Interviewing: What they say vs. What they know

An older “adage” about interviewing updated to today…

Interviewer: How long have you been designing websites for?

Candidate: Five years

Interviewer: Do you understand HTML CSS and Photoshop?

Candidate: Yes, Yes and Yes

Interviewer: Can you design responsive sites?

Candidate: Absolutely

Interviewer: Javascript, PHP, Ruby and HTML5?

Candidate: I’m completely up to date

Interviewer: What about content? Can you develop content too?

Candidate: I blog every day

Interviewer: You’re exactly what we’re looking for!  You’re hired!

Candidate: Ummm… don’t you want to see my portfolio?

I know that candidates hate it, but before I hire a designer or programmer, we go through the interviewing, and then we give them a practical test, at our office, that either probes a weakness or verifies a strength.  We examine the candidate’s approach and evaluate the results.  THEN we hire or move on.  Didn’t your parents always say that words are easy to say?

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Chris Labatt-Simon

Chief Innovation Officer at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Chris is currently the Chief Innovation Officer at Internet Marketing Ninjas where he manages M&A activity, legal work, and also focuses on the use of technology and other solutions to lead innovation and growth. Prior to this, Chris led the sale of his $10mil information technology company, twice an Inc500 fastest growing company in the US, to an investment banking firm in NYC. He has a strong passion for sailing, and had the opportunity to spend two years travelling from Lake Champlain to the southern Bahamas and back with his family.

Latest posts by Chris Labatt-Simon (see all)

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