I was talking to a hiring manager recently, and she said, “I’d like to get another developer just like Stan.” Well, Stan is a good guy and a talented developer, but why look for someone just like him? The manager explained, “I’m staffing a particularly risky project and with someone just like Stan, I know […]
Thanks to Brian, I discovered this gem on resumes and first impressions. I especially like the first point: “Concise – keep it short and to the point. Tell us about your accomplishments as well as your responsibilities. Don’t spend a lot of time talking about strategy, the product, or the company.” Someone with four years
Ok, I admit it. I have this strange fascination with “The Apprentice.” This morning on the “Today” show, Donald Trump and Matt Lauer “interviewed” 8 candidates to be on “The Apprentice” next season. (If you’re watching for interview tips, stop. Watch for the entertainment value 🙂 I heard one fabulous interview question: “Do you love
There are two kinds of domain expertise: solution-space and problem-space. When a candidate understands the technical issues behind how your product solves the customers’ problems, that’s solution-space domain expertise. When a candidate intimately understands the problems your product is trying to solve, that’s problem-space domain expertise. One kind of domain expertise does not imply the
I was reading Alan’s blog and came across this gem, Progressive Recruitment. Computers are good for lots of things, and mindless searching is certainly one. But mindless searching isn’t sufficient when sourcing candidates.If you’re looking for sourcing support, ask questions and check references. (OK, I’m a broken record:-) Here are some possible questions: How do
It’s common for candidates to be experts in some technical area that the manager knows little about. Sometimes managers don’t realize how to ask questions about the qualities, preferences, non-technical, or technical skills, so the manager asks, “Where do you want to be in five years?” Managers, if you want to know about ambition, ask
I was discussing how to hire a senior manager with a colleague the other day, and he said, “How do I know I’ll hire someone with integrity?” Good question. In my experience, a person requires at least dozen or so years of experience, taking on successively more technical leadership and/or more management tasks before the
I write a “management fix” column (alternating with Esther and Elisabeth) for Better Software and February’s column was Two Candidates, One Position. Enjoy! Labels: hiring decision
In Michael’s comment to When Candidates and Interviewers Disagree About “The Answer” he raised a critically important point: how much does the the candidate know about this issue and how hard will the candidate push to make sure that the interviewer hears his or her side of the issue? First, let’s separate the two issues