Author Topic: Interviewing People  (Read 14888 times)

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Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Interviewing People
« on: March 23, 2011, 04:31:11 pm »
I have to give an interview to someone today. Is it stupid of me to expect them to bring a calculator to and Electronic Technician interview?
 

Offline the_raptor

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2011, 04:42:29 pm »
In general never rely on people to do what you would do. It would IMO be a bit rude to refuse a candidate just because the thought of bringing a calculator slipped their mind.
 

Offline allanw

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2011, 05:01:56 pm »
I definitely wouldn't bring a calculator to an interview
 

Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2011, 05:25:52 pm »
Okay,

Just had one of the interviews.... Lets see... Would you at least bring a PEN!!?!?!
 

Offline Bored@Work

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2011, 06:09:13 pm »
I would not expect someone to bring a pen. I mean, serious, do you want to hire a technician, or do you want to screw with them and fuck their minds? Give the guy a pen, dammit. If your company can't afford lending someone a pen then applicants are better off not working for your company.
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Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2011, 06:13:45 pm »
Serious... I am the bad guy here?

The man came in with 1 copy of his resume, no writing utensil, no paper to write on, no work or hobby examples, and couldn't answer any ohms laws questions (FYI did you know 5V across a 1k Resistor has a current of 1.2?) His phone rang twice during the interview and still didn't mute it.

Maybe you are correct... Maybe I should cut the guy some slack and hire him.

Strube
« Last Edit: March 23, 2011, 06:17:13 pm by Strube09 »
 

Offline oPossum

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2011, 06:40:48 pm »
My iPhone wouldn't ring because it has no service (use Skype instead). I could use it as a calculator, but don't need a calculator to tell you that 5V / 1k = 5mA. I can give you several URLs for hobby projects.

I don't carry a pen or wear a watch, but always have at least one flash drive in my pocket.

If there is any interesting electronic gadget on your desk, I may pick it up, examine it, and maybe try to disassemble it.

Do I get the job?
« Last Edit: March 23, 2011, 06:42:36 pm by oPossum »
 

Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2011, 07:32:16 pm »
My iPhone wouldn't ring because it has no service (use Skype instead). I could use it as a calculator, but don't need a calculator to tell you that 5V / 1k = 5mA. I can give you several URLs for hobby projects.

I don't carry a pen or wear a watch, but always have at least one flash drive in my pocket.

If there is any interesting electronic gadget on your desk, I may pick it up, examine it, and maybe try to disassemble it.

Do I get the job?


You are my best candidate yet! .... And aren’t you in the west Michigan area?
 

Online Zero999

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2011, 10:21:12 pm »
Just give them questions which they should be able to answer using mental arithmetic and be forgiving if they've got the formulae correct but made a simple arithmetic error.
 

Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2011, 10:40:34 pm »
Just give them questions which they should be able to answer using mental arithmetic and be forgiving if they've got the formulae correct but made a simple arithmetic error.

I do.., 5v / 1000 should be easy enough... the harder questions are more about "How would you calculate" questions.

Strube
 

Offline ShiftPlusOne

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2011, 10:58:31 pm »
I kind of have a 'mode' I get into for these things, so if I came into an interview I would probably be expecting "tell me about a time when you..." questions. If you threw a basic question like "what's Kirchoff's current law?" I'd probably be able to answer it, but if you threw maths at me I'd be a bit caught off guard and panic then spend the rest of the interview thinking "dammit, I am screwed". Also, working with decimal places in my head can be a bit of a pain sometimes, so I usually use a calculator even for basic questions like the one you asked.

I guess my point is that it's hard to get an accurate idea of what the person would actually be like on the job from 1 interview, especially if they have been through wankey HR and group interviews. You may catch people off guard and make them look stupid and feel self conscious about things they wouldn't normally have trouble with.

Thanks for this topic though, it is interesting to get the perspective of the guy across the table.
 

Offline mikeselectricstuff

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2011, 11:37:49 pm »
I definitely wouldn't bring a calculator to an interview
Me neither, unless I'd designed/built it myself
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Offline Psi

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2011, 02:25:36 am »
I definitely wouldn't bring a calculator to an interview
Me neither, unless I'd designed/built it myself

Wheel in a big trolley. A 1 meter high calculator you made entirely out of relays and diodes :P

Greek letter 'Psi' (not Pounds per Square Inch)
 

Offline Hypernova

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2011, 02:53:17 am »
My standard load out in a fishing vest I wear when ever I go out:

-Victorinox cybertool 42 - Lets me take apart anything even if they use torx screws.
-Extend-able pen that also have LED light and laser pointer at the back.
-Another combined LED+laser pointer on my keyring.
-Green Tritium tag on the key ring.
-CC sized solar calculator.
-Compacted emergency rain coat.
-Local city map.
-Phone
-(before I got a phone that had a camera) P&S camera
-Some tissues
-Wallet
-Attached to the out side on a retractable hook, employee tag and RFID keycard.

I also wear a solar recharged watch with compass and barometer.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2011, 02:54:53 am by Hypernova »
 

Online Mechatrommer

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2011, 03:59:04 am »
interviewer bring anything that they expect interviewee to bring, if they dont bring, interviewer can lend it. but those interviewee who bring by themself will get extra marks. even if company give anything to workers but if they dont have a habit to bring it everytime when outstationed (leaved on desk), then its no good. one with much prepared in any condition is a better person. my 2cnts.
Nature: Evolution and the Illusion of Randomness (Stephen L. Talbott): Its now indisputable that... organisms “expertise” contextualizes its genome, and its nonsense to say that these powers are under the control of the genome being contextualized - Barbara McClintock
 

Offline EEVblog

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #15 on: March 24, 2011, 06:58:46 am »
I have to give an interview to someone today. Is it stupid of me to expect them to bring a calculator to and Electronic Technician interview?

I have  ;D But I'm not normal  :o

You'll have to provide one. For kicks, make sure it's RPN!

Dave.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2011, 07:01:44 am by EEVblog »
 

Offline ShiftPlusOne

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #16 on: March 24, 2011, 07:12:30 am »
Lol, I had to look up what RPN was. Well if someone does that, I'll be ready now.
 

Offline Hypernova

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #17 on: March 24, 2011, 09:25:45 am »
Lol, I had to look up what RPN was. Well if someone does that, I'll be ready now.

Just so others don't have to google:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation

Damn thing is pure evil!
 

Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #18 on: March 24, 2011, 11:47:58 am »
I did provide him with a calculator and a pen. But I am sorry even under pressure you should know the basics of ohm's law. I didn't even get to the hard questions before he failed.

Moving on to the next person
 

Offline Simon

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #19 on: March 24, 2011, 12:44:32 pm »
not sure what the job is but as nevous as i get at these sorts of things (I hate tests, I never show my true self in them) I'd tell you straight off that 5V/1K is 1mA I mean cmon we all know that trick V=mA when dropped over a 1K resistor
 

Offline ShiftPlusOne

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #20 on: March 24, 2011, 12:53:10 pm »
I'd tell you straight off that 5V/1K is 1mA.

I'd hope not.
 

Offline Simon

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #21 on: March 24, 2011, 12:56:27 pm »
yea course 5mA waas getting ahead of myself - still I can't figure where he go 1.2mA from
 

Offline Simon

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #22 on: March 24, 2011, 01:00:59 pm »
anyway sounds like the guys whole attitude was wrong, I mean to let a phone ring once, but twice ??
 

Offline Strube09Topic starter

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #23 on: March 24, 2011, 01:02:37 pm »
yea course 5mA waas getting ahead of myself - still I can't figure where he go 1.2mA from

I didn't say 1.2mA.... I he just said 1.2... A, mA, uA??? Either way it wasn't even close.
 

Offline ShiftPlusOne

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Re: Interviewing People
« Reply #24 on: March 24, 2011, 01:04:04 pm »
Maybe 1/5+1 for some reason...
 


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