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in reply to (OT) Number 1 mistake to not avoid during an interview

I went on a training course for people who interview other staff, and the key issue is that you've got to get them to tell stories.

Testing their competence is one thing, of course they should be able to prove their knowledge of Perl or whatever, but in order to get to know their personality and how they feel about work, you have to get them to tell a story about stuff they've worked on.

Did you ever work somewhere with tight deadlines? Talk to us about it.

Have you ever worked with a co-worker who you just couldn't stand? Tell us about it.

Have you ever disagreed strongly with a manager about the way a project was handled? Tell us about it, and so on.

That's why "what's the longest you've ever spent in front of a computer?" is a great question -- whatever the answer, there must be a story.



($_='kkvvttuubbooppuuiiffssqqffssmmiibbddllffss') =~y~b-v~a-z~s; print

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Re: Re: Number 1 mistake to not avoid during an interview
by smitz (Chaplain) on Sep 22, 2003 at 07:42 UTC
    Oh my god, they teach you to ask those questions? I have been on the recieving end of those kinds of questions for a couple of years now (being young, and lacking qualifications & employment) and they are so incredibly boring to answer. I have actually answered these, more than once, 'Its not going to be one of those interviews, is it?'

    I totally agree with your idea that candidates should be coerced into telling stories, but those questions make me and a few other people I know cringe with horror. Please, dont use them. Although the last one about how long youv'e spent in front of a computer is pretty cool, I remember this one time at university...

    Smitz