Interview fun. Whee...

So - this Friday I had a Technical Interview with (Server OS vendor that's not M$). I've had a lot riding on this... its been a career goal of mine to one day work for them. I got outsourced a year ago by my current employer - so a move is inevitable for me.

So, I called in for the interview - and was faced with 7 technical experts in various product lines within the company. They pummeled me with questions, and I freaking blew it.

Normally, I'm kind of proud of the fact that I can ace any interview. If I can just get in the door, I can sell myself. Not this time. I stuttered, they asked me questions that I completely drew a blank on... I didn't come across confident or as an expert at all.

So, this whole weekend I've been bummed out, re-evaluating my career goals - trying to figure out what the hell to do next now that this rug has been pulled out from underneath me.

And I just got a call from a buddy of mine at the company, who had an IM chat with a few of the people on the call. Not only did they say I did well, but they said I was the most qualified candidate they'd spoken to so far.

wtf?

I'm eccstatic, and have to keep tight-lipped about this within my office... so I'm sharing it here cause I just can't contain myself

Congrats, Travis!!

I'm glad to hear it's all gonna work out for you


Leilany

Good to hear Travis, they might liked it that you didn't gave them bullshit and just told them you didn't know.

I thought I blew my 'face to face' short interview last month. I hate those, they don't ask you any questions at all. I though I hosed it. Then I get a call to come into a real interview with the actual company. I thought I blew that too, I was nervouse because while I know basic computer networking principals I'm not totally guru about it since I have little experience. I flubbed a couple questions, but I have a strong background in tech support and handling difficult customers. (The trick is to keep an even tone and repeat yourself until they go away).
They hired me.

Now, either I'm better at interviews than I'll admit to, or there is, in fact, a merciful God.
Which I thank for my job. And for getting an apartment. The only hitch right now is that my roomate mayve have doomed us both with HER new support that might be a little over her head. I'll be making rent this month by the skin of my teeth.

Well done Travis. I wish you the very best.

Trav,

At my company, interview technique involves presenting problems that most people would simply have no idea how to answer off the top of their heads. It is an exercise to determine how the person reacts, specifically whether people will admit to not knowing and how they would handle the pressure of facing executives and not having all the answers. Bullshitters do not fare well, but honest hard working people show their stripes by being just that.

Having pared the candidate pool down to those that have the qualifications and background on paper, there is usually no significant difference in skill set. It is also accepted here that behaviour under pressure is a good way to see what people are really like. The answers are almost unimportant as compared with how people comport themselves.

This is true, I use to ask some really cruel questions when I worked HR. It was kinda fun. Muahaha.

Congrats Travis! I'm happy for you

Congrats Travis - sometimes we do better than we think we did at these things too. It's always the things we screw up that we play over and over in our heads as we walk out of the building and not generally the stuff that we got right.

So Good Going!!!

Well, I had a powerpoint implosion on my last interview - mac derived images failed to render in a heavily animated presentation because their pc didn't have quicktime - but I had print copies as back up. I tried to be calm, but this was for a lecturing so broken slides was unforgivable. And at the end they said "Oh you won't know for a 'few' weeks as we have this other candidate that couldn't make today and we are holding it up to make sure he gets an interview.

My heart sank as I thought that this must be the internal candidate for whom the job was really advertised. So, I just went for it.

4 days later they offered me the job anyway. I waited a day and asked for a lot more money. The next day they agreed.

Thinking you've blown it is relative. It's how they (mis) remember you that counts.

Well done and crossing fingers for you.

Congrats, Travis. Now, regarding your ability to ace any interview, care to share some tips? I blow every interview I go to!

I'm not sure if this started with Microsoft, but there is a wonky school of thought out there that holds interviews like fraternity hazings, probably for much the same reasons. I've never seen the merit of such an approach, but then again, neither do I bungee jump, ride BMX, or climb Everest.

Anyhow, congratulations Travis. I would however, recommend that you speak with your friend about the internal tone at the firm. Inquisition style interview tactics may be but one facet of the general tenor of the firm, in which case you may not like it there; contrariwise, you may have leapt the hurdle and find that they are much more mellow after you have passed the firewalk.

Good luck, regardless.

I interviewed a guy recently for a job. I was given heavy pressure from a higher up to find a place for this person on my team. My project is extremely high profile in the bank and it is the first project I have managed for the bank.

I asked him this question.

How would you best determine the total number of gas stations in the city of Charlotte?

This is a completelty subjective question. There are a number of answers. This is more about how you think and react than actually finding the number of gas stations.

Personally, I would probably look in the phonebook and count the listings or call the Chamber of Commerce.

This guy could not think of an answer. I sat and watching his little brain toil for about 20 minutes and he would not commit to an answer. Hell, he could have even suggested driving all over town and counting.

I refused to hire him.

What introvert said.

Except I am pretty sure that IBM was the originator of this kind of interview. The purpose was not for you to answer the questions, but to see how you behaved when faced with questions that were essentially unanswerable.

The classic "destructive product testing" as applied to people. A wacky idea that still gets a lot of play in the technology field.

Congratz Travis! You must have overshot the moon! Hopefully it all goes smoothly past that in your rocketship (and I just had the funniest visual because your Family Guy avatar with that Elton John song, "Rocket Man".

BTW, isn't there a name for those kinds of questions in interviews? It's kinda koanish in that it calls into your PROCESS, not the answer you arrive at. Also, it involves "creativity" but that isn't the term. I always found myself comfy with those types of questions because they can get into lateral thinking, which is something I'm a natural at (and big fan of). Of course, when it comes to the generic schtuff, I get very confuzzled.

Having been on the hiring manager side of hundreds of engineers in a former life, I used to present them with the Three Army Problem (the industry was networking so it was relevant) with the preface "I don't expect you to necessarily solve this problem but it will tell me about how you approach problems, please take 10 to 15 minutes to yourself and then we'll talk about what you've figured". The problem is hard, but the presentation was the opposite of "perform or you're toast"; I found it gave me much insight into their analytic approach and didn't make them feel pressured or leave feeling beaten upon.

Since Google isn't coughing up a link and because I think the problem is interesting, here it is:No, I'm not hiring now, but will answer questions about it if you should have any.