You’ve already identified several ways to improve this. You don’t want to waste the devs’ time so you screen with low tech questions, which are also the only ones the HM is qualified to ask.
(Also, nothing is as expensive to a dev as a manager with too much free time. Spending a little on HR may be a QoL improvement even if we never hire)
I am also exceptionally fond of being a silent party in an interview.
Nobody wants to walk into a room with four people who are all asking questions, but I can learn a lot about people just by watching their interactions. Indeed I learn more about secondary characteristics than the interviewer because they’re wrapped up in the answer, not side comments the candidate makes about development philosophy.
Additionally, it takes less investment in an interview to ride shotgun like this. So jumping from 1 to 2 is not twice as expensive, and it protects you from hiring decisions being made with only one employee having been privy to the conversation. Especially with all of the EEO concerns that come from he said she said situations like this.
Three is the most I would put in a room, and only if two are asking questions and the third only answers them.
But you can still easily get seven people in front of the candidate with only 3 sessions in this way.
(Also, nothing is as expensive to a dev as a manager with too much free time. Spending a little on HR may be a QoL improvement even if we never hire)
I am also exceptionally fond of being a silent party in an interview.
Nobody wants to walk into a room with four people who are all asking questions, but I can learn a lot about people just by watching their interactions. Indeed I learn more about secondary characteristics than the interviewer because they’re wrapped up in the answer, not side comments the candidate makes about development philosophy.
Additionally, it takes less investment in an interview to ride shotgun like this. So jumping from 1 to 2 is not twice as expensive, and it protects you from hiring decisions being made with only one employee having been privy to the conversation. Especially with all of the EEO concerns that come from he said she said situations like this.
Three is the most I would put in a room, and only if two are asking questions and the third only answers them.
But you can still easily get seven people in front of the candidate with only 3 sessions in this way.