A Hiring Manager’s Guide to Interviewing QA Professionals

1. A Hiring Manager’s Guideto Interviewing QA Professionals Michelle Rocke, Vice President, Recruiting Current Consulting, LLC

2. A Hiring Manager’s Guide:Overview • The Tester’s World • The Hiring Manager’s Role • The Interview Process www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

3. The Tester’s World • Challenges Testers Face • Surviving the Top Ten Challenges of Software Testing By Randy Rice and William E.Perry • Evaluating QA Professionals • Experience: Quality and Quantity • Soft skills: The Marks of a Naturally Good Tester www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

4. Challenges Testers Face:Managing professional relationships Sometimes adversarial? • Development group • Getting management to understand testing • Having to say no – professionally….. High process or no process? www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

5. Challenges Testers Face:Testing Resources • Poor or no requirements • Lack of time & tools • Scope creep • Rapid changes • Insist on more testing, not allowing release • Allow release, defects discovered post-release www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

6. The Marks of a Naturally Good Tester • Balances testing results & business drivers • Thinks outside the box, Natural curiosity, a desire for quality • Likes to break things (Creative destruction) • Analytical (indicative backgrounds) • Introvert/Extrovert - works with details and people well • Diplomacy - Communicates well with developers, managers and users www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

7. Know your Culture A Good Tester for You has… • Communication skills (culture – written/verbal) • Comfort with your company’s level of process • Flexibility – demonstrations from past experience • Ability to deal with inevitable frustration – how? • Motivation for QA/Testing work www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

8. The Hiring Manager’s Role • Defining the Job Requirement • Reviewing Resumes • The Interviewing Process www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

9. Defining the Job Requirement What are you really looking for? • Your Top Performers – what makes them valuable? • What skills does your current team lack? • What do you need this person to accomplish? • How do you want them to accomplish it? www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

10. Resume Review • Top performers are not necessarily great resume writers • Objectivity – be aware of your personal biases • Quantity of experience versus Quality • Be aware of other companies – reputations, types of environment, etc. www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

11. Interviewing The Crux of the Matter The Candidate’s Perspective The Interview Process Making the Decision

12. Courting the Candidate • Remember, candidates are also evaluating and making judgments • “Branding” – candidates are your customers – what they say about you/your team/your company matters. • Candidates Decision Criteria www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

13. The Candidate’s Perspective • The “Rusty” Candidate’s interview • Remember: Nervous people are not at their best • Set helpful expectations www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

14. Communicate with the Candidate Before the Interview, Provide Information: • Timing of interview • Tell them about any applications, etc., that have to be filled out • How much time the interview(s) will take • Who they will be meeting and their roles • Appropriate dress for the interview (corporate culture) www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

15. Limit Interviews Limit the number and length of Interviews • Scheduling is difficult – interviewing process drags out • Candidate forced to make excuses www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

16. Multiple Interviewers Panel Interviews • Unnecessarily intimidating • What are you trying to accomplish? • Can accomplish “meet the team” in a different way Serial Interviews • Be Clear: Who will make the hiring decision? • Clarify each person’s role in evaluating the candidate www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

17. Interview Questions Plan your questions and decide who covers what. • Type them up • Avoid duplication • Ask questions that directly relate to the skills the person needs to perform the job effectively • Use the same interview with each candidate What’s legal, what’s appropriate? www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

18. Technical Interviews • Same questions/scenarios used for each candidate • Who is conducting them? • What is their motivation? • “Stump” the candidate? • How should a candidate answer if they don’t know? www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

19. Making the Hiring Decision Objectivity – Can it be achieved? • Be aware and acknowledge your biases – set them aside • Tools to help – Evaluation forms • Do References • Make Decisions in a Timely Manner • Set expectations for how decision will be made • Get a Verbal Acceptance www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

20. Top 10 Lessons Learned from a Seasoned Recruiter! 10. Google It! 9. The 3/3 rule: more than 3 contracts of 3 months or less 8. The best person for the job may be a terrible interviewer 7. We all like to hire people like ourselves 6. The best predictor of future performance is past performance www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

21. Top 10 Lessons Learned from a Seasoned Recruiter! 1. A good hire is always about the fit. 5. Seek Contrary Information 4. Employee Referrals Rock! 3. Can the candidate listen and follow directions? 2. What did your receptionist/assistant say? www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide

22. Q&A Michelle Rocke VP of Recruiting Current Consulting Michelle.Rocke@Current-Consulting.com 303-921-0954 www.Current-Consulting.comA Hiring Manager’s Guide