got * to be a stupid question to ask anyone applying for any kind of clerical position. But I guess I’ve got an idea how to deal with it now, the next time it crops up. :slight_smile:

29

So the interview went pretty well (I think).

That is, they’ve narrowed it down to two finalists and they’ve decided to have a second round of interviews on Tuesday. Whoo hoo! Also, they asked (perhaps) jokingly when I would be able to start - if it could be Monday (tomorrow!). I told them I’d need to give at least two weeks notice.

I didn’t post sooner because I’ve been working in Yosemite all week - it was pretty harsh, two interviews on Monday and then driving straight up to Yosemite, and starting teaching there on Tuesday morning.

But I’m excited that it seems to be working out! :slight_smile:

30

So what is the answer?

31

i %= 3?

I dimly remember from a thread way back that C %'s maintain signs. Something which I’ve regarded as rather stupid.

32

doh, i %= 2. It would only be i %= 3 in some sort of sane system :P.

33

Nah, in that case, anything divisible by 2 comes out to 0.

For C/C++, the following code should work:

i = ( i > 0 ) - ( i < 0 )

The code given doesn’t specify what should happen when i == 0, so any value should be legal. My solution will set i to 0.

34

Sometimes it is.

We’ve hired a few positions recently, and Brainiac4’s been working on hiring a few. One thing that comes up over and over again is “Bob seems like a great guy, but he’s a little overqualified, we don’t want him to be bored or disappointed” There AREN’T a ton of move up opportunities at most jobs. I don’t want to hire someone who wants to be running the place in five years - its an unreasonable expectation and shows a level of ambition that will either stab ME in the back or lead to disappointment.

35

The 2nd interview went pretty well, I think.

The only one on the interviewing panel not smiling was the person who also applied for this job, but didn’t get it - if hired, I would become her supervisor. :eek:

Everyone seemed fairly cheerful by the end of the interview and they looked impressed with my ideas and my teaching demo (2 minutes… timed!!! the pressure!).

Now the irony - I got an offer for my third choice job about 2 hours after completing the interview, now I have to see if I can get a few days to make a decision. Not that I’m complaining! :smiley:

36

Whoo Hoo!

I got the job!!!

Does a little happy dance

Many thanks to all who provided interview advice!! :slight_smile:

37

Congratulations! That is awesome! Are you going to take the offer?

I’m impressed you could do a 2 minute demo during an interview. Switching from interview mode to teaching mode must have been tough! I probably would have stood there and babbled! Kudos to you!

If you take this job, when do you start? And the all-important question: how are you going to tell your current boss you’re leaving? Whenever I’ve left a job, I’ve always printed out a formal letter explaining that I am leaving to pursue another opportunity and have appreciated my time there. Then I put down my official end date. (This is all after I’ve had a verbal conversation with my boss.) No job has ever required the formal letter, but I feel better knowing my reason for leaving and the specific date are in writing.

38

Congratulations! Wishing you luck in your new career. :slight_smile:

39

There’s a Java solution too:

i =
((i >> 31) & 0x1) //Java extends the sign bit on rightshift so you must mask off the top bits
|
(((i + 0x7fffffff) >> 31) & 0x1)
;

Though it makes some assumptions.

40

Grats!