So way back, like 2000 ish one of my close friends from college, who was in Delhi then , started dating\seeing someone( who would also eventually go on to become his wife so good job there ).
Naturally when this happened I was quite keen on meeting her. Sadly I was in Pune , had just started working , money blah blah . So of course I did what every self respecting software engineer in those days did “Travel By Interview”. After careful thought I opted for Adobe they flew me there put me up I even attended the interview met my friend etc.
I think I even got the job but that is pretty orthogonal to this discussion. What really stood out about that entire process was how obnoxious I could be in terms of my demands with the company ( no this car wont do please send me another one , this hotel room is unacceptable kindly upgrade etc ) and they just took it . We are going to call this THE job seeker friendly environment ( pre dot con( not a typo) bubble) aah those were the days .
Fast forward to early 2009 , post crash. First off, no one was hiring . In the hilarious chance some one was, the typical ad looked as follows :
Candidate must posses following technical skills
- this
- that
- other
Also candidate must be
- Fluent in 4 languages,
- have won a gold medal in an Olympic non traditional sport ( synchronized swimming ok ) ,
- be willing to work a minimum of 44 weekends a year ,
- be flexible in terms of sharing a cubicle with four other individuals,
- must constantly try to find ways to improve their managers morale by up to and not limited to doing the gardening picking up the laundry and providing day care services
- Pass a Level 1 background (criminal , credit and social media feed) check
- Must be opposed philosophically to pay raises bonuses and fair compensation.
- Have a good attitude
This is what we call a job seeker um you know environment..
And that brings us to 2012 where a peculiar balance now exists between employer and employee especially in tech . Now as an interviewer you are of course committed to hiring the best your org can afford but you are also keenly aware that the next round of layoffs might be just around the corner . Here are some helpful interview questions to make sure potential candidates don’t get too carried away with their notion of Self worth
Q1) You are attending a meeting , five minutes in, the senior member at the meeting asks for your opinion. You provide a brilliant and insightful analysis of the situation and are clearly admired by everyone there. At that point you realize you are in the wrong meeting . What will you do ?
<insert meaningless candidate answer here >
Follow Up comment : What would you do now, if I told you , you were interviewing for the wrong job\group\company
Awkward Pause
You laugh and move on to the next Question
Q2) What are you looking for in terms of work life balance
<insert meaningless candidate answer here >
Follow Up comment : HAHAHAAHAH I mean yes very good we admire optimism
Awkward Pause
You cough and move on to the next Question
Q3) Suppose you have a linked list. What can you do with it on a weekend. How is this different that on a weekday. Assume that alcohol is allowed on the weekend but the list is currently a teetotaler
<insert meaningless candidate answer here >
Follow Up comment :I think that would only work for a doubly linked list don’t you ?
Awkward Pause
You grimace and move on to the next Question
Q4) Your manager’s favorite movie is the Titanic and he insists on starting every day with a 15 minute random clip as a form of motivation. What is the maximum amount of workplace violence you think you can get away with when facing a jury
<insert meaningless candidate answer here >
Follow Up comment : hypothetically would your answer change if I told you, my previous question was not hypothetical
Awkward Pause
You stare coldly and move on to the next Question
Q5) Who in your opinion is most suited to do your job instead of you . State your answer in the form of a haiku.
<insert meaningless candidate answer here >
Follow Up comment : Very interesting , now this time answer it in a way guaranteed to generate a HR violation
Awkward Pause
You smile thank the candidate for coming and end with “Thank you for not having any questions for me …”
Next Time : How to deal with interviews as a candidate in the current job climate
