Nick Leonard – Product Designer interview training
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Key steps -
@nickleonard : Complete Level Up training -
@nickleonard : ask the person that will lead the first interview you’ll shadow to schedule an intro call with you. -
After the 1st shadowed interview add a new discussion in this issue, titled 1st shadow thoughts and comments
. Both participants should add their thoughts and comments about the interview they did together. What did they observe, notice, and learn? -
After the 2nd shadow add a new discussion in this issue, titled 2nd shadow thoughts and comments
. Again, add your comments and throughts. -
@nickleonard : create their own template with a list of questions for job interviews. -
@nickleonard ’s 1st lead interview. Add a new discussion in this issue, titled 1st lead thoughts and comments
. Discuss your experience and learnings with the person who shadowed you.
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General tips and guidance Before the interview:
- Review the handbook page on how to conduct an interview at GitLab
- Review the Greenhouse interview kit, which includes a standard set of questions to ask each candidate
- We ask the same questions to every candidate in an effort to fairly and consistently assess candidates
- Review the goals and needs of the Group the candidate is being interviewed for by reviewing the kickoff issue or reaching out to the Group's Product Design Manager
- Be familiar with the answers we're looking for in each question:
- Senior Product Designer - Google doc
- Intermediate Product Designer - Google doc
- Check candidate's portfolio, resumé, and cover letter
During the interview:
- Build rapport by being friendly and approachable. Explain how the interviews work at GitLab.
- Follow the interview questions found in Greenhouse.
- Ask follow up questions where appropriate.
After the interview:
- Open the appropriate google doc rubric (for example, Senior or Intermediate) as a reference to assist with overall candidate scoring.
- Fill out the scorecard in Greenhouse. Be sure to review the rubric and overall scoring definitions to come to a conclusion.
Some questions to consider are:
- Would this candidate fit the team? Are they humble, enthusiastic, collaborative?
- How interested are they in the role at GitLab? How well did they research the company? Read the handbook? What GitLab value resonates with them?
- Does the candidate bring something new to the team? A new skill or unique experience that is relevant?
- Is there a basic alignment with the open position? Are more technical skills required, for example?
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STAR questions STAR questions are a key aspect of interviewing because they:
- Ask about past behaviour and are an indicator of how the candidate will behave in similar future situations
- Help inform whether the candidate has the relevant experience
- May reveal the candidate's value alignment
- Reduce the need to rely on your gut feeling
How should a candidate respond to a STAR question?
The candidate's answer needs to be a concrete example. These questions usually start with "Tell me about a time when you..." So they're asking for specific examples. If the candidate gives you an answer that goes something like: "Well, I generally do..." you need to follow-up with: "Ok, can you give me a recent example?"
If they're not giving a specific example, they may not have experience with what you're asking them about. Be gracious, yet persistent, in asking for a specific example. If they are not able to do so, make note of this in your scorecard.
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Criteria for evaluating candidates - Review the scoring rubric to understand what we are looking for from each question asked
- Evaluate the candidate against the key criteria Attributes found in the scorecard
- Use the scoring definitions for Engineering to determine which most appropriately fits your experience with the candidate based on the scoring rubric and key criteria Attributes