If you really want to see if an interview candidate really has "what it takes", ask for a description and explanation of what is listed in the candidate's resume. Ask that person to tell you exactly what he/she did and what were the reasons for that. It really is a very revealing interview technique.
I really hate seeing a resume where someone lists: "I designed a sixteen bit, successive approximation, Fourier balanced, inverse logarithmic analog to digital converter at 900 MSPS conversion rate. (An intriguing piece of techno-babble, wouldn't you say?) Then, when I ask for the above kind of explantion, I find that the candidate may have been somewhere in the building, in a room next door to where someone else did something sort of kind of maybe related to the claim shown on the resume. In short, the candidate is revealed as being a dud. (Oops! Did I say that???)
I know that I'm being hyperbolic here, but this has happened to me more times that it ever should have!
On the other hand, if the candidate is clear and can offer a lucid explanation of his/her achievements that the resume lists, you will know that you have found a good one! (Time to make a job offer!)
Suggestion:
1. The previous posting is addressing a very good point regarding the candidate offer and its quality.
2. Beside 1., the interview questions shall be focused on your needs and expectations from the candidate. Supposing, that the candidate has done a lot of lighting engineering, and you need the electrical motor and motor control expertise, then your questions will have to concentrate on if the candidate can adequately and quickly adjust to your needs and expectations, and whether or not the candidate can evidence it from some similar situation in the past.
3. The standard handbook for electrical (or perhaps electronic) engineers could be handy and some questions pertaining to it could be posed to the candidate regarding his well-rounded electrical or electronic engineering background (just in case that your business needs something unusually different to be done).
Ask the person what his or her grade point average was, and if they say straight "A", be careful, there could be a mental problem getting along with others.
responding to the above message, nbucska. I'm not getting the reference in which you refer to 42511. How can I see this response you have already given somewhere else in this forum.
only got a couple of minutes but I thought I'd throw in my lines
Ok get the candidate relaxed do a bit of technical talk. This will give you a feel for him / her but a good carsales man will get through that.
Now ask 2 questions;
1/ what do you think your the best project you have done is and why. It can be anything build a model plane fix a car build a refinery -BUT WHY do you think it's the best you've done and how would you improve it.
after this has been talked thru
2/ now what's you biggest dud and why. It doesn't matter what and what you did and would you do about it now.
before you scoff trust me try it on yourself honestly and think about it, The car salesman folds up like tissue paper, the bulls****t merchant can't answer the second half and the genuine trier can tell you about what he can learn. The egotist hates it.
Ive hired some horrible duds using triangles of wants, tech exams and phsyc evaluation sheets etc etc but these have not failed me yet - touch wood.
