Let’s talk about interviewing, particularly in the context of engineering interviews, and my journey to becoming better at it, including the skills I learned along the way. Interviewing is a technique used to assess whether a candidate is suitable for a particular job. Traditionally, it has been just that, but software engineering interviews are often a nightmare, and I’ll explain why.
From my experience, a typical software engineering interview begins with a five-minute introduction, often lacking warmth, followed by a swift transition to coding/problem-solving tasks. These tasks involve translating a problem into a working solution, with only 5-10 minutes at the end for questions. My experiences in such interviews have always felt transactional, lacking the human essence in communication. There are exceptions, of course, where you encounter an interviewer who truly knows how to conduct an engaging interview.
Regardless of the scenario, whether it’s an interview or a first date, it’s all about setting the right mood for the conversation. This helps establish a context and allows information to flow back and forth between the parties in a free-flowing rhythm. Any disruption in this process can lead to a bad experience. That’s why we enjoy certain interviews, regardless of the outcome, and dread others that we later regret. The following is a summary of my learnings and experiences as an interviewer at various companies, including PayPal, Zalando, Hewlett Packard, and Twilio.
Setting a casual and relaxed mood
Why is setting a casual and relaxed mood beneficial for both parties participating in an interview? It’s typically the candidate who is a little anxious about the unknowns that could occur. It’s the human fight-or-flight response that kicks in when encountering an unfamiliar event. So, the first and foremost thing to do as an interviewer is to set the mood to a level where it’s easier for the other party to reach a natural flow. Questions like the following can set a friendly, casual tone:
- ‘I’m glad you are here. How are you doing, and how was your day?’
- ‘I’m really excited to meet you and looking forward to knowing more about you. How is your day going so far?’
- If it’s a day following the weekend, it could be as simple as, ‘How was your weekend?’
- ‘I’m quite impressed by what you have achieved so far in your career. I am eager to know more.’
The idea is to shift from an anxious state to a place where both parties can freely exchange conversations. Once the candidate is comfortable and has reached a steady state, we can move on to the next stage: setting the agenda.
Setting the agenda
Once we have established the right mood and created an environment where the candidate can express freely, it’s our responsibility to set and communicate the agenda for the interview succinctly enough for the candidate to understand the expectations. For example, this could be something like:
‘I suppose you are here for the <> interview, is that correct? Here’s what our agenda looks like for today. We will spend some time getting to know each other, then we will collaborate on a problem together, and in the end, I’ll leave room for you to ask me questions about our company culture, what it’s like working here, and the technical challenges we face.’ Using words like ‘collaborate’ can improve the positive experience for the candidate.
Expressing Interest
One aspect that stands out, whether in an interview setting or a personal one, is the continuation of interest towards the other party. This helps the other party express their thought process clearly, which might be difficult if they are in an anxious state. Remember, our goal is to bring the other party to a natural state where thoughts can flow freely.
Active Listening and Engagement
Whether it’s an interview or a date, active listening and engagement show the other party that we are as interested as they are. Have you ever been slightly put off by someone who didn’t listen or wasn’t much active during a conversation? Showing that interest and engagement helps keep the momentum going and provides a stage for the conversation to flow freely.
Practicing Empathy
Interviewing isn’t just about measuring how able the candidate is with respect to the job role. Having a compassionate attitude towards the candidate, considering their background, diversity, experience, and skills, also challenges us as interviewers to assess if the candidate can bring creativity or other skills to the table. The industry these days is highly dynamic; examining a skillset isn’t a perfect yes/no answer, but rather a shade of whether the candidate or individual can learn new skills or adapt well in a business context. Having that compassionate context helps us probe the best qualities the candidate has.
Ending Note and Expectations
After you have delivered the best to ensure the candidate as well as you have the best experience in an interview setting, it’s always a good idea to end things in a good node and setting expectations for the candidate. For example, something like.
“It was great meeting you and had a wonderful time. Before I end, I would like to leave room for you to ask questions about the company, how is it like working here, etc. Once the candidate has all the questions answered, provide clear guidance on whats the next steps and when can they expect to hear back from the company.”
Having said all that, implementing all of these is a no cake walk, it takes months or years to amalgamate all components into bringing a best candidate experience. Keep trying and let me know what works and what not works. Feel free to send me a feedback
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