Interviewing an Interviewer

For my interview, I chose to interview a previous manager of mine, Jennifer.  She works as the Operations Manager of an attorney’s office.  She is responsible for all personnel and oversees the day to day operations of the company.  My team came up with 14 questions to ask during our interview. 

1. Would you prefer to hire a candidate with strong interpersonal skills or more experience?

Jennifer said that she would obviously like to have both in a great candidate, but if she had to choose one, it would probably be the strong interpersonal skills.  Those skills are harder to teach than it is to teach someone how to do a specific job. 

2. What length of commitment do you look for in a potential employee?

This would differ from position to position.  Jennifer stated that she would love to keep a team together forever, assuming they are hardworking and efficient, but she knows this is unrealistic.  She said she likes to get about a year or so from the majority of her employees.  For management, it would be nice to have at least two years. 

3. Can you give an example where a candidate's answer was too honest? 

She said that she didn’t remember the specifics of what question was asked to the potential candidate, but that he went off on a tangent about how it can be difficult to focus on work when he has smoked too much marijuana.  She said that she just remembers a very weird and awkward feeling in the room after he said that and then he realized what he had done and he said, “I guess I’m probably not going to be offered a job today.” 

4. How much emphasis do you place on an interviewee's attire?

“Quite a bit and not that much,” she said.  For Jennifer, it is not important the brand of clothing or those types of things, but whatever it is, it should be neat, not busy, and look like you care.  She said that this is a person’s first impression to their potential new job, and if they don’t look like they care at this point, what will it be like a few months from then, when they aren’t trying to impress anymore. 

5. What is your favorite part of performing an interview?

For Jennifer, the best part is meeting new people and interacting with people.  She also likes to do the interviews because she says that it helps her to feel a passion for improving the company that she works for.  She says that it is her way of making sure that only the best people get hired so the company will continue to be great. 

6. Do you like to take risks and give people that are not exactly what you're looking for, but show potential in other ways a chance?

Absolutely.  She has offered a number of people jobs that may not have been right for that specific position.  She likes to say that she hires the right person and then finds the right job for that specific person. 

7. What are some of your favorite questions to ask a potential candidate?

She said that she likes to ask questions that dive into a person’s behaviors and traits.  Some of the questions she likes best are, “How would you handle a customer complaint about you?  Give me an example of co-worker conflict and how would you handle it?  Describe a situation where you went against a policy or procedure because you felt your solution was better?  Why would you want to work for this organization?”  She said that these types of questions make a person think and the interviewer gets a glimpse of the person as they think about the answer and how they answer the question.

8. What kind of impression do you try to give the candidate at the beginning of the interview? Do you try to scare them, make them feel comfortable?

At the beginning of the interview, Jennifer said that she tries to help the person feel comfortable and welcomed.  She said that she has found that people respond better and open up more to this type of style that intimidation. 

9. How will you prepare to interview candidates?

She said that she has a few set questions that she plans to ask, but essentially, she just lets the interview take itself where it is going to go.  She does make sure to review their resume prior to an interview, and the other thing she likes to review is the job description of the job they are trying to fill. 

10. If there are two equally-qualified candidates for a particular position, how will you decide between the two?

If they are both equally qualified for a certain position, she said she might like to see if there is another position that one could fill.  But it would probably come down to the little things, like their demeanor, their interpersonal skills, and she said that she might like to call them both back in for another interview to get down to the “nitty-gritty” if it absolutely came to that. 

11. When evaluating applications, what will you look for when deciding who to interview?

She likes to see applications and resumes that are simple but still show everything that is needed.  She doesn’t like to see a lot of fluff.  Like before, she stated that this was a chance to make a good impression, so she wants to be a little bit wowed. 

12. Describe the best boss you ever reported to.

The best boss that she has ever reported to was one that allowed her to work and didn’t micromanage everything that does.  She knows that this is partly a reflection on her and the ability to anticipate and do things ahead of when they are asked for, so that her boss will not need to hound her for things. 

13. What are some "pet peeves" that occur during interviews?

According to Jennifer, there a few things that will completely kill a person’s chances of being hired.  To name specifics, she stated being late to the interview, using offensive language in the interview, and using the word “umm” too much.  She stated that an interview is the person’s chance to make a great impression and these “pet peeves” are deal breakers for her. 

14. Do you have anyone else with you while conducting the interview?

Absolutely.  She said that she always takes at least one other person, but and often times a couple of people.  It completely depends on the job that they are filling and the direct reports that are available to do the interview.  Jennifer said that she likes to get multiple people’s input on a potential candidate. 

Following the interview, I learned that the interview process is complex and a lot goes into it.  I liked how she used behavioral-based questions in her interviews, which are similar to questions I have been asked in an interview.  The qualities that she is looking for in a candidate are not unrealistic expectations to have of a candidate and ultimately an employee.  It was fun to interview someone about hiring that had previously hired me and then I worked under for about 4 years.  Overall, this was a great experience and insight into the interview and hiring process.