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HOW TO INTERVIEW AND WHY Saturday, August 2, 14

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HOW TO BE AWESOME AT INTERVIEWING • Know What You’re Looking For • Find People Who Have It • Keep Improving Your Process Saturday, August 2, 14

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1 KNOW WHAT Y O U ’ R E LOOKING FOR Saturday, August 2, 14

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DEFINE YOUR CULTURE • Start the conversation early • Refuse to accept vagueness • Generate “Belief/Therefor” statements Saturday, August 2, 14

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"WE BELIEVE IN RESPECT, THEREFORE WE WILL SHOW UP ON TIME FOR ALL MEETINGS." Saturday, August 2, 14

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TYPICAL HIRING PROCESS 1) Job posted 2) Resumé and/or code samples reviewed 3) Initial phone screen(s) 4) Technical phone screen(s) 5) Interview Saturday, August 2, 14

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2 FIND PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT Saturday, August 2, 14

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Interview Day! Saturday, August 2, 14

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INTERVIEW DAY! • Have a schedule • Set expectations • Make an effort to have diverse interviewers • Allow for breaks Saturday, August 2, 14

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MAKE A GAME PLAN • Assign different areas of focus for each interviewer • Have a hand-off system • Create 3-5 questions for each interviewer to ask • Record impressions immediately after interview Saturday, August 2, 14

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SETTLING IN • Start with a simple conversation • Ease candidates into process • Double-check for red flags • Learn how they communicate Saturday, August 2, 14

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BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING • Hypothetical questions are game-able • Ask for the story of specific situations • Keep in mind they want to get hired! Saturday, August 2, 14

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COLLABORATION AUDITION • Plan an app • Focus on high-level design • Jr - simple MVC app • Mid/Sr - OO game • Sr/Lead - distributed API Saturday, August 2, 14

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PAIRING AUDITION • Not everyone pairs • Let them use their setup • Pick a kata, Ruby quiz, or open source project you’re both familiar (but not intimate) with Saturday, August 2, 14

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PRESENTATION AUDITION • Have candidate teach you something • It needn't be technical • Set clear expectations about length, format, and investment of time Saturday, August 2, 14

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INTERVIEW LUNCH - AN OPPORTUNITY! Saturday, August 2, 14

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AFTER THE INTERVIEW • Gather all feedback, then discuss as a group • Find a consensus • Follow-up interviews can be problematic • Set candidate expectations for response and meet them Saturday, August 2, 14

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• Don’t say why, call out deficiencies, or make it personal • Be respectful • Explain potential for reapplication (if any) • Be cautious with follow-up HANDLING REJECTION Saturday, August 2, 14

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7 INTERVIEW ANTIPATTERNS Saturday, August 2, 14

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GPA, SAT, GRE • GPA useless after 2-3 years • More interesting to see what was studied than test results • SAT and GRE are for judging academic performance only • High School transcripts = LOL Saturday, August 2, 14

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“NEGGING” • “You’re not qualified for this job -- I’m not sure how you got this interview” • “You’re qualified but I’m not feeling a spark. Convince me you’re the right person for this job.” Saturday, August 2, 14

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“SUBMIT A PR TO APPLY” • What about the well- documented barriers to OSS? • You’re asking for free work for the CHANCE of a job • Many people can’t tip their hand that they’re looking for new employment Saturday, August 2, 14

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GROUP/SPEED INTERVIEWS • Disrespectful of individuals • Filters for people who can attract your attention Saturday, August 2, 14

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PUZZLE QUESTIONS • Google on puzzle questions: “a complete waste of time” • Filter for people who have the same context as you • Only serve to make you feel smart Saturday, August 2, 14

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WHITEBOARD CODING • It is artificial to code by writing on the wall • Adversarial rather than collaborative Saturday, August 2, 14

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FIZZBUZZ • At best: a time waster • At worst: an insult Saturday, August 2, 14

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3KEEP IMPROVING YOUR PROCESS Saturday, August 2, 14

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WE IMPROVE WHAT WE MEASURE • Register predictions ahead of time • Discover your biases • Keep tabs on people you turn down Saturday, August 2, 14

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Steven Mullin Saturday, August 2, 14

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KERRI MILLER (@KERRIZOR) • glass artist • Vespa mechanic • lighting designer • author & teacher • player of games • software developer Saturday, August 2, 14

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Saturday, August 2, 14