Re: How do you conduct technical interviews ?

Mhmm, the original question wasn't about just TECHNICALLY SKILLED person. Question were how to find right kind of personality. For example:

What circumstance brings you here today?

Ok one can formulate this question in whatever way but would you like to hire a DBA (or whatever other position) just looking for a job with some $$ more than previous work, without any other motivation?

What was a major obstacle you were able to overcome in the past year?

OK it is possible to formulate this question just in a bit different way and ask what was the major problem in his dba life last year.

Tell me about two memorable projects, one success and one failure. To what do you attribute the success and failure?

For a production DBA this probably isn't valid question at least assuming "project" means development project. Although for a DBA participating in development or assuming each transition (set up in production) can be considered a "project", it is valid question. Of course it depends on what you'd like to get out of your DBA. Either pure technical guy or also some kind of management. For example from my early days I remember a project which was a typical failure just like from a textbook. There wasn't clear customer, there wasn't clear vision what to do after the project would be finished, there was wish to make it perfect so even more wasting resources without any capital return. Today I'd say - guys lets stop wasting money for nothing! 7 years ago I wasn't smart enough to say that :)

What would you say are your 2 greatest weaknesses?

Of course if someone answers that his greatest weakness is working too much, that most probably means he has read a smart book, on the other hand if one cannot list at least one, I'd be suspicious about such person.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Of course recommended answers in these article are not applicable for a pure technical person, on the other hand if someone says he is expert and doesn't need to learn anything, this could also mean something. I also don't have any exact plan for 5 years (at least a plan willing to share with my employer :), but I have a vision for 1-2 years, at least a vision for my most preffered job type. I won't tell anything to my potential employer about my private plans, but I would be able to tell something about my dream job :)

So I won't say these questions are ready to be asked to a technical person, but at least they can give some food for thougt.

Gints Plivna
http://www.gplivna.eu

2008/8/17, Andrew Kerber <andrew.kerber_at_gmail.com>:
> Those type of questions are appropriate to sales positions or purely
> management roles. They are useless for finding a technically skilled Oracle
> DBA.
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 16, 2008 at 5:58 PM, Pedro Espinoza <raindoctor_at_gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Don't worry much about these questions. There is a huge market for these
> questions and their answers: search on amazon for books specifically address
> such questions and prospective answers. It is like taking sales training
> classes.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 16, 2008 at 3:53 PM, William Robertson
> <william_at_williamrobertson.net> wrote:
> >
> > > Those are the kind of evil questions we all hate. You go for a technical
> role and you have to deal with some git asking you about your private life
> and how you apply trite corporate values to your five year life plan.

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