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I scored a job doing investigative due diligence by threatening the hiring manager's family. I didn't know I was being interviewed, we were just two people sea

I scored a job doing investigative due diligence by threatening the hiring manager's family. I didn't know I was being interviewed, we were just two people seated alongside one another at a wedding reception, having pleasant casual conversation. She made me feel totally at ease, complimented my suit, laughed at my jokes, and was really inquisitive about me. After an hour of answering her questions, I began to notice that she wasn't answering any of mine. She would subtly bring the conversation back around to me. In isolation, it never felt evasive, but the pattern of doing so did. So, I casually commented that she must have been a middle child to be so adept in conversation. She smiled and indicated that, in fact, she had just one younger brother. To which I responded: "And now I know you have a younger brother, so why don't you tell me what this interview is all about." After collecting her jaw from the floor, she offered me a job. I guess you can file that under being approached by them first, but I thought y'all might enjoy the story.

nikunjness 11y ago
I indeed enjoyed the story. If this was on quora, you would be famous by now. While these kind of scenarios happen in a rare case, I'm wondering why companies still stick to old-fashioned hiring process? May be we all can put our thoughts on this problem and come up with some innovative solution that can change it. Thanks for sharing your story.
- seanccox 11y ago
  Hiring is a difficult process and I presume that you are specifically interested hiring for tech-focused positions. For my employer, they knew they needed a specific skill set and knew how to look for it. The interviewer told me later that she was looking for someone who had competence in the local language, who could stay engage at several levels in a conversation, and who could demonstrate quick thinking. Those aren't easy skills to extract from someone on first meeting or through conversation, but their firm consistently does so. For a tech position, I think a similar approach could be possible, but I have to admit I neither know how, nor do I know how it can be initiated. Maybe the same thing could be accomplished by a savvy tech interviewer at a conference or other networking event? Again, knowing what they need, using casual chatter, directing a conversation toward a tech problem and seeing how it engages the person (and how they handle the puzzle). That approach might work, but it probably isn't practical for a huge corporation. In any event, thinking about it is a neat exercise.

nikunjness 11y ago

I indeed enjoyed the story. If this was on quora, you would be famous by now. While these kind of scenarios happen in a rare case, I'm wondering why companies still stick to old-fashioned hiring process? May be we all can put our thoughts on this problem and come up with some innovative solution that can change it. Thanks for sharing your story.

seanccox 11y ago
Hiring is a difficult process and I presume that you are specifically interested hiring for tech-focused positions. For my employer, they knew they needed a specific skill set and knew how to look for it. The interviewer told me later that she was looking for someone who had competence in the local language, who could stay engage at several levels in a conversation, and who could demonstrate quick thinking. Those aren't easy skills to extract from someone on first meeting or through conversation, but their firm consistently does so. For a tech position, I think a similar approach could be possible, but I have to admit I neither know how, nor do I know how it can be initiated. Maybe the same thing could be accomplished by a savvy tech interviewer at a conference or other networking event? Again, knowing what they need, using casual chatter, directing a conversation toward a tech problem and seeing how it engages the person (and how they handle the puzzle). That approach might work, but it probably isn't practical for a huge corporation. In any event, thinking about it is a neat exercise.