Aaron Swartz has a fascinating post titled, “How I Hire Programmers.” If you’re a programmer or a person who hires programmers, I’d suggest you read Aaron’s post.
However, even for job seekers who aren’t looking for programming jobs, I thought Aaron made interesting points on what “make someone seem smart.” I’ve excerpted four key sections below.
Convey a “sign of genuine understanding” with clear communication skills
But if I had to write down what it is that makes someone seem smart, I’d emphasize three things. First, do they know stuff? Ask them what they’ve been thinking about and probe them about it. Do they seem to understand it in detail? Can they explain it clearly? (Clear explanations are a sign of genuine understanding.) Do they know stuff about the subject that you don’t?
Be curious
Second, are they curious? Do they reciprocate by asking questions about you? Are they genuinely interested or just being polite? Do they ask follow-up questions about what you’re saying? Do their questions make you think?
Demonstrate that you not only listen and understand, but actually learned
Third, do they learn? At some point in the conversation, you’ll probably be explaining something to them. Do they actually understand it or do they just nod and smile? There are people who know stuff about some small area but aren’t curious about others. And there are people who are curious but don’t learn, they ask lots of questions but don’t really listen. You want someone who does all three.
Build rapport & chemistry with the interviewer
Finally, I figure out whether I can work with someone just by hanging out with them for a bit. Many brilliant people can seem delightful in a one-hour conversation, but their eccentricities become grating after a couple hours. So after you’re done chatting, invite them along for a meal with the rest of the team or a game at the office. Again, keep things as casual as possible. The point is just to see whether they get on your nerves.
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Here’s a snippet from last Friday’s jobs report. Here’s what jumped out at me: the biggest job gains came in health care followed by education. If you’re considering an industry change, these two areas seem to be the best bets.
Less than zero, but getting closer
11,000: The net total of jobs lost in November
111,000: Jobs lost in October
139,000: Jobs lost in September
691,000: Average monthly loss in first three months of this year
7.2 million: Total decline in U.S. payrolls since recession began in December 2007
Unemployment still high
10 percent: November’s unemployment rate, in double digits for only the second time in 26 years
10.2 percent: October’s jobless rate, the highest since April 1983
10.8 percent: Unemployment rate in December 1982, the highest since World War II
Where the jobs are
52,400: The number of temporary jobs added in November, the biggest increase in five years
There’s substantial buzz the last few weeks around Google’s role in accelerating the newspaper industry’s decline. For those with Google product manager interviews, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various views. Here’s Eric Schmidt’s WSJ op-ed piece titled, “How Google Can Help Newspapers.” Kevin Kelleher, EVP and CFO of Sony BMG, offers an interesting counterpoint in an article called, “Does Google Even Understand What News Is?“
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The article is full of insights for both women and men who aspire to be better leaders. My top takeaway from the article is the passage below, where Barsh talks about the most common obstacle top women had to overcome in their career.
What was the most common obstacle they had to overcome?
More than 60 per cent of the women said they didn’t naturally have the confidence to speak up for themselves early in their career, and they had to gain that confidence to succeed. Recurring themes were that, starting out, they held back because they didn’t feel they had anything important to say, or they believed that, since they were in a junior position, it was not their place to insist that their viewpoint be heard.
But most told of a breakthrough moment in which either something they should have said but didn’t led to a failure, or they were given the floor by a senior person and made a contribution that led to a success. From then on, they made a conscious decision to make their voice heard – and to insist that others they lead speak up as well.
For example, Shelly Lazarus [former chief executive officer of ad firm Ogilvy & Mather and now chairwoman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide], said she had that insight early in her career. Another woman she worked with asked her to cover for her while she snuck out of the office to see her child’s school play. She told the woman to come right out and tell her manager she was taking off. At that point, she realized that, “if you have to be afraid for who you are, you will be afraid all your life.”
From then on, she said, her motto has been: “Just stand up, do what you need to do and smile about it. Look them in the eye and say, “If you don’t like it, fire me, and I’ll find another job, because I’m talented enough and I’m committed enough.’ ”
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I’m currently hiring high-tech product managers, and my co-worker thought I might find this book helpful: Innovator’s Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work. There’s a section which discuss what makes a successful hire — in innovative industries. See below for the excerpt.
Dealt with ambiguity.
Ambiguity typifies disruptive projects. Managers who have worked in highly ambiguous situations are often well prepare for disruptive projects; those who have worked in positions where they had to remove or minimize ambiguity ruthlessly may be ill suited for disruptive circumstances.
Confidently made decisions based on pattern recognition and judgment.
Disruption requires intuition, judgment, and the ability to recognize patterns. Many core roles require managers to make decisions dispassionately based on numbers or fixed rules.
Experimented and found unanticipated customers for a product or service.
In some companies, identification of market opportunities requires meticulous planning and research. Approaches that appropriately hone in on core opportunities can completely miss disruptive opportunities. Managers must be comfortable following novel approaches to find out customers’ needs. They should have experience “living” the raw data, not delegating research to junior team members or market research firms.
Used a deep network to overcame a barrier or solve a problem.
In some organizations, success requires playing by organizational rules such as sticking to the chain of command or not seeking answers externally. Solving disruptive challenges requires the ability to network to overcome a barrier, bend rules smartly, or look outside the company for the answer.
Operated in “constrained” environments.
Managers who have operated in resource-rich environments have had the luxury of patiently following a predetermined course and carefully analyzing key unknowns. In constrained environments, managers must scramble and fumble to find success. There are more ways to obtain this school of experience that working at a cash-strapped start-up company. For example, managers who have experience in developing economies have often had to find exceptionally creative ways to solve problems.
Demonstrated a bias for action.
Many managers carefully and cautiously analyze important decisions and seek to build a deep consensus before taking action. Although this approach is extremely valuable for critical decisions that affect core operations, it can paralyze disruptive ideas. Remember, the first strategy is almost always going to be wrong. Seek managers who have moved forward even if adjustment was later required.
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I’ve always wanted to compile the world’s largest collection of Google interview questions. On October 24, 2009, I posted a list of 140 Google interview questions. Shortly thereafter, it kicked off a worldwide fascination with Google interview questions (see chart).
Read on to read how it started and the extent of the coverage.
Figure 1. Comparison of Internet searches for “Google interview questions” vs. “Microsoft interview questions.”
Source: Google Insights for Search, December 2008 to November 2009
November 2, 2009
James Temple of the San Francisco Chronicle writes an article about Google’s hiring practices. I e-mail him the next day with a link to the 140 questions blog post. He features the list in a a San Francisco Chronicle piece called Google interview brain teasers.
The Google interview questions continue making headlines, especially overseas. The Sunday Times provides answers for nine Google questions, supplied University of Oxford professors.
The Business Insider rekindles interest in Google interview questions by having one of their staff writers, Alyson Shontell, describe her “nightmare interview with Google.” It registers a sizzling 173,000 page views. I’ve included Blodget’s interview with Shontell below:
November 16 & 23, 2009
The Business Insider follows up their Google interview questions coverage with tough interview questions in other industries. Neither article has the same degree of interest.
Cyber Monday, the busiest day for online shopping, is here. If you’re looking for gifts, here are some of my favorite job-related books:
Interview Tips Interview Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb“Future-proof your career as you learn to provide value to employers, create a memorable career brand, quadruple your interview opportunities, tap into the most overlooked interview “must,” demonstrate your ability to do the job, and bottom-line the return-on-investment employers will receive for hiring you.” – From Amazon.Com
Programming Interview (& Brain Teaser) Tips Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job, 2nd Edition by John Mongan, Noah Suojanen, Eric Giguère“The pressure is on during the interview process but with the right preparation, you can walk away with your dream job. This classic book uncovers what interviews are really like at America’s top software and computer companies and provides you with the tools to succeed in any situation. The authors take you step-by-step through new problems and complex brainteasers they were asked during recent technical interviews.” – From Amazon.com
Consulting Case Interview Tips Case in Point:Complete Case Interview Preparation 10th Anniversary Edition by Marc Cosentino, Chris Glasser“Cosentino demystifies the consulting case interview. He takes you inside a typical interview by exploring the various types of case questions and he shares with you a system that will help you answer today’s most sophisticated case questions. This new edition includes new case material plus 10 Partner cases.” – From Amazon.Com
Personal Branding Tips Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus”Brag! is a whip smart tool kit–one that tampers with our beliefs about humility by defining bragging as an act of authenticity. Peggy Klaus, a Fortune 500 communication coach, sharpened her strategies in Hollywood, “the bragging capitol of the world,” where she learned the art of tooting your horn, without blowing it. “To brag is to talk about your best self with pride and passion in a conversational manner.” explains Klaus. She includes a snappy “Bragging Dictionary” with highly practical techniques including instructions for the “Bragalogue,” a brief memorable elevator pitch and a “Brag bag,” the collection of your greatest hits with colorful details that can be easily accessed.” – From Amazon.com
Google’s new Chrome OS has been a hot topic. Before your Google product manager interview, brush up by reading Matt Cutts’ notes from the Chrome OS PR event last week. Cutts is a distinguished Google software engineer and head of Google’s webspam team.
Cutts’ notes includes insights from Sundar Pinchai, Google’s VP of Product Management. Cutts also includes this YouTube video from Google’s marketing team, which does an excellent job explaining Chrome OS and why consumers should use it.
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Put aside the idea about people not hiring during the Holidays. Whether it’s true or not, it can become an excuse to do nothing.
I agree with Walter, and I’m going to take it one step further. Candidates should intensify their job search during the holidays. Many hiring managers know this is the best time to look for candidates. Only the most motivated job seekers will keep up their search efforts — and motivation is a good trait to have in a candidate! Conversely, only the best hiring managers are looking for candidates during the holiday season. It means their team is growing. They can’t wait to add more people to the team, and they are committed to finding the best people — holidays or not.
Let me give you a quick example: last December, Seattle had the worst snowstorm in a decade. During that time, I was hiring for an open contractor position at Microsoft. With the holidays and poor weather, most candidates paused their job searches. But one plucky job seeker wasn’t deterred. He navigated the treacherous ice-rink like roads for an in-person interview in downtown Seattle, which was completely crippled by the snowstorm. He got an amazing Christmas present; he got the job! A couple months after, I converted his contractor position to a full-time position. We’re both glad that he came out for that interview. And more importantly, his effort last year spoke volumes of his courage, determination, and motivation — which he brings to work every single day.
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Jerry Weissman tells his readers how to save $90 million and shares three personal coaching tips from Michael Bloomberg’s recent mayoral campaign.
I thought the tips are equally applicable to job seekers, so I’ve included them here.
1. Make Eye (Contact). Nonverbal communication counts. What you say is impacted by how you say it. Whenever you present, look the people in your audiences straight in the eye. American Airlines is currently running a magazine ad that reads, “Eye contact. Your most underrated skill set. Sometimes, the more business you do face-to-face, the more business actually gets done.”
2. Speak Affirmatively. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative in all your verbal formations. Take the high road. Avoid the bashing. Heed the old saying, “You get more bees with honey than with vinegar.”
3. Answer Succinctly. This will be the subject of a future blog, but for now, let us turn for advice to the investment sector, an area as competitive as politics. David Bellet, the Founder of Crown Advisors International, one of Wall Street’s most successful investment firms, often made challenging questions a standard part of his due diligence of new companies. “When I ask questions,” said David, “I don’t really have to have the full answer because I can’t know the subject as well as the presenter. What I look for is whether the presenter has thought about the question, been candid, thorough, and direct and how the presenter handles himself or herself under stress.”
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