Interviewing

I’ve been heavily involved in interviewing recently, both as a candidate and offering advice from the “other side of the fence”.  I’ve been spending a lot of time working out in my head exactly what the best way of interviewing is.  Below is a summary of what I’ve come up with so far, with each point to be extended in later posts.

• Decide exactly what you’re hiring for, the role and the tasks to be performed by that role. 
• Test for aptitude, not specific knowledge.
• Questions need to be fair: if you’re going to ask for very answers to very specific things, then consider sending the candidate an outline/”reading list” before the interview. 
• Remember that a good team has a mix of people, skills and backgrounds.
• Expect no more or less of your candidate than you expect of yourself – that includes turning up on time, a certain level of dress, the ability to answer questions, particular technical knowledge, etc., etc.

More to come.