Advice for interviewing a technical manager
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GuyThiebaut wrote:
What is their favourite flavour of Krispy Kreme doughnuts?
The cardboard box they're packaged in. Nasty vile disgusting things they are. X|
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius
+1
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
You can't say "chamomile" without losing a moderate number of man-points...
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997As long as I get to keep my one man point fnarr fnarr...
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
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If two programmers disagree on a task, one has more years with the company but the other has more significant experience in the subject how would you decided where to eat for lunch?
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
Tell them both to write a program to do it while you go to a really good lunch that costs as much as taking all three of you and then expense it.
Steve Maier
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How was that post not JSOP-esque?
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997Hmm... The Monty Python "wink-wink-nudge-nudge" was a tad unexpected (M.P. isn't your usual style). Face it John, you've graduated from "CP cultural icon" to "CP law of nature".
Software Zen:
delete this; -
As long as I get to keep my one man point fnarr fnarr...
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
Every case is evaluated on its own merit. I can't guarantee anything. I'm sure you understand.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
Hmm... The Monty Python "wink-wink-nudge-nudge" was a tad unexpected (M.P. isn't your usual style). Face it John, you've graduated from "CP cultural icon" to "CP law of nature".
Software Zen:
delete this;I didn't expect the bloody Spanish Inquisition! I'm a big MP fan. :)
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
My company is in the process of hiring a new technical project manager. The first stage of the interviews have already been conducted; I have been invited to the second interviews for a few candidates to try and assess their technical competance. I have already googled for some appropriate questions, so I'm just wondering if anyone here has a good question to ask, or has been asked a good question for asessing technical knowledge. Obviously, the role is for a manager, so I'm not asking for programming tasks. Something more like an open ended question in which the candidate can go into technical details and expose their technical knoledge (or lack therof). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ben.
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Here are some questions to consider: Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist party? What's the difference between an orange? Ginger or Marianne? Boxers or briefs? In your opinion, does the word "hyphenated" sound like some sort of medical condition associated with the anus? Why is the sky blue? If you were to die right now, would you rather be shot by an AR-15 or slashed with a machete? To add a sense of urgency to the question, lay both weapons on the table. Bring a pretty secretary into the room, and say, "So, what do you think of Ms. Hardbody's butt?"
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997How did you answer them when you got the job, John?
The 3-legged stool of understanding is held up by history, languages, and mathematics. Equipped with these three you can learn anything you want to learn. But if you lack any one of them you are just another ignorant peasant with dung on your boots. R. A. H.
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I didn't expect the bloody Spanish Inquisition! I'm a big MP fan. :)
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius
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How did you answer them when you got the job, John?
The 3-legged stool of understanding is held up by history, languages, and mathematics. Equipped with these three you can learn anything you want to learn. But if you lack any one of them you are just another ignorant peasant with dung on your boots. R. A. H.
No Elephants, because bananas don't have bones Marianne Briefs Yes Because I like that color I can't die, I'm immortal I'd hit it
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
I have a question for you actually, why didn't you guys respond after I sent me resume?
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
You're coming to England for the interview? Didn't think you could make it. Also, you're too overqualified :) We still need to be able wind our managers up by trying to convince them that our new project should be done using a language they've never heard of.
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Every case is evaluated on its own merit. I can't guarantee anything. I'm sure you understand.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997I thought you could guarantee violence if someone stepped over the line?
If you vote me down, my score will only get lower
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Ask them what their management style is? A very open-ended and vague question I know - but what I would be trying to find out is where on the scale of micro-management do they sit... What they do to motivate and help their team when a deadline is looming? How do they manage "impossible" deadlines? What is their favourite flavour of Krispy Kreme doughnuts?
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
Thanks for the response. It would be very useful to find out where they sit on the micro-management scale, in fact, it should be part of the CV submission process. I'd feel guilty forevermore if I failed to spot a micro-manager that eventually got hired by the company (and probably the wrath of the rest of the team for helping to hire said mirco-manager).
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You're coming to England for the interview? Didn't think you could make it. Also, you're too overqualified :) We still need to be able wind our managers up by trying to convince them that our new project should be done using a language they've never heard of.
I thought a Skype interview would suffice. Overqualified? You mean the position is underpaying? Languages I've never heard of? I just respond that I'm familiar, but not comfortable enough to demonstrate.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
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What was it about your last project that got you excited and why? How and why did you choose the technologies with which to build your last project?
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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My company is in the process of hiring a new technical project manager. The first stage of the interviews have already been conducted; I have been invited to the second interviews for a few candidates to try and assess their technical competance. I have already googled for some appropriate questions, so I'm just wondering if anyone here has a good question to ask, or has been asked a good question for asessing technical knowledge. Obviously, the role is for a manager, so I'm not asking for programming tasks. Something more like an open ended question in which the candidate can go into technical details and expose their technical knoledge (or lack therof). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ben.
"Technical knowledge" is a little broad, as terms go. The point isn't to have a pretty list of questions that they field or don't, it is to get them talking about technology. Ask them what their favorite webserver is and why, or what their favorite database is and why (especially if the job doesn't involve either of those directly). Ask them if they have a problem of a technical nature what sources they use to solve the problem. Grill them about what websites they think have good technical information. Ask them how they measured progress in the past for a technical project, and how effective it was. Ask them how they would solve a technical issue if the internet was unavailable. A conversation about technology that touches on esoteric points is probably better than a set of tough questions. Frankly, having just gone through a helluva lot of tech interviews I figured out several things: - if you go to enough of them you can pick up knowledge as you go and by the time you get to a fairly late one sound pretty darned sophisticated. - if you fail to do the technical thing in the interview that doesn't mean you can't do it. - if you can't communicate with the person asking the question well enough, you might be a bad candidate for the job even if you can do every part of it technically. - Tests don't. And you might consider asking them to show you some examples of things they've worked on, if possible. Maybe they can diagram some things they've worked on and give a good overview even if they can't show code.
_____________________________ Give a man a mug, he drinks for a day. Teach a man to mug...
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I didn't expect the bloody Spanish Inquisition! I'm a big MP fan. :)
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
I didn't expect the bloody Spanish Inquisition!
I'm a big MP fan. :)I've never met a programmer who wasn't, outlaw or otherwise.
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?
Only on the third Thursday in December when the moon is a balloon
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
What's the difference between an orange?
Crusty flanges.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Ginger or Marianne?
Oh, Ginger, every time.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Boxers or briefs?
Commando.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
In your opinion, does the word "hyphenated" sound like some sort of medical condition associated with the anus?
Yes
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Why is the sky blue?
It's blue??? Shit, my eyes are worse than you thought.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
If you were to die right now, would you rather be shot by an AR-15 or slashed with a machete? To add a sense of urgency to the question, lay both weapons on the table.
Help me! Help me!
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Bring a pretty secretary into the room, and say, "So, what do you think of Ms. Hardbody's butt?"
Get me a Krispy Kreme, you fool!
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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My company is in the process of hiring a new technical project manager. The first stage of the interviews have already been conducted; I have been invited to the second interviews for a few candidates to try and assess their technical competance. I have already googled for some appropriate questions, so I'm just wondering if anyone here has a good question to ask, or has been asked a good question for asessing technical knowledge. Obviously, the role is for a manager, so I'm not asking for programming tasks. Something more like an open ended question in which the candidate can go into technical details and expose their technical knoledge (or lack therof). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ben.
Well naturally you want a manager you can work with. Give him points if he is what you'd like your manager to be. Personally, I like kinda hands-off managers, people who lead without micromanaging, people who view their role as supporting a team, not leading a charge or setting policy. Questions? Hmmm. Your first week on the job, which is very hectic due to looming deadlines, you have to break up an almost-physical altercation between Bob, who likes his curly braces lined up underneath the if, and Jack, who likes the open-curly to the right of the if. They want you to solve the problem. What do you do? Your boss asks you to prepare a detailed schedule estimate for the next project. How do you go about that chore? Describe a time in your management experience when you had to dismiss a member of your team. What was the cause, and how did you handle the process. If you had a free hand, what development methodology would you introduce to a newly constituted team? You've been assigned a team of reasonably bright, professional devs, who are behind schedule on a project with major impact to the company. Division management really needs the thing done on schedule to make their goals. So far, the team have mostly been working regular hours, but even assuming 50 hour weeks it isn't clear you'll be done on time. Progress has been uneven, with some stuff nearly done and other stuff not yet even designed. The windows don't open so suicide isn't an option. What do you do? What *do* you do? Where do you look first for problems. How do you win in this no-win situation?
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My company is in the process of hiring a new technical project manager. The first stage of the interviews have already been conducted; I have been invited to the second interviews for a few candidates to try and assess their technical competance. I have already googled for some appropriate questions, so I'm just wondering if anyone here has a good question to ask, or has been asked a good question for asessing technical knowledge. Obviously, the role is for a manager, so I'm not asking for programming tasks. Something more like an open ended question in which the candidate can go into technical details and expose their technical knoledge (or lack therof). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ben.
When I think of some technical managers I've had the first questions I think of are "Do you know your a*****e from a hole in the ground?" "Do you know s**t from shinola?" "How did you ever manage to graduate from high school?" "How often do you change your TPS report formats?" When I think of the good ones I've had, different questions come to mind. Ask open-ended questions, especially inviting the interviewee to talk about him-or-herself and what they've actually done. This is how I've devised questions for everyone from an assembler up to a manager, actually. You can get a lot of good information out of people, their pesonality and abilities, when they tell stories. Concentrate the questions on things required by the job description and expected by you. How have you tracked project progress? What do you like to cover in staff meetings? How do you estimate the number of personnel and amount of work a project will take. Give an example of an accurate estimate and how you came up with it. What tools have you used for project management? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your favorite one? Give an example of how you lead a recovery from a major project delay or disruption. Give an example of an effective code review. What was the approach? How about an ineffective code review? What could have been done differently and what did you learn from it?