Were Was I?

At work, we are looking for a Quality Engineer. The last QE we hired didn't work out, so we have re-opened interviews. Several people interview a candidate, and if warrented, they come back for a second interview. I don't participate in the 1st round, but do in the second participate in the 2nd round (for those that are candidates for positions that I will be working closely with).

For the 2nd round interview, there are several groups that interview the person. That way we can take turns asking questions, and feed off of other people's questions. I am usually  paired with a high-ranking manager - this time our Applications Engineer was also in our group.

Usually the groups of interviewers come back with pretty much the same impression of an interviewee. This time we didn't.

The AE and I felt that the interviewee didn't get into enough depth in answering questions. In fact, the applicant seemed to be conserving words like he had a set amount he could use for the day and needed to save some for the next group that he was to interview with. He skirted around a question that I asked in 3 different ways, and didn't seem to be much into teaming (at least that was our impression from the way he talked). The two of us were also concerned as to whether the person in question could survive the fast pace demanded in our company. In short, the AE and I were not impressed.

The high-ranking manager liked the interviewee. He was genuinely puzzled by our lack of enthusiasm about the candidate. He did admit that the fast pace may be a problem, but otherwise the candidate was a great find. The AE and I were left wondering if we had attended the same interview as the Manager.

However, I did allow how I wasn't so unimpressed with the person, that I would be dead set against hiring him; after all, some people interview better than others, which does not neccessarily reflect real ability.

We haven't had our post-interview meeting about the candidate yet because several key people have been away from the office. So I'll have to wait to see how the wind blows during that time. This is a team effort, and I can live with going with the recommendations of the majority of people in this case. I will, however, let my concerns be known.

Comments

[Cop Car]

What an interesting experience. Other than evinced enthusiasm, one of my keys to evaluating an interviewee in my last job was to ask the secretary for her opinion. She got a pretty good sense for how the person would "fit in" with our team. Let us know what happens at the meeting and, if "hire" is the decision, how it works out. Not being outgoing isn't a sin, but not knowing how to handle the job is really not a plus.