A Collaborative Workshop on Handling Interviews
Interviews can be scary. Being the one to give the interview can be ever scarier. How do you measure a person for an opportunity?
- How to Check English in a Low-Maintenance, But Accurate Way
- How to Interview People in 30 minutes or less and get most of what you need
Be sure to warm up and engage in small talk, catching up, giving them what they expect to feel comfortable, explaining the interview session/agenda.
The Top 10 Key Questions
- Hi! How would your old coworkers describe you?
- What do you know about our company? Knowledge check and to see if they research.
- Can you please tell me a little bit about how your experience is connected to this job?
- Where do you see yourself in the next three years with us?
- Can you please tell me about two projects? One where you led and one where you followed and worked with a team?
- Could please tell me about a time that you failed. How did you overcome it?
- What’s something that you’re very proud of? Even something simple.
- What was one conflict at work, or a difficult situation with another person? How was it resolved (what happened in the end)?
- If you could do any job or career in the world where you didn’t need money anymore, what would be the first five topics you think of?
- May I ask how your professional goals synchronize with your personal goals?
Process for Hiring, Checklist, and Documentation
Checklist:-
- Can follow instructions.
- Can think critically and solve problems.
- Ask simple math-related questions to check for mental math.
- Can brainstorm and think on their feet.
- Positive responses and approaches to questions and communication.
- Lack of bias. Remember the salt. Who checks before adding salt and who doesn’t?
- Resume, CV, Linkedin, writing, email, and text communication style and usage. #accuaracy and attention to detail.
- Longterm goals.
- Can learn.
- Can admit they are wrong OR can accept a newer or better solution.
Example Question for Critical Thinking & Math
- How many people live in Thailand?
- What percent of them do you think live in Bangkok?
- Or have a credit card?
- Or travel?
Tips and Conclusion/Summary
- Categorize by ability and capability.
- Test for “collaborativeness.”
- Test for confidence and how long it’ll take to build it. This is hard to estimate well.
Sample Interview Questions [Answers Coming Later]
How many cans of paint does it take to cover a Boeing 747?
“I don’t have the answer now. But I believe the answer exists on Google and will get back to you.”
Candidate A
A bat and ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?
May I ask what your expected salary is?
What’s your 3-year plan?
I see that you’re from (country); how does it differ from here? Pros and cons?
How are you in personal time and work management?
Could you give me any examples to support it?
What do you do in your downtime?
What would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses in professional and personal settings?
What are the main skills you’ve utilized to make a living up until now?
Other Google Interview Questions
“What does the word empathy mean?” — Customer service representative candidate
“How would you handle an individual who is missing from work often?” — Customer service supervisor candidate
“A customer calls and angrily tells you that they ordered Barney (or a similar toddler show) for their kid.
The kid can work the DVD player and knows the Netflix envelope. When the movie arrived the kid grabs it and pops it in. Turns out it’s a slasher movie. What do you do?” — Customer service representative candidate
“Tell me something that you did in the past, but don’t want to do ever again.”
“Who do you think is International Bubble’s competitor and why?” — Creative coordinator candidate
“Tell us about a time you screwed up at your previous job.” — Coordinator candidate
“What do you not like about this company culture?”
“Describe your ability to deal with a very opinionated coworker.”
“How will you handle the culture difference between where you come from and this company?” — QA engineer candidate
“Tell us about a time you screwed up at your previous job.” — Coordinator candidate
“What is your 90-Day Plan if we hire you?” — Customer service representative candidate
“What’s your favorite TV show and movie, and how do you like to watch them?”
“Of everyone on your team at your current employer, who would you keep and who would you fire and why?”
“How many people have you fired?”
“Say the CEO stops by your desk and asks you whether or not we should go into an untapped market. How would you determine the size of the addressable market and the factors this company should consider before deciding to enter the market?” — Senior financial analyst candidate
“How do you differentiate between a good teacher and a great teacher?” — Recruitment Specialist
“If this company is looking to expand its presence in Asia, what are some factors that you can use to evaluate the size of the Asia market, and what can IB do to capture this market?” — Senior financial analyst candidate
“How would you handle an employee that has attendance issues when we do not have an attendance policy in place?” — Customer service supervisor candidate
“What was the most difficult termination you faced in your work history?” — Supervisor candidate
“How would you determine if the price of IB tuition is truly the deciding factor for a potential student?” — Market research analyst candidate
“How would you deal with extreme deadline pressure and a frantic work pace?”
“How do you handle managing someone that is more than twice your age?” — Operations manager candidate
“What would you do if you were the CEO?” — Partner product group candidate
Good luck!
Teacher Paul