Now Hiring?
We had to interview someone today. I hate doing interviews. On one level, I feel bad for these people who are looking for work and want to be empathetic, but on another level, hate having one hour to try and decide if you want to invest time and training into this person based on how they "sell" themselves.
I am surprised at some things after sitting on this side of the interview table. I always thought it was understood that when interviewing with a company, you basically tell them what they want to hear (being able to back up any claims about skills or abilities is always a plus) and exhibit enthusiasm and eagerness for the company and position desired.
The guy we interviewed today was very pleasant, but we wondered if he was going to fall asleep during the interview. He seemed not to have thought out answers to any questions we asked him beforehand (I mean come on, you have to contemplate what you might be asked in an interview and prepare yourself) and was very vague about the answers he did provide us. He just basically seemed bored.
Other recent interviews ranged from people making it clear that they had bigger and better plans than working on a Help Desk (which is understandable yet a little premature at this juncture), people who can't understand why a previous boss had a problem with their constant tardiness or wouldn't let them work from home (I myself did not have the pleasure of sitting in on this one), and people who basically answered our questions to the tune of not knowing much about anything we support (these people are sent to us from a consulting agency that is supposedly screening them beforehand mind you).
It just seems to me that a) most people are not as clever or resourceful as I had imagined, and b) most of the people we interview would be better suited (and more qualified) for network or system administration than 1st level phone support. Where are all the people out there who are at the beginning of their IT career looking for a way into a company on the ground floor? We seem to be getting over-qualified individuals who will obviously leave this position the first chance they get at a better one that they are more qualified for to begin with. And this has happened.
I am surprised at some things after sitting on this side of the interview table. I always thought it was understood that when interviewing with a company, you basically tell them what they want to hear (being able to back up any claims about skills or abilities is always a plus) and exhibit enthusiasm and eagerness for the company and position desired.
The guy we interviewed today was very pleasant, but we wondered if he was going to fall asleep during the interview. He seemed not to have thought out answers to any questions we asked him beforehand (I mean come on, you have to contemplate what you might be asked in an interview and prepare yourself) and was very vague about the answers he did provide us. He just basically seemed bored.
Other recent interviews ranged from people making it clear that they had bigger and better plans than working on a Help Desk (which is understandable yet a little premature at this juncture), people who can't understand why a previous boss had a problem with their constant tardiness or wouldn't let them work from home (I myself did not have the pleasure of sitting in on this one), and people who basically answered our questions to the tune of not knowing much about anything we support (these people are sent to us from a consulting agency that is supposedly screening them beforehand mind you).
It just seems to me that a) most people are not as clever or resourceful as I had imagined, and b) most of the people we interview would be better suited (and more qualified) for network or system administration than 1st level phone support. Where are all the people out there who are at the beginning of their IT career looking for a way into a company on the ground floor? We seem to be getting over-qualified individuals who will obviously leave this position the first chance they get at a better one that they are more qualified for to begin with. And this has happened.
posted by Chris at 3:58 PM
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