Johanna Rothman of Hiring Technical People was interviewed about interviewing techies. (Download it here). Here are some Highlights.
No flaky questions. "If you had three wishes what would they be?".
No whacky games. One interviewer had candidates engage in scavenger hunts around the office looking for paper clips and pens.
No Microsoft-style puzzles. They mean nothing in relation to the job and don't predict on-the-job behaviour.
Go for the jugular. Identify the things that would knock the candidate out of the running. Ask those questions first. (These are the key requirements of the job).
No Hypothetical Questions. "How would you do x?"
The Candidate talks, you listen. Interviewer talks 20% of the time.
If you ask a Closed Question like "What is the last technical book you read?", follow with an Open Ended Question like "Why did you choose that book?".
Techie Interviews should focus on questions about past behaviour and auditions which allow you to see the candidate in action.
Sample Questions:
What was challenging to you on your most recent project?
What were you happiest with in your career?
What's the most important lesson you learned on your last project?
How to outwit candidates who come with prefabricated answers? Ask a lot of Past Behavioural Questions about a number of their past jobs. No one comes with that many prepared answers.
Use the answer to one question as a jumping off point for a number of other questions.
Question: What was the most challenging thing you did on that project?
Answer: I learned about xyz.
Follow Up: Tell me how you learned about it.
You can't trust a non-technical interviewer. You have to be a technical specialist to ask in-depth questions. Hiring Managers should do their own 20-30 minute phone screen interviews to decide if the person is worth bringing in.
