Recruiting Talent
My top ten qualities to look for in an individual contributor techie:
- Evidence of Clarity of Thought and Purpose
- Relevant Technical Skills (more is better) Have a hands on test
- Aptitude test/ Problem solving abilities
- Evidence of a Die hard Attitude
- Long attention span
- Good Written and Oral Communication Skills
- Individual contribution evidences from work history
- Evidence of good academics in case work history is absent
- Evidence of good judgement and character (ask for examples)
- Good References
Guidelines for Technical Interviews:
- Ask him/her to list her 3 strongest areas
- Do a thorough technical first round interview covering the basics of each area
- Ask to solve several technical problems on the fly
- Criticize their approach and gauge their reaction
- Ask what technical challenges were faced
- Ask what problems were solved and how
- Ask what they liked and did not like and why?
- Ask what their favourite author and book is (this separates the intellectuals from the rest)
- Never ask people who are incompetent in your opinion to interview! These people usually hire their "clones"
Guidelines for HR Interviews:
- Never delegate short-listing especially based on the resume. People who write good resumes may not be the best techies and vice versa
- Never judge just by the places they have worked in
- Look for verbal and visual cues during interviews
- Learn to spot a liar
- Ask uncomfortable questions and gauge reaction (anger, withdrawal, resignation, stress etc.)
- Never offer based on "Current CTC" you may miss out a lot of good talent
Lastly a good interview is a two way process, so :
- Listen to the candidate,
- Ask how they heard about you
- Ask who else they know in your company
- Ask for their feedback on your recruitment process
- Always thank them for their time!
-Milind K Thombre
Comments welcome!
