carpainter69 (9/16/2013)
So what do you look for in an interview, is it how they respond to questions, their demeanor?This is the only job in the computer industry I've had and I didn't have to interview for it (I spent 15 years in an unrelated field).
Yes.
Ha! Kidding. I'm going to ask technical questions. I had a core set of basic questions that I used for quick eliminations, mainly phone screening. I posted those several years ago on my blog. After that, assuming you got through the screening, the technical questions are open-ended. Like "So, you get a phone call. They say the database is running slow. What do you do?" And then we talk. I let the interviewee lead the conversation and I just prod things or redirect them, but if someone wants to dig a hole, I let them. I need to know how they're going to respond to the same thing in the real world. This gives me an understanding of their knowledge and skill set AND their demeanor and approach. You need to know both, not just if they can do the job, but if they can fit in well enough with the team.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
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SQL Server Execution Plans
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