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How to Handle Illegal Interview Questions

May 19th, 2009 by lewis

Did you know that it’s illegal for hiring mangers to ask you questions about your age, sex, religion, or race?  Karen Burns recently posted JobWeb’s list of illegal interview questions. Check it out.

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How Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer Hires Great People

May 18th, 2009 by lewis

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, talks about hiring best practices.  Here are my favorite takeaways from the article:
  • Use behavioral interviewing techniques. Steve Ballmer agrees with most hiring managers: past success is the best predictor for future success.
  • Check those references. Ignore the skeptics. Checking references is a valuable data point. References can say nice things at first, but if dig deep enough, you’ll get the real scoop on what the candidates are really like. If you still feel like you’re not getting the straight story, here’s a tip from one of my favorite Kellogg professors, William White: ask the reference to recommend more references. The idea is that the new set of references won’t be ringers for the candidate.
  • Hire for talent and passion. Talent and IQ is not enough. The person has to be passionate about the job. Why is Ballmer obsessed with passion? It’s a way to detect whether an employee will be committed, motivated, and tenacious on the job. And if you’re a Malcolm Gladwell fan, you’ll know the 10,000 hour rule: commitment, motiviation, and tenacity separates those who are succesful and those who are not.
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How to Research a Company Before the Interview

May 11th, 2009 by lewis

The Wall Street Journal has an article on how to research a company before an interview. I love the interview tips, and here are my two favorite points from the article:

  • Talk to somebody at the company before the interview. Using LinkedIn, see if you or your friends know anyone at the company. Do a quick informational interview and get an insider’s perspective on the position, company culture, and the hiring process. Hiring managers love it when they hear you took an extra effort to research the company, so do point that out during the interview. It shows you really want the job.
  • Focus on the positive not the negative. During the interview, stay away from unflattering topics such as, “I heard your company just laid off 200 people.  What’s morale like?” Or “I did some research on your leading product, and here are 10 reasons why you are not #1 in your industry.” These questions put an interviewer on the defensive and increases the likelihood your interview will become confrontational. There’s a time and place for these types of questions, and an interview is not it.
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How to Answer “What would your last supervisor say about you?”

May 4th, 2009 by lewis

One of my favorite bloggers, Kristi Daeda, has an excellent article on how to answer “What would your last supervisor say about you?”  I can’t think of anything to add; she nailed the response.

7 Secrets to Informational Interviews

May 2nd, 2009 by lewis

Read my guest blog post on 7 Secrets to Informational Interviews over at Careerealism. Feel free to leave any comments over there.

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More Microsoft Layoffs?

April 21st, 2009 by lewis

Sid Parakh, an analyst at McAdams Wright Ragen, predicts that the Redmond-based tech company will announce more layoffs, on top of the 5,000 layoffs Microsoft annouced back in January.  Get more details about the Microsoft layoff speculation over at Tech Flash.

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More Weird Interview Questions

April 20th, 2009 by lewis

Last week’s blog post offered tips on how to handle weird interview questions, along with some sample responses.  I came across more wacky questions while flipping through the book High-Impact Interview Questions:

  • Who are your heroes and what makes them your heroes?
  • If you could be any animal in the jungle, which one would you be and why?
  • If you were given a free full-page ad in the newspaper and had to sell yourself in six words or less, how would the ad read?
  • If you could invite three people, living or dead, to lunch, whom would you invite and why?
  • If you were a bicycle, what part would you be?
  • If you had unlimited time and financial assets, what would you do?
  • What is your favorite color adn what does it reflect in your personality?
  • If you were on a merry-go-round, what song would you be singing?
  • If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

How to Handle Weird Interview Questions

April 13th, 2009 by lewis

“If aliens landed in front of you and offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?”

It’s not common, but interviewers sometimes ask weird, wacky, and unusual interview questions. If it’s appropriate, ask the interviewer to clarify their intention. For example, with the aliens question, you can ask, “Is the goal here to measure my creativity?” But do go with the flow and make your best effort to answer his or her question. Keep the answer brief to minimize any damage to your candidacy, and hopefully you’ll move onto a more straightforward, productive question soon.

Here are a few sample answers for off-the-wall questions from the book, How to Say It Job Interviews.

In a newspaper story written about your life, what would the headline say?

“The headline would read: Welfare Kid Makes It to the Top. I am very proud of the fact that, although I grew up on public assistance, I always stayed focused, studied hard, and kept my eye on the prize. Fast forward to adulthood and I have an MBA and am about to embark on a successful career in international business.”

Imagine you could trade places with anyone for a week. The person could be famous or not famous, living or from history, real or fictional. With whom would you trade places and why?

“As I work my way up to management, I would like to learn from George Washington and discover how he was able to inspire and motivate those around him toward a common goal.”

If you could be any animal, which one would it be and why?

“I would be a dog because dogs are known to be loyal companions who are loved dearly by their owners.”

How to Handle a Panel Interview

April 6th, 2009 by lewis

Here’s a question that came up in one of my recent coaching sessions: “how do I handle a panel interview?”  Panel interviews consists of one interviewee and many interviewers.  Panel interviews are very common in federal government jobs.  For example, during the FBI Phase II Structured Interview, three interviewers ask questions of a single interviewee.  Some companies or organizations call it a board interview or less commonly, a group interview.

This shouldn’t be dramatically different from your typical one-on-one interview.  Here’s my advice on how to handle the panel interview:
  • Pretend you are talking to one person.  Address and make eye contact with the person who asked the question.  Many candidates make the mistake of focusing only on the most senior individual on the panel.
  • Address each person by name.  Panel interviews occur in more formal settings.  Addressing each person by name not only clarifies who you are talking to, but also shows respect for each person.
  • Don’t stress.  An interview is tough enough already; don’t let the panel interview add more anxiety.  Treat it like any other interview.  Focus on your content, and you’ll do fine.
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Washington Ranked #12 in Business Week’s Best and Worst States for Tech Jobs

April 5th, 2009 by lewis

Business Week released it’s rankings on the best and worst states for tech jobs.  Washington is ranked #12 out of 50.  Here are Washington state statistics shared in the article:

  • Tech jobs gained/lost in 2007: 11,300
  • Percent growth: +7%
  • Growing industries: Software publishing, computer systems design, engineering services
  • Average tech wage (rank out of 52): $95,875 (3)
  • Percent private-sector workers in tech firms: 7.2%
  • Overall ranking: 12
  • Key Tech Employers: Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), RealNetworks (RNWK)
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