Non-Technical Skills¶
Every interviewer should be assessing the candidate’s team fit and communication skills.
Team and Company “Fit”¶
“Fit” is one of those areas that’s tough to describe, but you’ll know it when you see it. The team should discuss (before interviewing any candidates) what qualities are important to them.
In addition, there are a few specific qualities that we’re always looking for, in any engineer, and the hiring manager should be sure to probe these areas:
- Passion
- Does their enthusiasm for what they’re been doing show? Is it infectious? Will they get as excited about working here? Or is it just a paycheck?
- Drive and endurance
We’re a high-intensity company working in a competitive space. Do they thrive on that kind of environment, pace, and pressure? Or would they be happier at a larger, more-structured, slower-moving company?
(At the same time, do they have the self-awareness to avoid burning out?)
- Self-direction (and leadership potential)
How do they respond to unclear, conflicting, or missing direction? Will they set out to proactively resolve issues and drive the product forward, or will they wait to be told what to do? Over time, will they establish areas of technical leadership and become a resource to the team?
(Obviously there are different expectations here based on their seniority, but you should be on the lookout for leadership potential at any level.)
- The right blend of humility and arrogance
This is a tricky balance, and a well-functioning team can handle a variety of engineers throughout this spectrum. But you want to avoid the extremes.
Some level of arrogance isn’t uncommon—Rock Stars tend to be aware of their skills. But nobody wants to work with an engineer who won’t listen to others’ thoughts and who won’t function as part of a team. At the opposite end, an engineer won’t be effective if they’re so humble that they’ll never speak up and defend their own ideas.
(Big red flag though: if you hear the candidate attacking people on a personal level, rather than attacking ideas, that’s not going to work out. “That was an idiotic idea” is OK; but “she was an idiot for proposing that idea” has no place in our team.)
Communication¶
Every interview is an opportunity to assess candidates’ communication skills.
- Is their communication “high bandwidth”? Do they express their thoughts clearly? Do they get what you’re saying quickly? Will you have to slow down to communicate with them? Will you try to avoid meetings with them?
- Do they listen to what you ask/say? Do their responses indicate they’ve understood you? Do they ask for clarification when they don’t? Or do they make assumptions?
- Will they give other engineers’ ideas a fair hearing, or be immediately dismissive?
- Can they use the whiteboard effectively?
- Do you leave the interview feeling that you’ve had a conversation? A fruitful exchange of ideas?
- Our engineering teams are often split between locations and time zones. Have they worked with geographically-dispersed teams before? How did it work for them? What are their concerns about it?