PM meetup of Open Tech Week by Sigma Software, Kyiv 2019

1. MANAGER
ON INTERVIEW
DOs and DONTs

2. 2
INTRO
 What is an interview in the end?
 What’s your interest?
 To view or to show?
 Degrees of freedom and constraints
 “The Common Ritual”
 Templates and creativity

3. 3
GOALS
BASELINE
 Vulnerability of tests, assumptions traps
and answer guessing
 Knowledge, skill and competence are not
the same
GOALS
 What is Company’ offer, what is Candidate’s
offer : TRADING
 What to build predictable collaboration on
 Current state of parties VS desirable state

4. 4
TASKS
 Emotional contact
 Engagement
 Interactivity
 CANDOs-CANNOTs-BLANK SPOTS
 Forecast and required conditions
 Cost of transformation
 Cost of compromise
 Conscious Mutual Decision

5. 5
COMMUNICATION
FORMAT
 Safety
 Clear format and process
 Interviewer's attention and interest
 The benefits of communication itself, regardless
of the results
 Openness
 Interactivity. Safe word. Reversing questions flow.
 Respect for opinions
 Control and moderation from a Manager

6. 6
PREPARE
 Define target project or projects
 Clear profile of skills: what an expert is expected to do
(MoSCoW Method)
 Environment specifics: what is important to know of
Candidate and attitude
 Fair but attractive selling points
 Roles, sequence, changing turns
 Agree whom to address which questions
 Internal discussions – how and when
 Unforeseen and abnormal situations - who takes the
initiative
 Moderations mechanics, safe words

7. 7
HOW WOULD IT BE?
 Announce format, structure of communication, the
essence of each part
 Explain goals and objectives, why do we do all this
stuff
 Comfort and environment - we want to understand
what conditions to create
 If appropriate - share how we do this or that, without
any judgment
 Learn how a person solves or would solve issues and
tasks
 POA. Our objective – is to understand what
Candidate knows, can do and is proficient in
 POA. There are no wrong answers. There are
opinions and approaches Candidate shares

8. 8
STRUCTURE
 Introduction on format and goals
 Agree on acceptable start format (pre-screen,
blitz, practice)
 Feedback on answers (safe, respectful,
constructive)
 Extended skills discussion (announcement,
discussion, feedback)
 Addressing Candidates’ questions
 Short summary on what skills landscape we saw,
being careful with value judgement
 Recommendations
 Next steps and actions after the interview,
managing Candidate’s expectations

9. 9
ENGAGE
 People feel when they are served with bullshit
 What do you personally like in your work and
environment, honestly
 What would you like to adjust, do you really
believe changes could happen
 Show what you and the team actually changed
or changing now
 How does the real team interaction look like,
votes of team players, weight of opinions
 What are the project and company values, what
do you think of those
 Ask for Candidate’ feedback on your story, what
disagreements or conflicts he/she has
 Ask what changes Candidate could propose

10. 10
EMOTIONAL
BACKGROUND
 Safety
 Clear flow
 Openness
 Respecting opinions
 Interest
 Readiness for discussions
 Constructive feedback

11. 11
HOW TO CLOSE AN
INTERVIEW
 Sharing feedbacks – which of the skills we were
able to see, which we did not have time to
evaluate
 Reinforce the positive – what we think is good
and useful
 Getting feedbacks – what was good, what
requires changes in interview process
 Further steps – how do we offer to proceed,
counter-proposals from Candidate
 Warm (at least proper) meeting closure