I am in the process of filling a position and it generated some thoughts about tech hiring that I wanted to share.
This position is a part-time position that can be done from one’s home. I have been overwhelmed by the quality of the candidates that this position has attracted. Many of these candidates are moms that are looking to adjust their work-life balance. It strikes me that there is a largely untapped market of talented women professionals that are looking for these part-time, telecommuting positions. With the invent of broadband Internet access, WebEx and other web 2.0 collaboration tools there is no reason for many of our employees to come into the office.
My other observation is about how candidates prepare for interviews. I cannot imagine going into an interview without doing my research on Google. It just speaks to the candidates proactive nature. When candidates tell me that they found this blog they get bonus points. If they are totally unaware of our organization it tells me that they didn’t even bother to go to our corporate web site. That would be hard for me to get past.
For future candidates that have found this blog, here are some tips for interviewing, especially me:
- laugh at my jokes
- be a good listener, most people will tell you what to say before they ask you the question
- bring samples of your work such as copies of reports, presentations, writing samples, etc.
- show me that you are technologically savvy.
- show me you are a self-learner
- be personable – people want to hire people they like
Candid CIO 
And an ounce of enthusiasm for the role is priceless! I recently interviewed several candidates for an application developer role and was astounded by the lack of energy and interest that some candidates had. Granted, nervousness can translate into many things, but is apathy one of them? I hired the guy who engaged me in a snappy 90 minute conversation, and sent 10 names when I asked for references. (He even faxed them over, AND came back to leave a copy at the front desk, just in case.) Some people just don’t see to “get it”; it’s more than just technology skills these days; a bright person can pick up skills, but all those “other” skills; there’s no course I can send ’em to. Like I say, “Don’t just love the technology, love the people using the technology.” To do that, you’ve got to be willing to engage with them.
I would add:
Ask me questions about my organization and the open position.
It shows that you are inquisitive, thinking outside the one way interview box, and relate to me more as a colleague than a mindless drone.
I manage an I.T. Architecture and Engineering team for a large health care provider in California, and identified with your comments regarding flexible work arrangements.
I recently worked with one of my managers to facilitate the hiring of a work-from-home part-time billing analyst/database developer, who our company was going to lose because they “didn’t have any part-time openings”, and didn’t offer telecommuting as an option. We arranged for her to work as a contractor through a thrid party, setting her up to operate from home. This kept her skills available to us, kept her car off the road, saved one cubicle, which are in short supply here, and let her be a mom too.
The short-sightedness of some organizations regarding available talent and flexible work arrangements never ceases to amaze me.
My personal goal is to make it possible for my organization to be so transparently virtual that when I want to retire, I can instead work remotely part-time from my retirement destination, and nobody will know the difference.
I am new to the hiring process so my inexperience may be evident by the following statement. I am not as concerned about hiring people I like or those that think like me but rather with those, who fill the organizational need and offer a diverse perspective on how to fill that need.