subject: Whom should we hire? [print this page] Whom should we hire? Whom should we hire?
In my experience so far (as Developer, Lead & Manager), I have come across different types of people. I have had the opportunity to work with great engineering minds, people with great commitment and also, with people who are dumb (some accept and some wont).
I generally consider 2 of those qualities as the parameter for measuring a person.
1. Attitude
2. Aptitude
If a person with an excellent attitude also has an excellent aptitude, he might be the Star' performer that anyone will want to have in their team. I have worked with few people who had excellent aptitude but not a great attitude. I have got great amount of work done by them. Not sure If my response will be positive, If you ask me if I will continue to have them in my team for a longer tenure. These one or two members who mostly work for their personal greatness might end up spoiling the morale of the rest of the team. This is a tough call sometimes when you have to decide whom you will want to let go. These Star performers sometimes tend to stop thinking in terms of team and start looking for ways to attain personal greatness.
"You can accomplish anything in life, provided you do not mind who gets the credit"
There are a second set of people who have excellent determination and show good commitment in getting the things done. They do not focus only on their' tasks but focus on the goal what the team is trying to achieve. Their aptitude and engineering skills might be average (sometimes less than average). I would still retain them in my team because these are the kind of people who set the stage for others by showing what going the extra mile' means. They try' to do well. They help others do well.
People with no attitude and aptitude will find no place in any team. It hardly takes a few days to recognize them. When I recognize them, I cannot stand to have such people for even a minute longer. They are dangerous and can de-rail the team in quick time. They add to the burden of the team and rapidly de-moralize others in the team.
People with attitude and aptitude are the ones who will carry the project on their shoulders, keeping the team together. They will be willing to pass on the credits to others and at the same time, will be willing to share the blame if something goes wrong.
I have seen people who generally come to the front whenever it goes right and go into hiding if something is screwed. I hate to work with such kind of people.
I have seen some (or most) interviewers hiring people based on their knowledge of a programming knowledge. I have seen people questioning about syntax of a specific function etc. These might help us identify if the person's experience is genuine or not. But I dont think it will be right to hire a person based on his knowledge of a syntax. It hardly takes to locate a code snippet by googling the web. Anyone can write code in today's world. Not sure why people rely on the syntax knowledge to make hiring decisions. I would feel it more apt if the decisions are made on how good an aptitude the candidate has, how good an attitude he has. Anyone with a right aptitude and can learn a language in a week's time.
Most of the times, interviewer focuses on the areas where he has worked and where he is good at. Not necessary that the person he is evaluating might be good in that area. Just because his response was not satisfactory, it doesnt mean that he doesnt have the rightquality. Most of the times, the hiring decisions (particularly in big companies) are very subjective and not accurate. We do lose good candidates and absorb poor candidates.
