Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with interviewing

Whats the best way to capture, edit and share an over-the-internet recorded interview for my blog?

msoffab — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:04:15 -0800

Whats the best way to capture, edit and share an over-the-internet recorded interview for my blog? I have a blog dedicated to startups where I interview people using Skype or webcams and want to know the best way to:

1. Capture the audio and video into my mac computer
2. Edit scenes out and add other audio/video commentary that I record post interview
3. Upload it and share it to my blog (either hosting myself or youtube, viddler, etc)

I like the idea behind http://www.jingproject.com/ but I don’t know if they allow for editing before you share it.
And http://www.techsmith.com/ looks like they have useful products for this as well, but I don’t know which is the best.

I currently use ScreenCast or the Skype recording plugin but are unhappy with the rendering time and out of sync issues. I will then use Final Cut or Motion (which I think is overkill) to edit and render the final interview.

Does anyone have a standard choice for this setup that can make this whole thing easier? Maybe through the use of templates?

Tell me about your childhood....

Jason and Laszlo — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:13:39 -0800

How do I extract information from people? I'm a self-taught journalist who profiles people in my community. Interviews always go well when we discuss the interviewee's special area of knowledge, but I stall when trying to move beyond that. For example, if my subject is an artist, I'm good at talking about art with them. But I'd like to know more about their personal life to round out the article (my model is the New Yorker). What aspects of a person's life should I be interested in? What should I want to know about them, beyond what everyone else already knows? How do I move the conversation away from the agreed upon topic? How do I make them feel comfortable while doing this?

What is my best option for doing a video conference interview on the cheap?

Knicke — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:49 -0800

I've been asked to do a video conference job interview via Skype. Telephone interview has been offered as an option, but I think video might be in my favor if I can do it professionally. Never done video conferencing before, though, and there are a number of factors to consider. Help me weigh my options! (general tips also welcome) Factors:

1. It's a public librarian position.

2. I don't currently own the necessary equipment. Not against purchasing a cheaper web cam and headset, though. Also, I only have a desktop! so mobility is limited somewhat.

3. Interviewing from my apartment is...perhaps not the best option. I live in a tiny studio with my two cats. There is really no way to corral them and keep them from interrupting. In addition, although my building is generally quiet, there are occasionally unpredictable neighbor dramas and/or random maintenance noises over which I have zero control.

4. Mentally, it would probably be beneficial for me to be somewhere other than my own apartment for this interview. I know that Kinko's offers this service, but it's 1) pricey 2) only seems to be available for Kinko-to-Kinko conferencing. Is there another, better option? I'm located in Syracuse, NY.

I might be making this more complicated than it needs to be. Any guidance you have to offer would be appreciated!

How to negotiate for flexible hours at the interview?

so much modern time — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:52:11 -0800

How to negotiate for flexible hours at the interview? I have a job interview tomorrow for a company that I'd absolutely love to work for. The only problem is that it's a full-time position and I'm currently enrolled in an intensive university language course (four hours a day in the morning until noon). What is the best way for me to broach this with the employer?

Where's best on the net to get information about new documentaries (in order to interview their makers)?

colinmarshall — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:46:24 -0800

Where are the best places on the web for news, information — and, if available — streaming versions/trailers of new indie documentaries? (I'm interested in interviewing their directors on the radio and thus promote the films.) Some additional background: I do an interview radio program (and podcast) on which I talk mostly with authors, but I'd like to branch out and interview documentarians as well. I have a decent stable of places to find out what's up with new books, but it's tougher to get a line on indie docs that don't have studio backing or wide distribution, much less contact info for the filmmakers themselves.

A proper place for partiality?

BadMiker — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:10:03 -0800

Prof-filter A friend of mine has got an interview for a job with the company I work for. I may be leading the interviews; what should I do and who do I tell? I have told my superiors that I know him and I consider him an ideal applicant; they have no problem with my involvement in the application process. My recommendation, they have said, makes a strong case for him.

However, I am not sure whether I should be one of the interviewers (I am the obvious choice from my department) but I am, undeniably 'biased'. I hope this is because I know his skills and what he is capable of, but there are also more personal judgements; I feel that he will fit into the team and could, long term, be a big asset to the company. Fundamentally; he's skilled and I like him.

I'm not sure what I would bring to the interview, but then having him interviewed by anyone else would certainly result in bias, probably to his detriment.

If I do interview then should I tell my two fellow interviewers that I know him? Would this just introduce more bias?

Help me please Mefi's! I want to ensure a balanced appraisal process were my own opinions can be expressed but do not dominate. Also, this has to be impecable; I do not want to leave myself open to alegations of (improper) partiality!

Help me interview my parents for posterity.

ocherdraco — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:43:41 -0800

How much time should I set aside to interview my parents for an oral history project? How many topics should I expect to cover? And who can I get to transcribe the video later? My parents aren't old (they're both in their mid-fifties) but I've decided to start an oral history project with them while I'm home for Christmas. My aunt tried to do this with my great grandmother when she was in her nineties, and by then it was too late, so I want to get a head start.

Searching through old MeFi and AskMe posts pointed me toward this great book on personal histories, to the Smithsonian's guide to oral history, and to Story Corps' DIY guide to interviewing, so I'm all set for good questions to ask and for how to set up. But since this is going to be an ongoing project (which I intend to work on pretty much every time I'm home, a few times a year) I want to figure out how many hour-long interview sessions (which is the limit my camera gives me before I have to upload) I should try to do over five days, and how much ground I ought to try to cover—how focused or unfocused I ought to be.

I'd love to discuss my parents' childhoods, but I'd also really like to discuss how they met and the first few years of their relationship, before my sister and I came along. Should I focus on specific stories that I know about (my mom's family at the 1965 World's Fair, my dad's road trip with his grandparents), or will that narrow things too much?

Also, as my digital video isn't guaranteed to last, I want to have someone transcribe the interviews. Know any good transcription services?

How should we integrate this “case scenario” into our database admin/developer interview?

shelbaroo — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:54:07 -0800

Inspired by the responses to this question, those of us on the hiring committee for our new DBA have been working up an interview protocol for our hopefuls. But I need more specifics on how to set up the case scenario (aka, “okay hotshot, show us the inside of your brain!”), how to have it unfold and what follow up questions to make sure to include in order to get the most bang out of it. Please help! So, our team particularly liked the idea of using a real-world business problem as a case scenario for our prospective DB guru to work through. And, we’ve come up with a good (and reasonably complex) example that by necessity would require any DBA worth her/his salt to demonstrate knowledge of multiple types of joins, think hard about indexing strategies, etc. I’ve been charged with drafting this scenario into a usable form for the interview. I now have a decent sketch of the overall logic/workflow of the data problem the database would be designed to help solve that makes it pretty clear what fields need to be checked against what at each stage of the process and what decisions get made based on those. I am also planning to draft an overall statement of the problem, its significance to our work, and a general description of what the size/nature of incoming data might look like.

But...how should we plan to work this into the interview? There is some debate amongst our little hiring committee as to how to time and structure the candidates’ exposure to the information. Some think it should be sent out in advance, while others think it should be given out cold. The scenario is just complicated enough that I think it would be fair at minimum to give the prospect at least 15-20 minutes’ alone time just to digest before even starting to lay out table structures, etc. One approach I’m thinking of is: (a) introduce general problem and ask how they would go about designing a database solution for it. Deliberately underspecify the issues. Use response to assess overall organization of their thinking, approach to projects, communication skills, etc.; (b) share logic flow diagram with them, and allow them to ask more specific questions about it; (c) leave them for x amount of time to review and start sketching out proposed DB design and at least pseudocode for queries on whiteboard; (d) return, see how far they got, grill about details, probe their thinking further, etc. Or...some other, better, hive-mind-inspired idea. The case scenario will most likely happen after our general and technical questions but before the touchy-feely workstyle stuff.

I’m looking for two things:
1. Recommended structures for introducing and querying the prospect around the case scenario. Is my proposed approach a good one? How could it be improved? What do we need to keep in mind to get the most out of it? Are there other models that would work equally well or better?
2. We think this and our other planned interview questions are sufficient to separate the DB posers from the at-least-moderately-competent. Any specific follow-up questions as we’re discussing their response to the case study that would help to separate those folks from the true OMG-must-hire-rockstars?

As always, specifics and examples super-appreciated!!!

So what do academics interviews consist of?

Mutant — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:37:40 -0800

What to expect at an interview for an academic teaching post? As a follow up to this question regarding changing my CV to pursue another teaching post (I already have a part time slot teaching at the Masters level), I've got my first interview tomorrow. The specific job is Lecturer in Econometrics at a UK University.

Great news, but I don't know what to expect. Corporate interviews are no problem, done hundreds of them in my time, from both sides of the desk.

But academic? I have no idea. A clue is they'd like me to bring along and present a lecture of my choise suitable at the Masters level, and that's fine. It's a one hour interview and they expect the presentation to take up twenty minutes, and I plan to approach this part of the interview as an actual lecture, complete with me asking the "students" (interviewers) questions, peppering the presentation with historical market anecdotes relevant to the topic we're discussing, etc.

Before and after that? I'm sure pleasantries, brief review of my CV, a cuppa & some biscuits, discussion of my previous lecturing experience (two years, four terms in front of the class), talking about my current academic assignment, some bitching about the rotten English weather and what else can I / should I expect?

I never get nervous at these things, regard them more as an opp to meet some (hopefully) interesting people, score some free eats and nothing more. But the more I know about what to expect the better things will go. TIA for any help!

What to ask the Chinese populace?

srkit — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:24:25 -0800

I am leaving for Beijing in a few days. I am bringing a video camera and plan to interview English-speaking Chinese people on the street. My goal is to edit the footage together into an informative and insightful piece. If you could ask the people of China any question, what would it be?

Questions that dazzle!

bda1972 — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:23:48 -0800

Job interviewing filter: What are some great questions for a candidate to ask the company that would make them stand out? I have some upcoming interviews and always struggle with the portion of the interview where I get to ask questions (typically at or near the end). I know you must have at least a few questions or it seems like you're not that interested in the job. I've interviewed entry-level candidates and interns who never have questions and it always makes a bad impression. I also understand that your questions should focus on either the position itself or what value you can add to the company, not what the company has to offer you. However, I still draw a blank when prepping for this portion of the interview.

Interviewers: What questions have candidates asked that have impressed you? Are there certain questions that should not be asked?

Former or current job hunters: What questions have you asked that seemed to impress the hiring manager? What questions were big mistakes?

Tell me about "Tell me about" ... if you'd be so very kind.

zaebiz — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:16:26 -0800

Every time I hear a journalist say "Tell me about ..." when interviewing someone on television, I get really annoyed. It seems so incredibly presumptuous, pompous and impolite to demand an answer of a guest like that. Yet it happens all over the world. Is this standard journalistic practice? What's the reasoning behind it? Anyone else feel the same way or am I being a relic? The presumption seems to be that it is the interviewee's role to answer the demands of the interviewer. I've talked to many different people from around the world and I don't recall anyone in polite conversation saying "Tell me about your trip to Spain". They would say "Hey so what was Spain like?", "Did you have a fun time in Spain?" etc. In a more formal setting like at a formal dinner they might say "Would you mind telling us a little bit about your amazing trip to Spain?" A close relative or friend might say "Tell me about" but that's because friends are allowed to be a bit presumptuous.

(I also notice it happens on AskMetafilter and I always avoid answering those questions demanding we answer them. Maybe I am just not hip to the latest interpersonal presumptions.)

What does please let us know if you need a decision from us mean?

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:19:58 -0800

[Job Interview Filter] What does "please let us know if you need a decision from us" mean? So I had an interview a few days ago for what is more or less my dream job. I've been going to grad school and working part time and it has been very difficult for me to find a job for after graduation (which is approaching fast!). The job market is horrendous and this is the first interview I've had in six months. However, this place seems to be under the impression I am likely juggling multiple offers (the other candidates probably are) and asked several times how my job search was going, to which I responded that my current employer was interested in hiring me (which is true) and then quickly changed the subject. By all the interviews I was repeatedly told to contact them if I had to make a decision on another job and hadn't heard from them yet. They said they were going to try and make a decision soon, but given how busy they have been....

So is this them trying to feel out how sought after I am? (this isn't unheard of in my field)

Will not having a competing offer hurt me?

Should I try to get my current job to make me an official offer (even if I have no intention of taking it) so I can get them to make a decision?

Will pressuring them into a decision hurt my chances?

Or am I just reading way, way too much into this?

Salary Negotiation Help

jennyjenny — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:52:27 -0800

I am starting a new career in a profession that is in demand, and I am just beginning the interview process. I feel confident in my skills, and I am aware that my resume looks pretty good. But prior to grad school, I only worked entry-level positions where the central issue in the interview process was "Pleasepleaseplease hire me!" I need advice from MeFites who have better job selection and salary negotiation skills than me. I'm a newly graduated physical therapist and I just started sending out resumes, and was pretty surprised at the number of calls I got, as well as instant and vigorous response from recruiters (I have no clue how they found me, as I was carefully not responding to recruiter ads).

I am fairly certain of what I am looking for in a job in terms of mentorship, collegiality, and practice area.

What I need is advice on how to best position myself salary and benefits-wise. Is it okay, if you are offered a job during an interview, to say "let me think it over for a few days"? I have six interviews scheduled in the next week, and I don't want to refuse or accept any offers until I've been to at least a few of them. Is it okay to play different offers against one another, and if so, how? Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

how to win at a teaching interview

Neonshock — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 09:55:56 -0800

So, I have an interview for a Secondary English PGCE course on the 13th.... ...and Im very excited and scared, obviously, but also (I think) vastly underprepared. So there are some things I need.

a) I need blogs, websites etc that have up to date news on current education events, news research, general kind of thing. I know about the TES and have just got a subscription (yey me).
Obviously this needs to be UK based.

b) Any websites/annecdotal experience about secondary interviews. They describe the interview as "...a group exercise, where you are assessed on your discussion skills, interpersonal skills and knowledge of current educational debate. Finally, you have a 30-minute individual interview with course tutors..."
Im pretty hot on interviewing skillz but I wonder what kind of questions they will ask.

erk. thanks in advance, I just want to do this thing!

How long does it take to become good at conducting job interviews?

crazycanuck — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:12:36 -0800

How long does it take to become good at conducting job interviews (as an interviewer)? Lately, I've been conducting job interviews at work. I've interviewed three candidates in the last month or so. I suck at this. Please help me.

I am one person on a circuit of interviewers. I am not the hiring manager (my boss is). The candidate would be hired as my peer.

My job is to ask questions assessing whether candidates have the day-to-day skills required to do my job. The problem is, all three candidates I have interviewed are switching careers. I always get them to talk about how they developed past projects that were similar (which they submitted to show aptitude), but they just bomb out on the questions that I ask because they are unfamiliar with the framework we use to do the job in a professional capacity.

Once the candidate bombs a question, I get really thrown off. I have no idea how to interview career changers and how to try to tease out whether or not somebody is likely to be able to learn our framework.

I also bungle interview timing. I tend to get to the end of the alloted time without having asked questions about some areas of interest. I can't put my finger on where or how I get off-track.

All three of the interviewees also asked me at various points in the interview "what are you getting at". I guess people are trying to figure out what I want to hear.

I leave the interviews feeling like I didn't really ask the right questions to figure out whether or not this person has the aptitude to learn the skills we need. I'm left making a hire/no hire recommendation based on a gut instinct for "team fit" than anything else.

I know about behavioural based interviewing but I don't know how to ask probing questions. I usually follow up with one or two questions, but I don't think that I really get to the bottom of an issue.

So, how do I learn how to do this? How do I practice interviewing without running the risk of making/recommending bad hires? Do you know of good books or resources that can help me? And how many job interviews did you do before you felt comfortable with the process? Thanks

Screwed up, what do I do?

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:33:55 -0800

I completely screwed up on my last job, and got let go. What do I tell prospective interviewers? Long story short: I got let go because the boss checked my computer and found I was spending way too much time surfing the internet (including, occassionally, porn). That, and a few other things I had been warned about - messy work area, procrastinating on certain tasks - but the porn was the deal-breaker. I'm being treated for ADD and OCD, and this was a motivation to change my psychiatrist, redo my medication regimen, and change my life in certain other ways. But noone where I last worked (for 6 years) will give me a recommendation, though I have some from past jobs. How do I handle job seeking, interviews, etc.?

Interviewing a pro chef

elpapacito — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:49:22 -0800

Interviewing people: I will be almost literally "thrown" into a potential new job opportunity , but I never ever interviewed a professional Chef...and its my first assignment ! Help , suggest me some questions you think a pro-chef would like to be asked !

How do you learn to ask great questions like Chicago Public Radio's Gretchen Helfrich (Odyssey radio program)?

cluelessguru — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:38:15 -0800

How do you learn to ask great questions like Chicago Public Radio's Gretchen Helfrich (Odyssey radio program, now cancelled ) ? Obviously she is/was one of the most , if not the most, intelligent radio hosts on radio.

Because she seems to be brilliant in finding points of departure and inconsistencies from what her guests said earlier in the same show and come up with great questions based on them , seemingly on an impromptu basis.

Don't take my words for it. Listen to a couple of her shows at http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/audio_library/od_ra1.asp and you can tell for yourself this radio host asks really penetrating questions and is a very special host . A one in a thousand .

Even http://crookedtimber.org/2005/07/14/odyssey-cancellation/ would agree she is one of the best, if not the best.

I have listened to quite a few hosts and interviewers on radio and tv and in print and nobody else seems to come close to asking penetrating questions or exploiting weaknesses in a guest's arguments or is great at summarizing complex ideas just espoused by her guests and make more sense than most guests can.

So how does one go about learning to ask great questions like Gretchen Helfrich ?

I have a feeling her ability in asking great questions has to do with:
being present , listening with the whole body , having a curious mind , a keen interest in ideas and concepts and philosophy,reading widely, making it a habit to write down great questions , having a healthy dose of skepticism , not making assumptions , and having the calm of mind to break a problem down into manageable pieces and analyze a challenge logically and think under pressures.

But don't some hosts and interviewers already do this?

What do you think ?

What am I missing?

Thank you very much.

interviewing while employed

realpseudonym — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:19:53 -0800

What are the unwritten rules and conventions behind interviewing for a position at a different company while you hold a full time job? In previous times of my life, I have only interviewed while a student or while unemployed, so scheduling interviews wasn't really a problem. Do companies make any effort to interview at odd hours, or are you expected to call in "sick" so you can interview? Or does it vary depending on the importance of the position and the company? Is it ever advantageous to let your current company know you are looking? What other differences are there between looking for a job while working and looking while unemployed?

Taking notes at an interview

pricklypear — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:20:44 -0800

JobInterviewFilter: Should you or should you not take a pad of paper with you to the interview? If so, should you use it for any of the following purposes (inside)? (1) Do you take notes when your interviewer talks about the company?

(2) Should you write down your questions about the position in advance, and consult your pad of paper when the interviewer asks if you have questions?

(3) When the interviewer answers your questions, should you write down the information you’re given?

(4) Are there particular things that you should definitely write down, either because it "looks good" or because you may need that information later?

Why did I touch the darn book?

blueskiesinside — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 16:23:20 -0800

I was fired for a ridiculous reason. Do I discuss it in interviews or should I make up a polite but evasive response? I was working as an independent contractor at an office. My boss called and told me I was being fired for "looking at the appointment book". She was basically accusing me of stealing client contact information to use for my own gain, but never came out and said that. Do I actually tell potential employers this and hope that they can see it's ridiculous (aka would I be looking for another job if I was stealing clients?) or should I say my contract was terminated due to personal differences?

Corporate Career Action Dress-Me-Up Barbie

Marnie — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:25:39 -0800

Ladies' suit shopping, online or NYC - gentle, painless, nurturing, or at least not overtly hostile. I need to do some serious job interviewing. Therefore I need a tasteful, corporate, to-be-taken-seriously suit for a late-20s size 8.

My closest approximation of what I'm looking for is Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J. Crew or Brooks Brothers, but I haven't worked in corporate America for a while, so there may be more appropriate sources. Yes, I have staked out the lunch-hour crowd in midtown, and that seems to be the look. Nordstrom's Forever 21-looking offerings horrify me, and I don't want something polyester or cheap-looking. Let's say I have $600 to spend, but would be grateful to pay much less than that. My only major body consideration is that I have hips, so "European-cut" pants like at H&M or Express are not an option.

Q. What stores should I look at? Which locations are the least likely to be swamped / snooty / have limited sizes or styles in NYC and the surrounding areas? Or is there a reasonable way to do this online? Where can I find other workday-appropriate clothing that will cost $80 or under per outfit? Are there other information sources such as websites or magazines that would be helpful to me for current corporate fashion? Should I worry about tailoring? What about shoes? Shirts? Seasonal concerns?

I'm a blank slate here, people. I hate shopping and the Mercury's pushing 100. Help.

To call or not to call...

clubfoote — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 10:32:41 -0800

I haven't heard back from a job I interviewed for and was told I was the Number one candidate. What's the best move? So I had the final interview with the EVP of Sales on Friday after meeting with the line manager and speaking to the Division President on the phone. At the end of the meeting he told me, I was everyone's number one, going into the final meeting, and I'd done well with him and was still number one, he had to meet 2 more people that after noon, but expect to hear from them next week. Well today's thursday, and I've followed up with a phone call (wed) and an email (this morning) and havn't gotten a response. It's a sales job, so I can't see them faulting me for being proactive, but at the same time, I don't want anyone to feel harrased. I'm thinking of calling the division president, since we had a great conversation and she told me to call her with any questions I might have, but I don't want to alienate the line magager by making him feel like I went over his head.

I think I've lost perspective since, I really, really want this job. Need to hear some voices other than mine.

Help me hire a full-time programmer.

bigbigdog — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 09:17:25 -0800

Help me hire a full-time programmer. Right now I'm the sole developer in what should be a two-person team. It's been a few years since I was involved in the hiring process, and some of the people I hired were great but others just didn't work out. This time I want to get it right.

This is a small company, so we don't have an official HR or recruiting process, and I'm the only one who knows anything about software development. I'm going to be the senior developer responsible for training and guiding whoever we hire.

I'm not looking for advice on how to find candidates, as I'm sure we'll get more than I could interview. I'm looking for tips on how to judge programmers' skill and experience based on resumes and interviews, especially the interviews. Are puzzle-type questions useful? How about whiteboard programming questions? Is there a better way to find out whether someone will be a good match for the company?