We have a lot of trouble finding staff
My manager emails candidates a set of test problems, then for those who do well on that there's a telephone interview, and if they get through that a face-to-face where they're grilled. It's mainly technical competence he's after, so the questions are usually about fairly obscure technical matters. Very few candidates reach his standards and get an offer.

Including, unfortunately, me. There's no way I'd make it through his process. Which, given that I'm his deputy and the most senior developer, seems a little wrong, somehow. Sometimes, if I can't get out of it, I have to help with the interviews. I always feel uncomfortable asking questions which I know I'd struggle with myself...
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 11:03, 11 replies)

I imagine the job specification is full of the usual abbreviations and acronyms of the developer
world. So, it would not be unreasonable to ask technical questions about those specifications, it would be unreasonable to ask technical questions of someone whose CV does not cover that field. In fact, that would be churlish.
( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 11:27, closed)

We had graduate interviews carried out by HR with a similar set-up to that mentioned above.
We've also had graduates come in through the back door when there's a freeze on graduates whose interview consisted of a 10 minute interview of someone from a techie to see if they know buzzwords or actual stuff.

It seems that HR are easy to impress.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 11:34, closed)

You're missing the point
The point is that perhaps the most competent person on the current team doesn't think he'd get the job he's doing, if he was interviewed for it today. Which is crazy.
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 13:34, closed)

I don't believe I am missing the point. Maybe your company recruitment policy is missing the
point or your superior is not versed in skills matching as opposed to penis length.
( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 13:51, closed)

similarly
I was made redundant at the end of October and started getting my CV out for a lot of jobs on the scattergun principle. It was better financially in the medium term to get a slightly lower paying job immediately than a higher paying or equivalent role a month or two later.

After just a week I had my first interview for a role that was a bit lower level than my previous role but only paying £3K less. Speed was of the essence as they wanted someone to start the next working day. Crucially my experience exactly matched the needs of the role, which were slightly obscure

Despite easily answering all the questions in the interview and identifying correctly the likely issues the role faced, I was turned down. Since that point I have had calls from about 7 headhunters for exactly the same role. All the people calling me said my experience was perfect and were astonished to find I'd interviewed and been rejected.

The most recent one commented that he wasnt sure they actually wanted to fill the role, and thought someone was angling for a promotion or to squeeze a less-suited personal favourite in there.

Still. I start a new job tomorrow at a firm less concerned with corporate bullshit. I mocked the interviewer slightly in the first interview, we had a bit of a laugh, and he came to a decision and gave me the answer to the difficult question the FD would probably ask me in the 2nd interview.
(Carpe Cyprinidae, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 13:29, closed)

Yeah, I applied many times for the job I have now, which I seemed to be a perfect fit for
When I finally got an interview, they told me that despite having advertised the job for several months, they'd been too busy to interview and had binned all CVs without reading them.
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 13:36, closed)

You know,
the more I read stuff like this on this QOTW, the more and more I feel like I have no chance to get out of my rubbishy retail job.

I'm starting to wonder how anyone gets a job at all.
( Bats, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 9:51, closed)

Luck.

( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 11:29, closed)

So have a chat with him, explain that you've been promoted beyond your competence, and ask for a position of less responsibility.
You'll probably have to take a pay cut but at least you won't be yet another reason why this country is struggling to compete with filthy foreigners.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 15:12, closed)

I agree.

( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 15:50, closed)

I disagree.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 27 Nov 2013, 18:20, closed)

You should have deleted your original comment then. I hear you have form in such matters.

( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 7:59, closed)