Hire someone smarter than you Don’t hire assholes

Software Engineering Theory Matrix

Show up on time because being late throws off the candidate’s confidence, shortens the subsequent interviews, and shows a general lack of respect.

• Ask if candidate needs a drink, snack, or restroom break (if applicable)
• Be open-minded, friendly, humble
• If the candidate is taking too long on a single question, gently switch topics. Here’s a good example of this: “To be mindful of time, why don’t we move on to a different topic? We can revisit this if you would like at the end.”
• Remember, the goal is to find out what a candidate knows, not what they don’t know. If you spend too much time where they’re stuck, you’re losing time to find out other things they might be great at.
• Be aware of time, let the candidate open up with the best side
• Avoid saying things like “I was actually looking for this answer…” - it doesn’t help the candidate to know that they failed
• It’s important to remember that candidates are evaluating you as much as you are them.

Intro (5 min)

• Introduce yourself. What you do.
• Explain purpose of the meeting. To evaluate technical skills and your level and give feedback and recommendation to the rest of the interviewers
• Meeting agenda & structure
• Mention about your note-taking behavior
• Two-way format, not an interrogation. Free to questions
• Tell if you don't know
• Tell how much time you have and what you want to get out of the conversation to set the candidate’s expectations