JobsBlog Rewind: The dreaded “HR Interview” Part 1: The Phone Screen
JobsBlog Rewind: this is one of our most populars posts and was originally written in 2005.
First of all, I hate this term …. “HR Interview.” I hate it when candidates say it. I hate it when Hiring Managers say it. I hate it when Scoble says it. I hate it.
Why, you may ask, do I hate that term so much? Well, besides the fact I despise being called anything HR (I know, I know – I work in HR, so I should get over it), I resent the connotation that comes long with it. And I resent the way people say it … as if it is beneath them or just a silly, meaningless hoop they must jump through. (“Oooh, it was just the HR Interview. I thought you were talking about a real interview!”)
I HATE it! And now I digress … The HR Interview (which I will henceforth refer to as the Core Competency Interview) is the Achilles heel of many a potential job seeker. You’ve submitted a great resume and received a call from a recruiter. Now you must face the next challenge.
I’m sure Microsoft’s Core Competency Interview process is no different than the next company’s process so the information you see here can be applied broadly.
Who does this recruiter think he/she is asking me these stupid questions?
Oh, yes. We know what you’re thinking … don’t think we don’t! While you may feel the questions posed to you during a Core Competency Interview are a mindless waste of your time, let me enlighten you. Next to maybe the most experienced interviewers in the company, Recruiters are top interviewers. We are rigorously trained on the importance and art of the Core Comp Interview, and our skill is continually honed with periodic trainings and observations/critics by peers. We look for the talents and behaviors most essential to success in our company (often traits that can’t be “learned” or “taught”) and know about 10 different ways to access a candidate’s proficiency in these areas.
We may play dumb, and yes, we often do to throw you off. (You talk more when you think we don’t know what you are saying.) But we <ok, most of us> are more intelligent than you think. I mean, c’mon, we interview people for a living … and plus, do you think Bill is actually going to pay me to waste my time asking meaningless questions?
I don’t think so.
But why not just have a Hiring Manager interview me directly?
A Core Comp interview often gets at … well, just that … Core Competencies. In reality, Software Test Engineer Core Comp interviews aren’t that different from Product Manager Core Comp interviews and Recruiter Core Comp interviews. When a Recruiter is performing a Core Comp interview, he/she is looking for a general match for a profile, regardless of specifics. A Hiring Manager is looking for match for a specific job description, and you’ll find the questions posed in a Hiring Manager Interview are more job related (and technical – if you are a technical candidate) then in a Core Comp interview.
Also, Hiring Managers don’t have the time to speak to all candidates. Recruiters are the gatekeepers to gather information in determining next steps in a process. We interview many, many more candidates then a Hiring Manager ever sees.
So who has the say on whether or not I get to the Hiring Manager interview?
It totally depends on candidate, situation, recruiter, and Hiring Manager. Often Recruiters make the call. Sometimes Hiring Managers make the call. And even other times, Hiring Managers go with the complete opposite call of the Recruiter. (Maybe they don’t trust the Recruiter; maybe it’s just to spite them. I really don’t know.)
So essentially, that’s not an easy question to answer, but your first line of business should be to impress the Recruiter. That, at least, gets your foot in the door.
Phone Screen Faux Pas: What should I avoid in a Core Comp Interview?
Obviously, some of these offenses are greater than others, but to ensure a successful result, steer clear of these. I should also say that when a phone interview goes poorly, it’s because a combination of these problems … or one problem repeating itself over … and over … and over again.
Lie – This comes in many forms. Sometimes I will catch a candidate lying on a resume. Sometimes I’ll catch a candidate lying about something the candidate doesn’t already know I know. Sometimes a candidate will even admit to lying when answering a question. You’d be surprised with what we hear.
Give up – The worst is when I hear “I don’t know” or “I’ll think about it and e-mail you later” to my questions.
Don’t try - This is different (and worse) then just giving up. People who don’t try to tackle a question are telling me it’s not worth their time to speak with me. I’ve even had candidate refuse to answer certain questions because they think they are silly or not applicable. Which leads to my next point …
Have a poor attitude – Again, I wouldn’t be spending my time talking to you if I wasn’t interested in your skill set, so don’t insult me by acting they you couldn’t care less about talking to me.
Act too slick – You have not pulled the wool over my eyes – even if I play along with your game. I’m still the one asking the questions.
Follow your own agenda – Some examples are candidates who answer questions that weren’t asked … or (my biggest pet peeve) candidates who just launch into their work history without giving me an opportunity to ask the first question. When this happens, I’ll try to cut in a few times, but if they don’t let me in (which often they don’t), I’ll let them rattle on and then conclude the “interview.” And that leads to …
Talk, talk, talk without taking a breath – The most successful interviewees can read their audience. Part of this is gauging the interviewer’s interest and understanding. Instead of rambling on for 15 minutes, pause and ask the interviewer if you should continue or if he/she has more specific questions on this topic.
Rely on your resume as a crutch – I’ve read your resume, but I want to understand who you are beyond your resume. Don’t continually ask me to refer to Page 2, Paragraph 3 of your resume. Just tell me about it in your own words, even if you are reiterating what you wrote.
Name drop – Unless you can get me backstage passes to the next Dave Matthews show, I really don’t care who you know.
Pee or take a bath while we are talking - Yes, this has happened. Sad but true.
I know I forgot some good ones. I’ll be sure to write another post when I think of more Phone Screen No-Nos.
Phone Screen Successes – How to win over your Interviewer
Be real and honest – Just relax and let the answers come from your heart. You’ll do better … guaranteed.
Tell me about YOU – not your team or product – When I ask about a project, I want to know YOUR contribution. Don’t be afraid to brag about your accomplishments. The spot light is on you!
Get to the point – I think about Donald Trump on The Apprentice with this one. Ever notice how Donald gets really peeved when he asks a direct question and the candidate hems and haws before getting to the real answer? Well, same here.
Loosen up and have fun – Again, this will allow the real you to shine through.
Ask questions about the questions – If you don’t understand something, ask me to clarify. Sometimes my questions are designed to prompt you to ask more questions. It’s ok to be curious.
Problem solve together – This kind of goes along with the “ask questions about the questions” point. It’s ok to interact with your interviewer. Discussion will often help reveal the answer.
No matter what … give it you best try! – You don’t know how many people e-mail me, telling me how how passionate they are about working for Microsoft, and then when I talk to them, it seems they couldn’t be more bothered than by answering my questions. I have to believe part of this is just nerves. So above all else, just give an interview your best try. No matter what is going on, key yourself up for 30 minutes and get ready to do some intellectual sparring.
The best candidates will tell you phone interviews are a lot of fun. So relax and enjoy it!
Next time …. The dreaded “HR Interview” Part 2: The In-person Interview. Tips and Tricks for how to conduct yourself when meeting with a Recruiter in-person."
Til then ….
gretchen
68 Comments
Bernard said:
Great Stuff !! I will try to find you during the summit and tell u my experience.. I had err. bad one actually with local MS office.
josh ledgard said:
Another reason that these Faux Pas are important is that they will often dictate future interactions.
If and interviewee rambles on during their first interview, chances are that they would be rambling to the discontent of future team members in meetings and drag everyones productivity down.
Someone with a bad attitude or display of disinterest will likely be visibly disinterested or even counterproductive when given a task that doesn't 100% interest them. These people also have a tendency to by very fickle about the types of work they think they should be doing and sometimes make no progress on assignments for apparently no reason.
I've seen it work for the positive traits as well. For example: People who ask good questions or have good back and forths during problem solving sessions tend to work really well in collaborative team environments.
Gretchen said:
Thanks, Bernard - See you at the Summit!
Josh - It's really sad when your own husband leaves a comment from the other room. ;-) Of course, now I'm writing back. :)
Thank you for chiming in with those thoughts. I totally agree, and I should have made that more clear in my post. Core Comp interviews are predictors of future performance, and these good and bad tips tie into trends we see in additional interviews and on the job.
Dennis T Cheung said:
What? No <a title="" href="http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/category/4172.aspx" >Disclaimer</a> about the Dave Matthews bit? :)
Damian Barrow said:
The MS site says dress in what you feel comfortable in.
Now - being honest - Suit or no suit?
(for ladies read smart or whatever it is women wear for interviews. I'm not being sexist - I just don't know - with men its simple. If you're going to an interview I was taught to wear a suit).
Whats the HR perspective on this?
Jeremy C. Wright said:
Is it weird that I've always looked forward to the Core Competency Interview? I find it's my first chance to see if I'll actually enjoy working at a company. In the past I've been just as likely to 'end the interview' as the interviewer.
I don't believe in wasting anyone's time. And, to be honest, all of the pet peeves you listed are ones that bug me as well: from interviewers.
I had a phone interview last night from someone who knew nothing about IT. It was very frustrating.
The Language Police said:
"But we <ok, most of us> are more intelligent then you think"
<a target="_new" href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=than">http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=than</a>
Ah, the irony...
Darrell said:
I have backstage passes to the next Dave Matthews concert. When's the interview?
gretchen said:
Damian - great question about what to wear. I'm going to cover that in my next post ... but yes, wear what your feel comfortable in.
Language Police - thanks for catching that typo. I do understand the difference between then and than though.
Darrell and Dennis - Yes, I should have put the <a title="" href="http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/category/4172.aspx" >Disclaimer</a> on that one, I think. :)
Jeremy - Yeah, I think those interviews are fun, too. People who over-analyze them are the ones who don't do as well.
Dave said:
I found that the Core Comp interview was actually a lot of fun, and really energized me for the rest of the day. Though, I think that it was due to the skill of the interviewer - but then, I was pretty keyed up too.
Thanks for the blog, both yours and Scoble's filled in my gaps in understanding the process.
Jeremy C. Wright said:
Gretchen,
I agree completely. I'm looking forward to my first Core Comp interview. As long as I can keep the nerves tamed at least ;-)
ES said:
I think interviews are fun! The best advice I could give is practice, practice and practice. You need to be able to describe your experiences to strangers in confidence. Do an internet search on interview questions, and practice answering the questions to your self, friend and/or partner.
Questions:
Is there anything a candidate can do to improve their chances for proceeding on to the next step, if the phone interview went good or bad? (I had the first phone interview and it went great, I am waiting to hear back from the technical recruiter.)
Is it common to have a second phone interview with the hiring manager?
I am looking forward to part two.
Thanks
ES
Ian Hanschen said:
Gretchen,
I have really enjoyed the information both you and Zöe have been sharing on this blog, but I'm curious - do you have tips for people who have made it through the interviews and will be starting soon? I'm sure the NEO covers a lot of stuff, but I think it'd be cool if the "What it's like to be a .. at Microsoft" style interviews also had advice for new employees.
Thanks!
-Ian
Kevin Daly said:
Actually, I have always hated the term "Human Resources" (and think it really is due for retirement if people think about this), because I am not a "resource", I am a human being, and a highly skilled one at that. Calling people "resources" puts them in the same category as furniture and paper clips.
This is not a dig, by the way, simply a criticism of one of the many linguistic obscenities that corporate non-language has brought upon us.
PS. You can probably add this whole post to "Things not to say at an interview" :-)
Kevin Daly said:
PS.
Thanks for the tip about "Talk, talk, talk without taking a breath": I know for a fact that I have often been guilty of this one. Partly because I tend to be talkative in any case, and partly because I often seem to end up spending too much time providing context or background information for the point I'm making or the situation I'm describing...talking about a walk down the road to buy milk does tend to turn into a movie script (havily annotated). Sigh.
Shailesh said:
>>Next time …. The dreaded “HR Interview” Part 2: The In-person Interview. “ Tips and Tricks for how to conduct yourself when meeting with a Recruiter in-person
O God, Shall I postpone my tomorrow's In-Person interview to wait for this?? :(
I hope you finish this before tomorrow morning 8 am.
Thanks.
Jeremy C. Wright said:
Kevin,
You and me both. I'm naturally talkative (unless I get shy), and my nerves make it even worse. My nerves are always my biggest fear (which makes me more nervous when they start to come on strong).
Generally a deep breath and a drink of water helps. I always keep water close by during all interviews (phone or otherwise).
One question Gretchen / Zoe: Have you considered doing webcam interviews? I did one for my current job and found it to be extremely helpful. You get a general sense of body language, which is great to help relax the candidate.
gretchen said:
Gosh, so many great questions and comments!
ES - Great advice. Being prepared is key.
Is there anything a candidate can do to improve their chances for proceeding on to the next step, if the phone interview went good or bad? Probably not much beyond just being super passionate in the phone interview. Some job etiquette sites recommend sending an e-mail thank you note. I think that's fine, but I'm not sure it will actually help your cause. :)
Is it common to have a second phone interview with the hiring manager?
This is Microsoft specific - For College candidates, no. For experienced candidates, usually.
Hope the result of your interview is positive!
Ian - that's a great suggestion, and congrats on your upcoming employment at Microsoft. I'm sure you'll love it here. Speaking of, it might be cool if you'd like to write a guest post on "my first week" at Microsoft. that would be so cool. And then maybe you could return every month or so to let people know how much you've learned and what you think about it :)
Kevin - I dislike that term, too. Agreed.
Shailesh - i have so much work today. I don't think i'm going to make that post before tomorrow. But good luck!!! Check out <a target="_new" href="http://www.sellsbrothers.com/fun/msiview/">http://www.sellsbrothers.com/fun/msiview/</a> for some great MS interviewing tips. And just remember - your recruiter is there to help you. He/she is your advocate so don't be nervous when meeting with the recruiter and build a great rapport, if you can.
Jeremy - Actually, a lot of teams have been using Office Live Meeting for screens, and it's been really great.
Brian Goldfarb said:
Oh the behavioral interview (that's what we used to call it when I was going through the process) -- is such an interesting one. The best ones are fun, they are challenging and engaging -- my Microsoft one was this. In the last 3 years, I've probably had near 100 of these. They become a drag, most are completely rote, but a necessary step. From an interviewee's perspective, you can judge a lot about how much a company cares about it's candidates by how the screening interview/behaviorial/corecomp interview goes -- it is a telling sign from both ends.
The best part of the post was how the best candidates think these are fun... I would argue that the best companies/recruiters setup the scenario for them to be fun, and the best candidates can recognize this and optimize. Just my two cents :)
Brian Goldfarb said:
Oh the behavioral interview (that's what we used to call it when I was going through the process) -- is such an interesting one. The best ones are fun, they are challenging and engaging -- my Microsoft one was this. In the last 3 years, I've probably had near 100 of these. They become a drag, most are completely rote, but a necessary step. From an interviewee's perspective, you can judge a lot about how much a company cares about it's candidates by how the screening interview/behaviorial/corecomp interview goes -- it is a telling sign from both ends.
The best part of the post was how the best candidates think these are fun... I would argue that the best companies/recruiters setup the scenario for them to be fun, and the best candidates can recognize this and optimize. Just my two cents :)
gretchen said:
Hi Brian - that's a great point. I hope MS is one of those companies that makes it fun. :)
One thing I enjoy about interviewing at Microsoft is that we are taught what behaviors to look for and evaluate but encouraged to go about evaluating those behaviors in our own way.(This goes for all MS interviers - not just recruiters.) Sure, there are 2 or 3 questions I ALWAYS ask (i think they are good for calibration), but other than that, I let the interview take its own course based on the particular candidate. No 2 interviews I do are the same so it's fun for me, too.
JD on MX said:
Interview tips: "Zoe & Gretchen" work at Microsoft, in HR, and have a blog. Here Gretchen describes a good bunch of things that will drop you from the list on a phone interview, and another bunch that will push you...
Ian Hanschen said:
Gretchen,
That sounds really cool, I'd definately be interested in writing guest posts!
-Ian
Al Abut said:
I have a question - where the hell was this great article three hours ago when I was preparing for a Microsoft phone interview??!? No seriously, I just did it this afternoon and was surfing RSS feeds to relax when I came across the link at <a href="<a target="_new" href="http://www.markme.com/jd/">JD">http://www.markme.com/jd/">JD</a> on MX</a>. Incredible timing!
Sigh - I think I did alright, looking back over the list and I concur with Jeremy: some people are talkers when they're nervous! :)
Ian - why don't you start your own blog? I for one would be interested in reading it. I just came across <a href="<a target="_new" href="http://weblogs.asp.net/chris_pratley/">Chris">http://weblogs.asp.net/chris_pratley/">Chris</a> Pratley's journal</a> this week and his account of starting out as a fresh-out-of-college Program Manager (what I interviewed for) really helped humanize the process for me, yet that was 10 years ago and a more recent account would be at least as interesting. Just my $0.02...
Jeremy C. Wright said:
Al,
Well I really hope it went well. I'm looking at Program Manager positions as well, so maybe we can grab lunch once we're both hired, yeah?
J
Ian Hanschen said:
Al Abut,
Click the link on my name :)
Or go here: <a target="_new" href="http://www.codeneffect.com">http://www.codeneffect.com</a>
-Ian
Burak KALAYCI said:
Very informative and entertaining.
So you shouldn't lie and you should be real honest but shouldn't say 'I don't know' or 'I'll think about it and e-mail you later'.
The recruiter may sound dumb but s/he's making a living interviewing so you should assume s/he's just playing dumb. But you're not allowed to 'play dumb', to 'throw off her/him'.
So this dumb sounding person would like to have answers to even 'not applicable' or 'silly' questions. When s/he asks something that's already in your resume (and it sounds s/he didn't even bother to read it), you should assume s/he's asking beyond the info there.
You should 'loosen up and have fun' but beware peeing or taking a bath is not allowed.
You should ask questions about questions: 'Why is that question so stupid?'
Well, if a dumb sounding person calls me, I wouldn't bother talking and that'll be 'poor attitude'.
MS won't be hiring me soon I guess.
Best regards,
Burak
Heather said:
Hmm,
I gotta say that if your idea of having fun is taking a bath while you are interviewing, that is probably a bad sign.
Burak KALAYCI said:
My real point is I guess I didn't like the part about 'playing dumb' at all.
How could you expect honesty while not being honest?
If a question might sound stupid, explain about it first. If you want some info beyond available on the resume, just tell me so. If you haven't throughly read it, tell that too (I'll understand. Isn't that better than sounding dumb and let me have ideas about the company you work for - why give me a reason to give up?). I think you should be the one qualified to turn an honest 'I don't know' (or the polite 'I'll think about it and email you later) answer to an appropriate one (by asking the right questions).
Be honest, don't play games.
Well, you may want to see how I behave when called by a dumb person asking silly questions. But you'll only get what you asked for...
Best regards,
Burak
Gretchen said:
Hi Burak - "Playing dumb" is not the best choice of words on my part, but then again, this is a blog, not a site for official information.
What I mean is there are times when we may (think we)know the answer to something (like "why are you intersted in working for Microsoft" or some other question that may irk candidates) but we want to hear it from you directly. I can usually predict how someone is going to answer something based on previous answers, but it's all about the journey of an interview and revealing trends. I'm not "playing dumb" to make anyone mad or plan games. I just want to hear the answer.
You are reading way too much into my statement, and again, I write these entries in my own voice so you can see the real me - like it or not.
JD said:
Gretchen,
While Burak's post is a bit rude, I have to say I agree with some of the sentiment.
The best part of this blog entry is the part where it admits that the recruiter is a professional who is good at finding people who fit the corporate culture. After seeing tons of candidates, seeing feedback from interviews and which candidates move on successfully, you (and your colleagues, some of whom are close personal friends) have a really good picture of what it takes to make it in Microsoft.
It's clearly disrespectful if a candidate doesn't take you seriously. It's helpful if you indicate that it is a 'real' interview, as is the entire day. I've rejected a candidate due to a poor lunch interview, for example.
The blog entry is a little disjointed when it comes to the advice, though. Much of it seems to focus on peeves and horror stories. This just adds to the mystique that the recruiter is someone you don't want to tick off, but not that the recruiter has any value.
When I interviewed, I took my recruiter interview seriously, but the recruiter spent much of the time going over stuff I already knew. I indicated this subtly, but the recruiter seemed to have some script to follow and didn't deviate, and I played along. The time was salvaged by one good set of questions near the end:
Rate myself on a scale from 1 to 10 (Ok, classic; rate high but not too high, 8); then rate another developer on a scale from one to ten (harder; in my case there was a brilliant guy i had learned a lot from), then compare our strengths on a project we had worked on together (this broke me out of the script into actually describing the project, how we divided responsibilities, what areas he was strong in and which ones I was strong in. In retrospect I should have anticipated this question, but I didn't).
My point? I've always understood the 'recruiter' interview to be like a Pass/Fail course in school. You can't make a major misstep or you're toast. But even if you ace the course, it doesn't raise your average. This blog entry does little to counteract that conventional wisdom, in fact it perpetuates it somewhat.
Burak KALAYCI said:
My apologies if my posts sound rude, I certainly didn't mean that.
Best regards,
Burak
Venu said:
Gretchen
Real great stuff....
Robert Scoble said:
I'll never call it an HR interview again! Thanks for a great blog post.
gretchen said:
:)
Technical Careers @ Microsoft said:
Technical Careers @ Microsoft said:
karthik bala guru said:
Good language !! A close friend of mine though has
good technical stuff stumbled and stumbles
many a times in the HR interview. I think
this could surely help him a lot and i have
forwarded it to him.
Regards,
karthik bala guru
gretchen said:
Awesome!
Oksana said:
Wow, interesting stuff :) I had an awesome phone interview with Jenn. I have never had so much fun during any kind of interviews, actually. Cannot wait for part two, counting days...I feel that my life is about to change...big times!
gretchen said:
That's great, Oksana. Best of luck in the continued process!!
Oksana said:
Thanks! Cannot wait! :)
Oksana said:
Ah, cannot wait for my interview. It feels like I have read everything online that could be related and checked out two bags of books and had been studying like crazy…Anything else I can do to get better prepared? :)
gretchen said:
Actually, yes. Zoe will be posting something that will help you a lot later today! Stay tuned!
Oksana said:
Thanks! Wiil be checking between my studies :)
hi said:
i love it
gretchen said:
thanks!
Technical Careers @ Microsoft said:
HR Graduate said:
Hi it was really useful to read the comments and 'tips' on interviews, currently i am 'televetting', which is interviewing candidates on the phone, this is however temping work. I have several interviews, and i managed to naturally follow the guidelines (i read this afterwards) given here on this page and i managed to get a 2nd interview with a 'big' firm.
Yes i agree being comfortable is important, i had a candidate say im shopping so im busy call me back later- sounds silly but talking at a time when you can hear yourself think is essential and improves performance.
Best advice give it your best- its so easy not to!
RD said:
Give up – The worst is when I hear “I don’t know” or “I’ll think about it and e-mail you later” to my questions.
The above is quoted from your Dreaded HR Interview series but you did not tell us how to answer a question that we do not know the answer too? I thought it good to say I do not know; can I will get back to you? Indstead of trying to BS your way through (which I am sure will be able to identify) SO this leads me to the question "How do you answer a question you do not know the answer too?"
Thanks
RD
JobsBlog said:
Hi RD - Good question. First, I should point out that when I wrote that, I wasn't referring to questions that have a definitive right or wrong answer like "What is the difference between a struct and a class?" That's the type of question where you either know the answer or you don't, and if you don't, just say, "I'm sorry. I don't know the answer to that one."
When I wrote that point about saying "i don't know," I was referring to the types of questions you typically get in an recruiter interview like, "Tell me about your most challenging project." OR "Tell me about an interesting bug you found while using a product." In this case, you should answer with something. There is no right or wrong answer. The questions are meant to learn more about your, your experience, your passion, etc, so you should provide an answer.
Chrissy said:
Thanks a bunch for the tips.....great advice
Payday Loan said:
Very nice and informative website.
Sumanta Brahma said:
If you hate that term (HR)...How can you write such a good story...Really it sucked ! when you said that you are more intelligent than we think....you are wrong sir...the interviewee are more intelligent most of the times.
JobsBlog said:
Hi Sumanta - Wow. Thanks for stopping by and being so nice. It's good to see people have manners these days. I agree - Most people I interview have a very high intelligence. I never said they didn't. I believe you misunderstood the statement.
Interview Tips » Blog Archive » Microsoft Interview Questions said:
PingBack from <a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://www.1st-in-interview-tips.com/blog/20/microsoft-interview-questions/">http://www.1st-in-interview-tips.com/blog/20/microsoft-interview-questions/</a>
Kristian Kristensen’s Blog » My Microsoft Phone Interview said:
PingBack from <a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://zianet.dk/blog/2006/08/08/my-microsoft-phone-interview/">http://zianet.dk/blog/2006/08/08/my-microsoft-phone-interview/</a>
Microsoft's JobsBlog said:
Thanks for visiting JobsBlog! We invite you to read our post archives for information about applying
Microsoft's JobsBlog said:
Wow. My post on the Core Competency/Recruiter Phone Screen generated tons of controversy and debate.
Sam said:
Great advise. I have a couple of comments why people may hate HR..
1. Lying: Personally, I hate these phone interviews. One company HR Director phone interviewed me twice and then scheduled me for full day interviews with exec's. The interviews kept getting postponed and eventually the company would not return my calls or emails.
2. Lying: Yes, again. I phone-interviewed with HR Director or Manager at another company. Within days I was called again stating that the CEO wished talk to me and/or invite me to the company. The CEO stated that he would instruct his HR Director to schedule a personal interview! The next day, I received an email from the HR Director that there was nothing available that matched my experience. Just like that!
Frustrating!
Sam
labor law poster said:
Hi:
Thank you for your informative blog.
UP said:
This is by far one of the most informative posts I've come across. Thank you, Gretchen. I've to be honest - when I had my phone interview with MS last October, for each question asked, my replies were quite verbose - thanks to my nervousness (it was my first interview of the 2010 recruiting season) + jolliness (after all, I'm interviewing with MS for christ's sake!). While I didn't make it to the on-site interview, I've since learned a lot from that experience. Bottom-line: keep your replies simple, succinct and to the point. While I'll be interning (another great company) somewhere else this Summer and Fall, I'll give one more shot at MS this Fall'10 (fingers crossed).
Additionally, MS recruiters are extremely professional and genuinely wants to know about you, your ideas and ways of thinking. My second interview after the MS interview was with a top social game developer (farms, pets, mafia - you get the drift) and their recruiter was somewhat brazen and rude - an unpleasant experience so to speak.
Thom said:
Gretchen, great article. I'm always surprised by anyone who approaches the "HR interview" as anything but a super-important interview in the process. To me they are gatekeepers tasked with weeding out candidates who don't fit or are obviously not qualified. And if you can't pass their interview you won't get a chance to go on to the next one. Plus because they stay in the loop throughout the process they always have input into whether or not you will be successful. So as in all your interactions you need to be professional, because if you aren't professional with someone who can impact your career why would anyone expect you to be professional with coworkers or customers?
Having just gone through this process - successfully - I can say without a doubt I found the whole interview process awesome. My interviews felt more like really interesting conversations than Q&A marathons. I found the finals day process a lot of fun and can't be more excited about joining my team. Thank you for providing this great resource - I found it very useful during my research and preparation for the interviews. Keep up the great work.
Vadim Osovitny said:
Gretchen, great, as usual! Thanks!
Adam said:
Gretchen, great post!
I have years of experience as a hiring manager as well as a senior assessor in recruitment. The candidates don't always know the first stage is about checking the "soft skills", knowing them better and filtering the "creative bits" from facts they have written in the CV/resumes.
In the IT sector, especially when we are talking about technical roles, the vast majority of candidates are obviously very proficient in technology but their soft skills are often not developed to high standards. It's more to do with the characteristics of the roles and the development programmes in the former organisations the candidates were working for. Recruiters should be very well aware of that and act accordingly.
As to the mistakes during the initial interview - you are absolutely right on the spot. Lying and poor attitude are usually leading the candidates to a straight regret.
I personally find the initial interview always very enjoyable, positive attitude, a sense of humour and proper interaction make wonders for the job application. Soft skills are just as important when working for a large organisation as technical proficiency. This is something not many candidates realise, especially at the beginning of their careers.
I like to conclude my little post with some sense of humour, especially for these who find term HR explained as Human Resources a little offensive. Try "Human Remains" - that's how you are often called. I think it's a payback for calling technical staff "Geeks" or "Nerds". The managers and directors are referred to as "Highly Overpaid Switchboards" too :-DDDDD. But hey, we are all human beings with obvious flaws :-)...
hamburg114 said:
Hi
I read this post 2 times. It is very useful.
Pls try to keep posting.
Let me show other source that may be good for community.
Source: <a href="http://interviewquestionstoask.info/hr-manager-interview-questions">HR manager interview questions</a>
Best regards
Jonathan.
Unemployed said:
How do I get through an HR interview when they are not interviewing me on my viability of a candidate, and only blindly asking for a checklist of skills? I work in IT, HR doesn't, how can they solidly assess me?
hamburg114 said:
Hi
I read this post two times.
I like it so much, please try to keep posting.
Let me introduce other material that may be good for our community.
Source: <a href="http://howtointerview.biz/program-manager-interview-questions/">Program manager interview questions</a>
Best regards
Henry