I just spoke with a very experienced and very sharp candidate regarding one of our Java vacancies. Whilst he did well in terms of demonstrating his considerable technical skills, I was seriously put off by his blase approach to the interview. When I speak with candidates, I work hard to convey enthusiasm, interest and energy. It’s a terrible shame when a candidate can’t reciprocate.
Don’t forget that we are not only looking for people with good technical skills. Excellent interpersonal skills are vital in the kind of work that we do. You must be able to interact with a variety of people and demonstrate knowledge, enthusiasm and interest to end users. Interviews are an opportunity to shine; make the most of them!!!
April 21, 2009
June 1, 2009 at 12:14 am
I am really impressed by your words…
Interviews are an opportunity to shine; make the most of them!!!
I am looking for jobs and this line made my day..i am more positive and determined now..thanks for sharing this…
September 28, 2009 at 11:48 am
I do agree that a candidate should yes be full of enthusiasm and energy though if the interviewer is throwing all the wrong questions or if it is a technical role and the interview is by HR and not a technical minded person it can be very frustrating.
As an example I remember having a telephone interview for a ‘Senior Flex Developer’ who had to have extensive knowledge in API’s, I recall the question ‘what does REST stand for?’, now I can appreciate that a developer might want to know what it stands for though most heavy backend REST developers I fired the question off with a blank response further showing that a simple question of this nature does not reflect anything about the individual knowledge in the area.
Is this not why usually developers/technical individuals are not generally asked questions such as ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ ect..?