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This is almost exactly the template that I apply to my own interviewing. However, I switched away from asking about a project on the candidate's resume because
by jkaptur 11y ago
This is almost exactly the template that I apply to my own interviewing. However, I switched away from asking about a project on the candidate's resume because I found that that question - specifically meant to put people at ease - did not in fact put them at ease.
Instead, I found that people became surprisingly flustered - including one who said that "like a lot of things on there, it sounds cooler than it is" and went on to question his own commitment to the field. I asked about the project because it sounded awesome, and, when I pressed him to please tell me about his role, it was awesome.
I think that many people are not prepared to discuss every item on their resume. I don't think that's great, but I don't want to base a large amount of my decision on that fact. This question threw them off for the rest of the interview, so I've stopped asking it.
- ericlippert 11y agoThat's interesting feedback, thanks. I have found that most of the time people are happy to talk about their work, but I have also encountered the flustered reaction you describe.
- eli 11y agoSome people -- i.e. introverts -- are uncomfortable talking about themselves and their strengths and accomplishments. Unfortunately that's kinda the point of the interview. Not sure there's much you can do about that besides (as you suggest) pressing them to answer questions and cutting them some slack for not being super forthcoming.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- warcode 11y agoAs an introvert I can tell you that most of the time anything in an interview will be flustering if unknown. Tell them to pick a project or two and prepare to talk about it ahead of time of the interview. Actually many of the issues I have with the current "standard" interviewing process is all about the fact that its a "school test" environment instead of a "prepare for a specific task" environment. The latter being what real work is actually about.