People who have done hiring or are good at interviews!

[.anya]

If you have experience in hiring people, what do you look for when you conduct an interview? What makes a candidate stand out among many others? I want especially to know how to succeed in a group interview.

If you do well at interviews, how do you do it??? What is it about you that employers say they value? What skills have helped you get jobs that are beyond your area of expertise or studies?

Anything helps :)

[Technix]

Here are some links you may find useful:

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/j...eh_int_sht.htm

http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/in...Behavioral.htm

http://www.groovejob.com/resources/interview/qualities/

[Prissypants]

Originally Posted by .anya

If you have experience in hiring people, what do you look for when you conduct an interview? What makes a candidate stand out among many others? I want especially to know how to succeed in a group interview.

If you do well at interviews, how do you do it??? What is it about you that employers say they value? What skills have helped you get jobs that are beyond your area of expertise or studies?

Anything helps :)

My biggest turn off when I was interviewing was STOCK ANSWERS: Ie: if I ask: "What do you think your biggest fault is?" and you say: I work myself too hard or something similiar then instant x on the interview.

Also people who don't dress nice.

If you know nothing about the job.

Be confident and not cocky.

Things that attract: Tell me how your experience affects your current decision making process.

Admit if you don't know something.

Ask about training procedures.

Ask questions and show positive response (even if you don't like the answers)

[*SunShyne*]

I go through this every day, and I'm about to start doing it for a bunch of engineers I know nothing about... something to do with SCADA systems?

Anyway,

So if their first question is about money, its a big red X

If they cannot hold a conversation in the English language, its a big red X

If they cannot make eye contact, its a big red X

If they are late, even by a minute, it's a big red X

Make sure you explain your policies on everything that they need to know for the first interview about the company. Hours of work, job duties, etc.

Test them; put them on a computer and see how fast they can type, and how accurate it is... the worst I had ever seen was 22 words per minute and 132% errors... I thought I did the test wrong, but nope, the guy was just a douche... he applied for a data entry job.

I'm off to meet with more wankers from accross the GVA

[Liqwid]

the best jobs i've had is when i was being completely myself and now what i thought the conductor would want me to be like....

:)

[beedub]

Originally Posted by *SunShyne*

I go through this every day, and I'm about to start doing it for a bunch of engineers I know nothing about... something to do with SCADA systems?

Now there's the biggest problem of them all. You are clueless about the job but you are interviewing people for it.

So you will judge the people based on the superficialities you listed and reject them or pass them on to the next person.

Not attacking you for being a drone in whatever company you work for, but this HR crap is all too common.

[miss.myra]

I'd say in a group interview environment, don't be too quiet and don't try to be the centre of attention. People on either extreme of the spectrum are not desirable to employers, and group interviews can seed these types out.

Also, keep in mind that you've really got to think out honest and original answers, like it was mentioned previously, stock answers sound contrived, can you imagine a group interview where someone asks 'what is your biggest flaw' and like three people answer that they are 'a perfectionist'?

and as previously mentioned know the company!

Originally Posted by .anya

If you have experience in hiring people, what do you look for when you conduct an interview? What makes a candidate stand out among many others? I want especially to know how to succeed in a group interview.

If you do well at interviews, how do you do it??? What is it about you that employers say they value? What skills have helped you get jobs that are beyond your area of expertise or studies?

Anything helps :)

Always be upbeat. Try to avoid negatives. That means when asked when leaving a job, even if it is because your boss is little hitler, don't tell them that.

When I am job hunting, I try to avoid answering my phone half asleep. A lot of companies do phone interviews to start, and no one wants to talk to someone that sounds like they are distracted, or have something better to do.

All companies like to know that you are interested in working for them. So do a little research on the company you are going to look at.

Lastly, if you want to google something, behavioral interviews seem to be the standard for interviews now. I have had one personally at Telus, Bell, and UBC. This is actually an interview you can study for, as most outlines are on the web. It is basically as situational thing, like talk about a time that you had a difficult customer, and came to a resolution.

[.anya]

ooh, some good links and tips here so far!

Avana, this is actually an interview at UBC, and I think it's going to be mostly behavioral questions. I'm going to try and practice with somebody so I get quicker at coming up with specific examples.

The whole "stock answers" thing is kind of an issue - I know that the program I am applying for is going to get a ton of that because a whole lot of students applying for the same thing at the university. I don't even know how to answer "what's your biggest weakness?" without sounding absolutely generic ("I take on too much all at once!")

I think my biggest problem at this point is coming off as friendly and not anxious. I feel like every time I come into an interview, I am SO NERVOUS, and tend to come off as stand-off-ish and rigid (body language plays a huge part in this). So now I'm not really sure how to get rid of the butterflies in my stomach before going into it...

Originally Posted by .anya

ooh, some good links and tips here so far!

Avana, this is actually an interview at UBC, and I think it's going to be mostly behavioral questions. I'm going to try and practice with somebody so I get quicker at coming up with specific examples.

The whole "stock answers" thing is kind of an issue - I know that the program I am applying for is going to get a ton of that because a whole lot of students applying for the same thing at the university. I don't even know how to answer "what's your biggest weakness?" without sounding absolutely generic ("I take on too much all at once!")

I think my biggest problem at this point is coming off as friendly and not anxious. I feel like every time I come into an interview, I am SO NERVOUS, and tend to come off as stand-off-ish and rigid (body language plays a huge part in this). So now I'm not really sure how to get rid of the butterflies in my stomach before going into it...

Interviews are scary. There is no doubt about that. But I try to stay in a certain frame of mind, and I find personally, it puts me at ease. I try to think, that one, I already have the job. I am not cocky, just confident. Also, remember that you are interviewing too. You may want the job, but if the interviewer is going to be your potential boss, and they are a dork, why the hell would you want to work with that. Ask why the person before you is leaving, what kind of things the company does for benefits and employee perks(not just medical dental).

Also, a firm handshake, a smile, and don't cross your arms across your chest.

[Kraig]

Hi Anya -- I actually do this for a living. I'm the Senior Manager, Global Talent Acquisition for the video game company I work for. I work with teams that oversee our global recruitment efforts and long term strategic programs for each of our studios and for each of our 8 unique business unuts.

That said before I answer any of this, what do you need the information for? I can better target my answers once I know that.

Cheers.

[Alex]

My job description is to Hire/Train Motivate. Hiring isahuge part f my job, obviously. In interviews, I look for two main things. A positive attitude, and a willingness to learn. The more questions the interviewee asks the better.

[Kraig]

It completely comes down to the kind of job that you're interviewing candidates for.

Here is something I sent out to my team the other week:

Inc magazine recently ran an article summarizing the latest approaches in interview theory. A typical interview tells the interviewer how the candidate is during a couple of hours in a conference room. Statistically, an unstructured 1 on 1 interview has a 20 percent correlation with predicting success on the job. Here are three ways to do a better interview!



1. Behavioral interviews almost triple the correlation for job success. Behavioral interviewing involves, by definition, a group if interviewers defining qualities needed for a job, asking candidates to give past examples of how they've demonstrated those qualities, asking the same questions of each candidate, and taking notes throughout.



The premise is that what someone has done in past jobs is a superior indication of what he or she will do in the future. It's the same idea behind checking references.



Ask open-ended questions that get at the desired qualities. Behavioral interviews use questions that are rooted in the past - "Tell me about a time when" - rather that hypothetical's - "What would you do if?" .



2. A team of people meet with the candidate gives better results. This minimizes the importance of any one person's reaction, good or bad.



3 Try these questions at your next interview:



Try this:

Have you ever had several projects with the same deadline? How do you tackle that?

To get at these qualities:

Conscientiousness, coping skills, organization



Try this:

Tell us about a time you failed a task.

To get at this:

Response to adversity



Try this:

Tell us about a project for which you had fiscal responsibility. How did you stay on budget?

To get at this:

Ability to handle a budget



Try this:

What's the last thing on which you and your boss disagreed? How did you settle it?

To get at this:

Manageability and communication style





Try this:

What was the most frustrating experience in your past job? The most satisfying?

To get at this:

Motivation and general temperament



Try this:

Tell us about a time when the task you were given changed at the last minute.

To get at this:

Flexibility

[*SunShyne*]

Originally Posted by beedub

Now there's the biggest problem of them all. You are clueless about the job but you are interviewing people for it.

So you will judge the people based on the superficialities you listed and reject them or pass them on to the next person.

Not attacking you for being a drone in whatever company you work for, but this HR crap is all too common.

All too true.

I haven't started interviewing people... I start in a few weeks, I have til then to brush up on my knowledge thankfully

[Prissypants]

Originally Posted by .anya

If you have experience in hiring people, what do you look for when you conduct an interview? What makes a candidate stand out among many others? I want especially to know how to succeed in a group interview.

If you do well at interviews, how do you do it??? What is it about you that employers say they value? What skills have helped you get jobs that are beyond your area of expertise or studies?

Anything helps :)

OH yea! I almost forgot. For group interviews, let people talk. Show that you either agree or disagree with their statement in a positive way and add to it or change it to make it better. This shows a spirit of teamwork which is totally important in most work environments.

And DON'T BE LATE!!!!

[*SunShyne*]

Don't Be Late

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by *SunShyne*

I go through this every day, and I'm about to start doing it for a bunch of engineers I know nothing about... something to do with SCADA systems?

Anyway,

So if their first question is about money, its a big red X

If they cannot hold a conversation in the English language, its a big red X

If they cannot make eye contact, its a big red X

If they are late, even by a minute, it's a big red X

Make sure you explain your policies on everything that they need to know for the first interview about the company. Hours of work, job duties, etc.

Test them; put them on a computer and see how fast they can type, and how accurate it is... the worst I had ever seen was 22 words per minute and 132% errors... I thought I did the test wrong, but nope, the guy was just a douche... he applied for a data entry job.

I'm off to meet with more wankers from accross the GVA

how do you do something wrong more than %100?

[*SunShyne*]

Originally Posted by dabbler

how do you do something wrong more than %100?

No fucking clue... but the guy was awful

[Kraig]

Jay -- in the case of a data entry test, they look at not only spelling but grammar.

So 132% errors is like Wellbelove taking the test. Haheheheheeheheh. ;)

[dabbler]

interviewing the person interviewing you is a good suggestion. it shows interest and confidence, and allows you to really know if you want to work for them or not.