When I interviewed for my current position, I was handed a coding test. Turns out the previous applicant had "exaggerated" her ability to code in the language (Informix 4gl). References had not uncovered the gap in her technical expertise. She'd lasted a miserable 6 weeks, been unable to produce and was let go. After that fiasco, my company came up with the coding test.

When I had to conduct interviews for a LAN manager position, we were asked to take one of several internal candidates. None of them were doing IT work for a living, so I came up with a list of interview questions that tested knowledge and expertise. I used references to evaluate the "soft" qualifications that I valued: communication, motivation, professionalism. It worked very well and I'll use the same combo again. Test for the technical skills, get references for the people skills. And get them before the offer is extended.

Dave

In reply to Re: At what stage in a job interview process should references come into play? by dthacker
in thread At what stage in a job interview process should references come into play? by princepawn

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