Structure - the key to a successful tech interview
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A recent tip (from an experienced interviewer), changed the way I approached interviewing and helped me conduct several successful tech interviews.
Without a pre-defined structure to the interview, there is scope for 'drift'. Either by the candidate or by the interviewer. Since there are no guard-rails around the conversation, it is easy to go off track. And newbie interviewers often let candidates stray off track, to the detriment of both parties. Instead, an interviewer needs to be willing to risk breaking the flow and interrupting the candidate.
Sure, you need to listen, but the listening needs to be on both sides. The candidate also needs to listen for cues where he knows there might be drill-down questions.
Most importantly, I learnt that an interviewer needs to always be in command of the direction of the conversation. And that direction can only come if you have a pre-defined structure for the interview.
And here is the tip I got from an experienced interviewer - Lay out a simple structure - and stick to it!
My structure, for example, was:
Me: 'Hi..I am so and so..., I wanna start by telling you about this role...then ask some questions about your recent experience...and finally, we want to leave some time for you to ask questions...How does that sound?'
Candidate - Yes, that sounds great.
Specifically, this is how it might work in an actual interview:
Me: Okay, so you just said that you worked with RESTFul services here. Can you tell me what REST is ? How does it differ from SOAP ?....and so on.
You might be thinking, Nah - I can wait till the candidate finishes - after all, isn't it rude to interrupt? In fact, if you do not interrupt the candidate, there is a good chance the candidate will not stop by himself or offer to pause. And there is also a good chance, that within the allotted time, you will not get to ask the important questions. In fact, believe it or not, that is what a lot of candidates are relying on happening. After all, bullet points are easier to discuss than in-depth technical troubleshooting. Candidates (some, not all) are hoping they can get away with just the bullet points, without any deep, detailed questioning.
However, there is a way to interrupt without sounding rude....Here's an example of how you might interrupt in a non-rude manner....Okay, so you just mentioned serverless programming....do you remember what programming language you used?...
The knowledgeable candidate will never object to being interrupted. She will be more than happy to go into details. It is only the 'detail-avoiding' candidate, that might be unhappy with the interruptions.
Step 3 (Do you have any questions for me...?). Here, just listen and answer what you are allowed to answer, within reason. Some candidates will want to know the entire structure and ins-and-outs of your organization; I never see a need to go into that level of detail on a first interview. And then, finally:
Step 4: (Wrapping Up) - Thank you for your time today. Someone from the company will be getting back to you. That's all you need to wrap up the interview.
This simple 3 to 4 step structure, has helped me conduct interviews for all levels of candidates.
Summary
An interview without a structure will end up being frustrating for you, and might leave the candidate feeling like they did a great job. After all, they spoke all the time and you had no questions on their experience, which means you were just blown away....right?
The key to a successful technical interview is to define a structure and stick to it, no matter what! Even if it involves interrupting the candidate.
In the end, that will let you gauge the true worth and knowledge of the candidate, and will be a win-win for the successful candidate as well. After all, if a candidate is truly knowledgeable, they will encourage the interruption and entertain a deep dive into their experience.
Thoughts? Comments? Similar Experiences?