Thursday, December 18, 2014

What would you ask a former hiring manager?

I'm planning on speaking with M.R. Nelson, the author of the excellent e-book "Navigating the Path to Industry." What questions would you like me to ask? 
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20 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 1:39 PM

    What percentage of your positions are filled through your online application system vs. personal contacts within the company?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 2:00 PM

    Better yet, what percentage of your applications do you actually favor with a response?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 2:47 PM

    Why is HR so incompetent?

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 3:06 PM

    What percentage of job postings do you have no intention of filling?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 3:48 PM

    Why aren't ads clearer about which qualifications are "nice to have" versus which ones are mandatory? Too many ads seem to be searching for purple unicorns.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 6:44 PM

      They already have their purple unicorn. He or she needs a green card, and therefore the employer needs to prove there are no US citizen purple unicorns available.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 5:34 PM

    Candidate evaluations are often performed by a committee. Is absolute consensus required for hiring? In a committee of 5 people, do 4 yeas supersede 1 nay?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 6:49 PM

      consensus was required

      Delete
    2. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 9:57 PM

      @Anonymous 649PM
      Assuming that everyone selected for an onsite interview had met "minimum technical requirements", how did you determine "personality fit"? Interviewees will usually try to be on their best behavior. Are they supposed to answer HR questions with honesty or political correctness?

      Delete
    3. AnonymousDecember 19, 2014 at 9:32 AM

      Owens Corning has a poison pill policy. Selected candidate requires consensus from everyone on the hiring committee.

      Delete
    4. AnonymousDecember 19, 2014 at 10:36 AM

      Consensus was required. Political correctness was required as long as it didn't come across as obvious and jarring.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousDecember 18, 2014 at 9:29 PM

    Why do you try to train foreign nationals in internships while laying off full time, qualified employees who do not require sponsorship to work?

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousDecember 19, 2014 at 9:36 AM

    Does the white type trick (putting all the keywords in a job posting in 2pt font in the footer in white type) really work to get a resume through the automated filters of Brassring, Taleo, etc so a real person puts their eyes on your resume?

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousDecember 19, 2014 at 10:46 AM

    that white type trick is almost too good to share with the wold to get an answer. It's evil genius.

    my question: in your opinion, what is the "worst" hiring practice that sees widespread use from HR managers to weed out applicants? How best can applicants avoid this?

    ReplyDelete
  10. bad wolfDecember 19, 2014 at 11:05 AM

    Really, guys, 14 Anonymouses? It's really easy to put a fake name in the "Select profile" box so we can at least keep commenters straight.

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownDecember 19, 2014 at 4:04 PM

    How about the following: Do you trust HR recruiters to bring you suitable candidates? What is the worst reason you have seen for a candidate not getting hired? Do referral bonuses cause members of the team to torpedo good interviewees? Have you ever held off on making a hiring decision in hopes that your manager will suggest a candidate, effectively eliminating the risk of hiring poorly?

    ReplyDelete
  12. SchrodingerDecember 19, 2014 at 9:53 PM

    I just got my B.S. in chemistry this year. I realize that's not the highest rung on the ladder but... Everybody hiring seems to want several years experience when listing requirements (Or things that are nice to have; you can't tell half the time.). Where am I gonna get all this experience if everybody wants 5 years to start in the first place? What's with that requirement/recommendation?

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousDecember 20, 2014 at 10:19 AM

    Why do hiring managers completely ignore unsuccessful candidates without so much as a rejection letter? Ten or fifteen years ago, that would have been extremely unprofessional, but now, it's the norm...even after site interviews with major corporations. What's different now culturally? Where are things headed?

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousDecember 21, 2014 at 6:21 PM

    What do you think of a company posting a job announcement that states it is a full-time permanent position, and then during a phone interview, the company interviewer says that the position is now more of a 'fellowship' with only 3 years funding? Why do you think companies are deceptive in this fashion, even though they expect applicants to be truthful?

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousDecember 21, 2014 at 6:25 PM

    My current employer has a policy of not giving references, either for current or former employees. This is making it somewhat difficult for me to find another job. To add to this, my company insists on checking out at least 2-3 references for people we interview for positions within our company! What do you think of this?

    ReplyDelete

looks like Blogger doesn't work with anonymous comments from Chrome browsers at the moment - works in Microsoft Edge, or from Chrome with a Blogger account - sorry! CJ 3/21/20

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