Many interviewers ask this question: “Why did you leave your last job?” It’s reasonable for interviewers to want to know what started you looking for a new job. I expect to hear things like this: “I was looking for more challenge.” I then follow up with a open-ended question, “Oh, tell me about your job. […]
Some interviewers like to ask open-ended questions, such “Tell me about yourself.” If you ask questions like that, I hope you reconsider; the question is too open-ended for candidates to answer effectively. Instead, first think about what you want to investigate in your conversation: the candidate’s background, problem solving skills, reliability, initiative, debugging, logging, or
In Kimberly Blanton’s article, Job search diary: mock interviews build Brian’s confidence, she discusses a few questions and answers that the manager-candidate uses to practice his interviewing skills.Questions you should be ready for include: “Why should I hire you?” “Tell me about yourself” “Why did you leave your last job?” “What’s your greatest strength and
“Why Should I Hire You” means “How is hiring you going to help me?” You can prepare for this question before, during, and after the interview. Here’s how: Before the interview, review the job description. What specifics can you show the hiring manager about your experience that parallels the job description? Tell behavioral-description stories that
Most people don’t lie on their resumes or in interviews. However, if you’re not sure about a candidate, here’s a checklist to help you detect the truth about a candidate: Always check references. I ask for a minimum of three references from a candidate, at least one of which is a manager. Develop a
I was reading How Would You Design Bill Gates’s Bathroom? and realized that Microsoft discriminates for people who are visionaries, people who see the big picture. When they do this, they ignore the other types of people necessary for successful products and projects: the stabilizer, the firefighter, and the catalyst.Keirsey calls these temperaments by slightly
How do you differentiate true designers and architects from other software developers? This may be the hardest question to answer, and the most necessary. A real designer or architect, someone who doesn’t just hack a bunch of software together, is worth more to your company than you can pay him/her. A real designer or architect
In previous hiring tips, I suggested you ask behavior description interviewing questions and perform auditions. I haven’t discussed hypothetical questions yet, because they can be difficult to frame well. In response to my current Stickyminds column about how to improve tester performance. Suzan Noden said she uses this as a question: “how would you test
One hiring manager loves this question: “If you had a magic wand, and three wishes, what would they be?” My three wishes deal with enough money to buy a sailboat, paying someone else to drive my kids to their doctor appointments and lacrosse games, and buy books whenever I want. I don’t want to tell
In Hiring Tip #5: Ask Behavior-description Interview Questions, I suggested that hiring managers learn how to ask behavioral interviewing questions. Behavioral questions assume that people’s behaviors don’t change; that people reapply those behaviors to new situations. If you’re looking for a job, learn how to answer these questions.Behavioral interviewing questions ask you questions about how